Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park, Occidental Mindoro | Travel Guide

April 10, 2020July 27, 2021 Rex Lim Lim BLOG, iglit, ITINERARY, magawang, TRAVEL GUIDE

Reading Time: 8 minutes

In this travel guide, we will take you to Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park in Occidental Mindoro.

Occidental Mindoro, with all its raw attributes such as contiguous coral reefs, wild jungle trails, remote beaches and its indigenous people, still remains undiscovered and untouched.

If you have the penchant for bumpy rides on top of jeepneys and tractors that will take you through vast plains and mountains, then this is the place to be.

Where is Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park:

Table of Contents

The 75,445 hectare protected Tamaraw Reserve, that is Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park is located at the heart of Mindoro Island, with the larger portions (75%) in Sablayan, San Jose, Rizal and Calintaan in Occidental Mindoro.

The remaining portions (25%) lie in the towns of Sabang, Rosacara, Villahermosa, Itagan, Lisap, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabon, Mansalay and Panaytayan in Oriental Mindoro. Access to the park is in Brgy. Poypoy in Calintaan, a mere 180+ kilometers of land travel from the Port of Abra de Ilog.

How To Get There

By Air and Land:

Cebu-Pacific flies once daily from Manila to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The travel lasts for at least 55 minutes to 1 hour.
Upon arrival at San Jose Airport, hire tricycle that will take you to the Tamaraw Conservation Program Office (TCP) to get a permit to enter the Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park (MIBNP) this will cost you around 20php for the tricycle while 250php for the Trekking Fee plus additional 30php for the DENR Environmental Fee. (This is per person basis)

Then ask the tricycle to wait for you during registration as you need to ride again another tricycle that will take you to the van terminals that will pass by Brgy. Poypoy in Calintaan, this trip will take you an hour and costs 70php/pax.
Alight at the side of the highway with the Brgy. Poypoy Marker then hire again another tricycle to get to the Barangay Hall where you have to show your permit and pay again another 50php/pax for the entrance fee.
From the Brgy. Hall it is optional to trek to Sitio Magtangcob or Camp 1, or take a tricycle that will cost the trip around 100php/trip. I suggest take the tricycle since it is still an hour away from the Brgy. Hall by foot. Make sure to do a courtesy call at the Military Detachment before proceeding to Camp 1 to register. Better safe than sorry.
From Camp 1 it will take 3-4hrs to Camp 2, then from Camp 2, Mt. Iglit is 4-5hrs of hike, while Mt. Magawang takes around 1-2hrs to reach.

By Sea and Land:

There are numerous bus companies in Manila that goes directly at the Port of Batangas hourly with most of their terminals in Buendia in Pasay City. Trip takes an average of an hour and a half and costs 167.00php/pax (From Buendia) – 175.00php/pax (From Cubao).
- Check bus schedules here:
  - JAM Liner – 1st Trip (06:00am) – Last Trip (11:00pm)
  - ALPS – 1st Trip (06:00am) – Last Trip (09:00pm)
Alternatively, there are direct bus trips to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro that costs around 950php/pax that covers also the fare for the ferry, bus companies such as Jam and Dimple Star traverses this route.
Upon arrival at Batangas Port ride another ferry bound for the Port of Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro, trip costs 260php and takes 2.5hrs, check the schedules below:
- Montenegro Shipping Lines:
  - Batangas to Abra de Ilog – 02:00 AM / 06:00 AM / 10:00 AM / 02:00 PM/ 06:00 PM / 10:00 PM
  - Abra de Ilog to Batangas – 08:00 AM / 04:00 PM / 11:00 PM
Upon arrival at the Port of Abra de Ilog, there are vans and buses all bound for San Jose at any time of the day.
- Buses are comfortable with enough leg room but will take some time to fill up couple with various stops and delays along the way, fare starts at 280php/pax and takes around 4-5hrs to reach San Jose.
- Vans on the other hand fills up with passengers pretty quickly but has limited space, fare costs 360php/pax and takes around 3-4hrs to reach San Jose.

Alight at San Jose town proper, hire tricycle that will take you to the Tamaraw Conservation Program Office (TCP) to get a permit to enter the Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park (MIBNP) this will cost you around 20php for the tricycle while 250php for the Trekking Fee plus additional 30php for the DENR Environmental Fee. (This is per person basis)
Then ask the tricycle to wait for you during registration as you need to ride again another tricycle that will take you to the van terminal that will pass by Brgy. Poypoy in Calintaan, this trip will take you an hour and costs 70php/pax.

Alight at the side of the highway with the Brgy. Poypoy Marker then hire again another tricycle to get to the Barangay Hall where you have to show your permit and pay again another 50php/pax for the entrance fee.
From the Brgy. Hall it is optional to trek to Sitio Magtangcob or Camp 1, or take a tricycle that will cost the trip around 100php/trip. I suggest take the tricycle since it is still an hour away from the Brgy. Hall by foot. Make sure to do a courtesy call at the Military Detachment before proceeding to Camp 1 to register. Better safe than sorry.
From Camp 1 it will take 3-4hrs to Camp 2, then from Camp 2, Mt. Iglit is 4-5hrs of hike, while Mt. Magawang takes around 1-2hrs to reach.

Getting Around Occidental Mindoro

Vans and Buses ply the national highway, while tricycles are the main mode of transportation going to and from Barangays and/or Sitios.

Hike Tips

The hike commences in a one (1) hour trek from Brgy. Poypoy to Sitio Magtangcob or Camp 1. Another three (3) to four (4) hike brings you to the Tamaraw Ranger Station or Camp 2 at the foot of Mts. Iglit and Magawang. From this station, the summit of Mt. Iglit will take you an average of four (4) to five (5) hours up to the summit while an average of one (1) to two (2) hours to the summit of Mt. Magawang.

From the Tamaraw Ranger Station or Iglit Station to the peaks of Mts. Iglit and Magawang there are no tree covers so expect a hot and humid hike. It is advisable to start really early to avoid the scorching heat along the way.
Water sources are available somewhere halfway to the summit of Mt. Iglit, while there is one in Magawang Station.
Tamaraw sighting at the Tamaraw Plaza is best done during sunrise and/or sunset at the peak of Mt. Magawang, usually there are 59 out of 405 tally in this area alone (Explora.ph), although there are less chances of seeing one once the heat strikes.

Expect river crossings from Camp 1 to Camp 2.
Toilets and water sources are available at the Camps inside the MIBNP.
There will be interactions with the Mangyans along the way, and most of them can’t understand the Tagalog language, cultural sensitivity is a must, and ask permission before taking a photo of them. Photo below from Ivan Torres (IG: @iavnt)

View this post on Instagram

While crossing the river, I saw a man standing with a sack of wood to bring back to his village. I paused and looked, badly wanting to raise my lenses. I hesitated… scared of seeing a frown if I try to take a shot. Mustering the courage to ask if it's okay, he saw me looking with my lenses midair. Seeing the wanting in my eyes, he posed and smiled. Then I knew what I had to do: grab the opportunity and take his photograph. It's not always the same case, but I knew I had to try. I'll keep trying.

A post shared by Ivan Torres (@iavnt) on Nov 12, 2017 at 5:03am PST

Always practice the LNT (Leave No Trace) Principles, minimize impacts on the environment.
Please, always do your research, it’s better to be properly prepared than be surprised by some turn of the events. If you are reading this, high five!

Things to See in Occidental Mindoro

Mt. Iglit (1432+) – is the formidable peak inside the MIBNP that gives you a full 360 degree view at the summit of the surrounding savanna grasslands and the islands near San Jose.

Mt. Magawang (850+) – the summit of Mt. Magwang serves as the third camp inside the MIBNP that will give you the chance to see the rare and elusive Tamaraw inside their natural habitat up in the mountain highlands of Mindoro.

Apo Reef – located in Sablayan, is a coral reef system situated on the western waters in the Mindoro Strait. It is the world’s second-largest contiguous coral reef system and the largest in the country.
Mt. Calavite (1521+) – is located in Paluan, Occidental Mindoro and a biodiversity haven for flora and fauna. Hike usually takes 1-2 days to reach the old communication tower on its very summit.

Where to Stay

Nearest hotels or resorts at Sablayan and San Jose, Occidental Mindoro:
- Gustav’s Place Beach Resort – Sto. Nino, Sablayan ( 09394326134/ 09394326131)
- Sikatuna Beach Hotel – Airport Rd., San Roque 1, San Jose
- Mindoro Plaza Hotel – Zamora St., San Jose
- Mindoro Grand Hotel – Lopez Jaena St., San Jose

Extend Your Trip

Puerto Galera – Party all night at the white sand shores of Oriental Mindoro, then check-out the island hopping destinations in Puerto Galera.

Itinerary and Expenses

Day 00

2015 Depart for Buendia via Jam Liner (180php/pax)
2230 Arrival at Batangas Pier, wait for next trip to Abra de Ilog

Day 01

0030 Depart for Occidental Mindoro (280php/pax)
0245 Arrival at Port of Abra De Ilog
0315 Transfer to rented Van, Depart for Calintaan
0630 Calintaan, breakfast, buy supplies
0730 Brgy. Poypoy, meet guide, transfer to tractor
0810 Military Detachment, register
0830 Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park, Camp 1, register
0900 Start trek
1020 Barkong Bato, Monkey Bridge crossing
1230 6th river crossing, small river, rest
1340 Arrival at Camp 2, Tamaraw Ranger Station, Lunch
1515 Ascent to Mt. Magawang (850+MASL)
1615 Viewdeck, Tamaraw Watching
1730 Descent
1820 Back at Camp 2, tidy up
1900 Dinner
2200 Lights Off

Day 02

0300 Wake up call
0430 Start trek to Mt. Iglit
0505 Rappel Cliff
0710 Mangibok Ridge
0730 Summit Mt. Iglit (1432+MASL), rest
0900 Descend
1030 Rappel Cliff
1100 Camp 2, lunch
1300 Start descent to Camp 1
1440 Monkey Bridge Crossing
1530 Resume
1615 Arrival at Camp 1, wait for service tractor (delayed)
1800 Transfer to tractor
1820 Arrival at Brgy. Poypoy, transfer to van
2000 Arrival at Mansibang Residence, Tidy-up, Dinner
2345 Port of Abra de Ilog

Total Expenses: 3000.00php event fee organized by the Mansibang Outdoor Group for the two (2) – day trip that covers all transportation fare to and from Manila, Registration, Environmental, Guide Fees, and Food.

Disclaimer: This is based on the actual trip that I have done, all information stated above is up to date as of writing. There are more options to choose from and please feel free to message me for any concerns and suggestions that comes up as you browse this three-part series.