Gonzaga’s Fire Mountain | Cagua Volcano (1,168+), Cagayan

July 10, 2020July 25, 2021 Rex Lim Lim CAGAYAN, cagua, gonzaga, ITINERARY, magrafil, MOUNTAIN, mountains, TRANSIT PINAS, TRAVEL GUIDE, volcano

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Cagua Volcano
Gonzaga, Cagayan
Entry Points: Brgy. Magrafil and Brgy. Sta Clara
LLA: 18.22 N, 122.12 E, 1,168 MASL
Days required/ Hours to summit: 1-2 days/ 2-4 hours (via Magrafil)
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty: 2/9, Trail Class: 1-2
Features: Tropical rainforest, scenic views of Cagayan, hot springs, waterfalls, volcanic crater and sulfuric fumaroles

***This is the author’s account of their Cagua Volcano hike last July 2016 as part of their Cagayan province trip. This adventure covers only the journey going to the Northern Rim via Brgy. Magrafil, as well as the itinerary, logistics and tips.

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Cagayan All You Can

Table of Contents

“Boarding gate’s already closed. I am sorry but we can’t do anything for you, Sir.” muttered by the ground crew at the airport check-in counter. We just missed our plane bound for Davao that night due to the heavy traffic going to NAIA Terminal 2. I was quite disheartened upon hearing it, my birthday climb to Mt. Apo is now a farfetched dream. (A year after that, we succeeded! Here’s our Mt. Apo Dayhike adventure HERE)

But, there’s always Plans B to Z, so we booked another Grab ride going to Quezon City to ride a bus bound for Tuguegarao in Cagayan. Our Cagayan trip was a bang for the buck trip and all plans and logistics going to Palaui Island, Cape Engano and Cagua Volcano was done during the twelve (12) hours bus trip.

From Tuguegarao, we boarded a van bound for Gonzaga, Cagayan which took us another three (3) hours. Upon arrival in Gonzaga, we only relied with the details we gathered online the past night and hired a tricycle that will take us to Brgy. Magrafil.

Brgy. Magrafil

The one-hour tricycle ride was rough and took us another hour. After a total of sixteen hours, we have finally reached Brgy. Magrafil.

We did a courtesy call at the barangay and waited for our guide then transferred to a “kolong-kolong” or a tricycle used to transport crops that took us to the highlands for another twenty minutes.

Standing on top of a clearing where a hut is located, the road leading here were used to plant corn, rice and other staples in the Cagayan Valley. We are already past the 400-meter elevation and we only need to gain around 500 meters more until the northern volcano rim.

On foot, we entered the forested trail that is used by the hunters. It was well established and has thick tree cover that provided shade from the scorching afternoon heat. Edible mushrooms were picked up by our guide along the way.

It was gradual and similar to the trails of some of the Sierra Madre Mountains and also akin to that of Mt. Makiling. Limatiks are only present at the campsite in the Bagsang Trail of Sta. Clara. After an hour and a half, the pungent smell of Sulfur emanated as we came out of the woods. We ascended the last portion of the steep trail up to the crest of the hill.

The Fire Mountain

Finally, we arrived at the northern rim of the volcano at around 911 MASL. The true summit is at 1,168 MASL which takes around 4 to 5 hours to complete.

But we don’t have enough time so we contented ourselves at this viewpoint. It was rewarding enough to see Palaui Island (Adventure HERE) and the low lying towns and communities. But what lies from the other side of the viewpoint was definitely one for the books.

It was like the first level of hell from down below; bellowing sulfur emissions from the boiling pools are clouding up the area in a depressing haze.

The almost barren and somber landscape is devoid of life. Bubbling puddles festered the grayed out area while trees are petrified from the heat and lack of nourishment.

I don’t really quite get it myself, but seeing volcanoes up close and braving the hazards of eruptions blurs out the thin line between the reality and fear. There’s this fleeting moments of sublime happiness that rushes upon the smell of sulfur, and at the sight of perilous topographies. To add, this made my birthday climb complete.

Stratovolcano

Cagua Volcano has a crater diameter of 1.5 kilometers and is considered as a stratovolcano. These types of landforms, commonly called as composite volcanoes are formed over hundreds or thousands of years through multiple eruptions, layer upon layer of lava and pyroclastic materials until it towers over a hundred meters tall. Some of the known stratovolcanoes are Mt. Mayon and Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines and Mt. Fuji in Japan.

With eruptions dating 1860 and the last in 1907, it is one of the 23 active volcanoes in the country as monitored by PHIVOLCS. The province of Cagayan has five (5) active volcanoes with Mt. Cagua the only one in the mainland.

Cagua Falls (www.mountaintipsandtops.wordpress.com)

One of the more established trails starts at Sitio Bagsang in Brgy. Sta Clara with an elevation of 224 meters and the trail length is around eight (8) kilometers passing through rainforests and the Cagua Falls at the crater floor before reaching the first fumarole.

There are also several hotsprings dotting the volcano, namely: Maasok near the crater, Magrafil in the northwest, Manaring and San Jose in the north-northeast, Kabillangan in the northwest, and Paminta in the north-northwest

Update: as of June 2020, a new access road leading to Mount Cagua Summit in Gonzaga, Cagayan is now completed. The road is expected to cut the travel time going to Brgy. Magrafil in 30 minutes. Before, it takes about an hour due to the rough road conditions. This road also serves as an access route to emerging tourist destinations in town which includes Mausok Hotspring, Bagsang Falls and Cagua Volcano. (Roadcheck Facebook Page)

How to Get There

By air, Cebu Pacific flies to Tuguegarao three (3) times daily at the following schedules:

- MNL -TUG – flies three (3) times a day (0755/ 1010/ 1300)
  - I tried to mock book a month in advance and cheapest regular roundtrip promo fare costs around 2,466.12php

By land, from Manila, take any Tuguegarao bound buses
From the terminal, hail a tricycle to take you to the van terminal near the Tuguegarao Rotunda.
Take a van from Tuguegarao to Gonzaga, Cagayan. (Fare starts at 200php, travel time around 3 hours)
From the Gonzaga Public Market, the tricycle ride cost 400php per way and takes around 45 minutes to Brgy. Magrafil.
In Brgy. Magrafil meet your assigned guides and register at the Barangay Hall before proceeding to the jump-off point. Travel time from Brgy. Magrafil to jump-off point takes around 20 minutes.

Travel Tips

Registration Fee is 150php per person is payable to Gonzaga’s PAMB. This fee includes the ID, orientation and climb certificate.
Guide Fee is 500php good for four (4) persons for a dayhike and 1000php for overnight.
Porter Fee is 500php at 12 kilograms and additional 50php per excess kilogram. However, 1000php will be charged for overnight hikes.

You can book and coordinate your planned schedule with the Gonzaga Tourism Office through their Facebook Page HERE.
Alternatively, you can contact Mr. Mclevine Agustines at 0917 193 3215, Gonzaga’s Tourism Officer.
Please be reminded that all climbs must be coordinated first at the Tourism Office and walk-ins at Brgy. Magrafil and Brgy. Sta Clara will not be allowed.
Bring enough food and water.
Practice LNT Principles all the time.

Extend Your Trip:

Cape Engano, Palaui Island, Sta. Ana, Cagayan
Callao Caves, Penablanca, Cagayan – one enters the monastic chambers of light and darkness as you explore one of the largest cave systems in the country. This is also where one of the oldest human bones in Luzon was collected. Adventure HERE.

Baggao Blue Water Falls and Caves, Baggao, Cagayan – several spring terraces welcomes you before arriving at the blue colored lagoon. Then a complex cave system inside will keep your adrenaline pumping as it combines spelunking with canyoneering. Adventure HERE.