To The Upside Down: A Journey to Mt. Dulang-Dulang (2,938+)

October 7, 2019September 14, 2022 Rex Lim Lim ITINERARY, MOUNTAIN, mountains, PINAS, TRANSIT

Reading Time: 11 minutes

Right there, in that very exact moment, I was transported back in 2015 when I first saw photos of the mystical forests of Mt. Dulang-Dulang.

Myriads of convoluted, spiraling branches reached out to the sky – as they are covered in moss, and beards of lichens. We felt like we were the king of the clouds; as we walked past what seems to be a surreal world taken right straight out from the ancient forest of Fangorn from The Lord of the Rings.

Mt. Dulang-Dulang (2,938+)
Lantapan, Bukidnon
Major jump-off: Sitio Bol-ogan, Brgy. Songco, Lantapan
LLA: 8.09798°N 124.9605°E 2938 MASL (#2)
Days required / Hours to summit: 2 days / 10 hours
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 6/9, Trail class 2-4
Specs (Traverse): Major climb, Difficulty 8/9, Trail class 2-4 with roped segments
(www,pinoymountaineer.com)

Purification Rites of the Talaandig

Table of Contents

After a rather quick visit to Alalum Falls in Kisolon, down to CEDAR in Impasug-ong, we hurriedly flagged a multicab around 02:00 in the afternoon to attend a mandatory orientation in DENR-PAMB Malaybalay.

We arrived right a little bit late around 02:15pm then the orientation at the DENR Office took around less than half an hour. We then chartered a multicab to bring us to Datu Makapukaw of the Talaandig Tribe for the ritual, thanks to our coordinator Sir John Donasco of Hindukaw Mountaineers.

Then we had a quick supply run and lunch before another an hour and a half travel to Lantapan where the Datu’s house is located. It was already 06:00pm; dusk prevailed as we sat down the rickety second floor made of wood and bamboo. Settling down, we prepared the three live chickens we bought from Malaybalay City, together with some wine, eggs, coins, and white cloth.

Lansones at 40php/kg, Mangosteen at 50php/kg, Durian as low as 50php. This is heaven.

Usually they forbade taking pictures of the ritual so I didn’t had the guts to ask for permission. The ritual lasted an hour, wherein tales of how the Kitanglad Range came to be. We were then “cleansed” by Datu Makapukaw with the chicken feathers drenched in its own blood.

*The Talaandig Ritual performed before scaling the Kitanglad Mountain Range. (Photo from ivanlakwatsero.com)*

Note: Superstitions say that never ever speak of Soap (sabon), Salt (asin) and four-legged animals (baboy, pusa, aso etc.) while inside the mountain range.

Day 01: The Cold Never Bothered?

It was 08:00pm as we arrived in Sitio Bul-ogan in Brgy. Songco, we settled down at Kuya Edgar’s home (One of the head guides), where we are going to spend the night. Strong gusts of cold wind started blowing, and kept us cold the whole night.

The following morning, breakfast and lunch was prepared early, and we set out for an epic hike. At 08:30am, the initial trail is wide resembling that of Mt. Tapulao and with Pine Trees and vegetable crops all around, from lettuce, tomatoes and cabbages.

Not from afar, the sentinel of a mountain range, the Kalatungan Mountain Range showed itself. Sun was definitely up not until we reached the base of the mountain – that rain started to pour down. Good thing we were prepared and donned out our rain coats.

From the base, the trail shifted from downright rocky to muddy and forested. The jungle kept becoming denser and denser until we reached the 3kms to summit marker at 11:30am. There are no steep assaults in general, mostly gradual sloped portions shifting from flat terrain to forested jungle floors with tree roots every now and then.

Almost four hours on the trail and everything is already akin to the Monkey Trails of Mt. Tabayoc in Benguet. I tried so very hard not to take more photos, but I told myself that the best is still yet to come. Virtually, everything progressed from the usual forest trees to everything now being moss covered in varying degrees.

We all agreed to eat lunch at a clearing near a river to replenish, but as the rain didn’t faltered, cold caught up on us every time we tried to stop. We just continued while being content with bread that we bought with us.

Around 02:30pm, almost six hours on the trail, we finally arrived at Manny’s garden. It was otherworldly in there.

Trees with slender branches, wearing their mossy cloaks, spiraling out of control into the top of the forest canopy welcomed us. The rain and fog even added up to the mystical vibe of the campsite.

Every inch of this forest was perfect, mossy trees emerged everywhere. This is also the first time I witnessed the Crown Shyness Phenomenon, wherein trees are seemingly shy to touch each other amongst its leaves, therefore creating labyrinths from up above.

From there, it took us half an hour before we finally reached the very summit. Rain eventually stopped, and fog cover was so dense and the winds are unforgiving. Instead of giving up on our hunger, we pitched our tents as fast as we could at the campsite. We had our lunch at around 03:00 in the afternoon, exactly taking us six hours and a half before reaching the second highest point of the Philippines!

Day 02: Experiencing the Primeval

As expected, at around 06:00 in the evening, bitter cold already creeped in. Temperature even dropped to 11C by 08:00pm. Our meals were prepared inside my tent, making it smell of rice and Sinigang, but it was warm in there!

No one even bothered to get out their tents that night, it was bleak and bitter cold night that we slept curled up in our sleeping bags. Glancing at my watch I left out in the open, it recorded a measly 4C at 03:00am. I thought I am prepared for the cold, but no, I was not.

Unzipping my tent around 05:30 am the following day, our summit camp was still windswept, I crawled out and braved the cold morning, my tent was almost dry from the incessant wind from last night that moisture did not even showed up even on the undersides.

My jaws chattered and my hand trembled as I tried to take snapshots of the ethereal view in front of me. I wrapped a Malong around me and sat at tree roots at the summit marker. Then, there it is, the clouds paved way and the sun slowly rose out from the horizon.

“This is one of the best birthday presents I had” I told myself, still in disbelief of what nature gave. I brewed a cup of coffee back in my tent then returned to the viewdeck.

Moreover, Mts. Apo and Talomo (at 2,956+, the highest in the country) showed themselves for a couple of seconds, before it succumbed to the cloud covers. Then the nearby Mt. Kitanglad (the fourth highest) with the distinct communication towers jutted out to the sky. Note that Mt. Pulag ranks third highest at 2,922 meters above sea level, only a few meters short of Mt. Dulang-Dulang’s height.

Then as my friends started to get up around 07:00 in the morning, we ventured at the summit forest teeming with trees crazily covered in moss and bent in peculiar angles.

Some of the smaller shrubs have white clothes wrapped around them, and a table filled with offering like coins and candies are present, adding to the mysticism of the mountain.

White cloth tied on tree branches at the summit of Mt. Dulang-Dulang

I eventually returned to my tent to prepare breakfast, even cooked dried fish inside, ’cause it was still cold. Then we broke camp at around 08:00am. We descended down with our eyes feasting on the incredible forest every now and then. We got back at around 12:30pm, exactly four hours of descent.

Mt. Dulang-Dulang, with its primeval and untouched forests, deserves to be included with Mts. Apo and Pulag to be the highests in the country, with each of them offering a different and once in a lifetime experiences.

How To Get There

Mt. Dulang-Dulang, the second highest peak in the country is located inside the Kitanglad Natural Park, an ASEAN Heritage Park, which cradles some 50+ species of fauna, including some Deers, Shrews, Rats and the Philippine Eagle, and some hundred more flora.

From Laguindingan Airport in CDO:

Take a bus/van bound for Agora Market Terminal in Cagayan De Oro City. (1 hour travel time/ 200php/pax)
Upon arrival in Agora Terminal, transfer to another bus bound for Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. Alternately you can take buses bound for Maramag, Valencia City or Davao City and alight at Malaybalay. ( 2 hours travel time, 200php/pax)
Alighting at Malaybalay City, meet with your contact person and courtesy call first at the DENR-PAMB, hail a motorella to take you directly at their office. (10mins, 70php/trip)
From DENR-PAMB:
- You can catch the Songco bound jeeps at the terminal. Last trip leaves at 02:00pm, 1.5 hours travel time, 50php/pax.
- Another option is to hire a multicab if travelling by group, they will take you to the Datu’s house , wait for your group, then take you to your homestay in Sitio Bul-ogan. (1.5 hours travel time, 1500php/trip good for 10 persons)

Travel Tips

The Talaandig tribe of Lantapan have been accorded rights to the mountains as their “ancestral domains”. Hence it is a must to secure their blessing to climb Mts. Dulang-Dulang together with Mts. Kitanglad, Langkayugan and Maagnaw, forming the infamous KD2LM, that takes three to four days to finish.
Usually, climbers are limited by the DENR-PAMB to 15-20pax daily, and one must secure a permit months prior to the climb.

Public Vehicles and Guides are usually hard to contact here, so doing it independently without local knowledge is a challenge. I suggest, for Manila based mountaineers to contact a coordinator, so they will be the one to do the securing the permit, contacting guides and preparation of ritual materials. Ours was John Donasco, you can contact him at 0956 422 0069.
Ritual materials that our coordinator prepared prior to the climb are 3 live chickens, 2 bottles of local wine, 3pcs eggs, 15pcs 1 peso coins, 4 white cloth strips.
Kuya Edgar’s homestay doesn’t have a fixed rate, so it is up to your group, we paid him 500php for the three of us.

Guide Fee is 750php per day, so that’s 1500php for an overnight climb. Guide to hiker ratio is 1:5. Porter fee is another payment, please do not ask your guides to carry your stuff for you.
Watersource: After Km 2 marker and near Manny’s Garden
Limatik/Leeches – Minimal to none at D2 via Lantapan Trail, depends on the weather condition
Noxious Plants – none at D2 via Lantapan Trail
Network signal: Sporadic at the summit
Cellular Data: Intermittent
Always practice the Leave-No-Trace Principles (LNT)
Respect local culture and their ways.
What you brought up in the mountains, must also come down.

Itinerary and Expenses

Mt. Dulang-Dulang Overnight Climb with Kisolon and Impasugong Sidetrip

Day 01
0330 Manila, 120 Breakfast
0530 Laguindingan, 200php van
0615 Agora, Breakfast 85
0730 Depart for Sumilao
0915 Alalum Falls, Kisolon, Sumilao 100 guide fee
1030 Depart for CEDAR, 20php to Impasugong Multicab
1100 CEDAR, Register 20php
1130 Start trek Gantungan, Natigbasan, Dila
1300 End of trek, 300php guide fee
1330 Multicab to Malaybalay, 20php
1415 DENR, PAMB Orientation (1000php, permit fee)
1445 Market, supply run
1630 Depart for Songco, Lantapan (1500, multicab)
1800 Datu Makapukaw, Ritual (1000php fee, 1500 ritual materials)
1930 Brgy. Bul-ogan, Homestay at Edgar Saway (450php)
2100 Lights off

Day 02
0600 Prepare Breakfast, Lunch
0830 Start trek, Kuya Dodong (Guide Fee: 1500php 2 days)
1130 3kms to summit marker
1230 2kms to summit marker
1330 1km to summit marker
1430 Manny’s Garden
1500 Summit, prepare camp
2030 Dinner
2230 Lights off

Day 03
0530 Wake up, prepare breakfast
0630 Breakfast
0700 Break camp
0830 Descend down
0900 Manny’s Garden
1115 Km 1 Marker
1230 Kuya Edgar Saway’s Homestay, tidy up
1500 Depart for Malaybalay City, 50php
1700 Malaybalay City Terminal, late lunch 100php
1730 Take bus back to Cagayan De Oro City 200php
1930 Agora Terminal
2000 Van to Laguindingan
2115 Laguindingan, check in at hostel (900php/ACU room)

Day 04
0600 Flight back to Manila
0815 Arrival at NAIA Terminal 3