Mt. Kupapey (1,647+) | Hiking The Ripple Terraces of Maligcong
Mt. Kupapey (1,647+) and Mt. Fato (1,438+)
Location: Maligcong, Bontoc, Mountain, Province
Difficulty: 3/9
Trail Class: 1-2
(www.pinoymountaineer.com)
**This is an account of our experience in hiking Mts. Kupapey and Fato last October 2019. This entry contains details of the hike, sample budget and travel guide.
The Uncharted Paddies of Maligcong
I always see photos of the surreal rice terraces of a town in Mountain Province called Maligcong. For the longest time, I always planned to visit this off the beaten track. The uncharted paddies of Maligcong is often overshadowed by its famous neighbors like that of Sagada, Mt. Pulag and the rice terraces of Ifugao.
We were kind of drained after a quick visit in Sagada, that we had lunch already past 03:00pm in Bontoc town proper. After having our fill, we did some final supply run and pushed through to Maligcong.
Surprisingly, it took us less than an hour to get there. I never thought that Maligcong is just a heartbeat away from Bontoc. I’ve been to Bontoc a number of times, but not knowing that it’s just around the corner. The houses and homestays in there are true to what I’ve read online, the structures are modest and still far from commercialism.
The temperature that night suddenly dipped to 12C, that my companions magically whipped up several bottles of liquor for us to drink while preparing dinner. The kitchen in our homestay is communal and one can use the plates, utensils, cooking range, pots and pans. What’s more interesting is that there’s free brewed coffee inside!
It is customary to start the hike going to Mt. Kufafey on your first day. But due to the volume of visitors who arrived, we all decided to just go to Mt. Fato first so as not to add to the crowd at the other summit. We called it a night after dinner to prepare ourselves for the hike the following morning.
Cloud Covers at Mt. Fato
We started at around 05:00am. From the main road, the trail started in a series of stairs leading to different houses in the community.
Then a sharp turn at the end of the stairs is where the pine tree clad forest ensues. The weather was cool enough and it took us more than an hour before we reached the rocky summit of Mt. Fato.
Towering at 1,438+, the trail is clad in Pine Trees and shrubs of Rhododendrons. It was a fairly easy hike. The thing that stands out with Mt. Fato is the presence of large boulders at the summit that one can climb to witness the sunrise or marvel at the sweeping panorama of the low lying Sitio Favarey and the rice terraces.
But sadly that morning, clouds came rolling in that even some hopefuls at the other mountain, Mt. Kupapey were disappointed for not seeing that beautiful sunrise. Our guide lit a bonfire to warm us up a little bit while waiting for the clouds to clear.
With little to no hope of getting a glimpse from the summit. We packed up and proceeded to the traverse trail going to Mt. Kupapey.
Kupapey and the Rippled Terraces
The traverse trail was scenic and the surrounding mountains are now seen as the clouds started to roll away. We initially managed to pass by narrow ridges that goes up and down.
Then at the final portion, the trail suddenly snaked through a mountain side with a steep slope on one side. A little over an hour, we heard distinct sounds of conversations only to realize that we have finally arrived at Mt. Kupapey.
A little over 1,600 meters above sea level, the main draw for people hiking this Cordillera mountain is because of the stunning view of the Maligcong Rice Terraces. Mt Kupapey or “Kofafey/Kufapoy” in the local tongue is a gem that keeps on giving.
Maligcong Rice Terraces is another amazing feat of our ingenious ancestors who carefully carved and preserved this rice terraces for hundreds of years. The layers upon layers of rice terraces were like ripples of water on a placid lake.
Maligcong Rice Terraces as viewed from above is a sight that completely makes you forget the exhausting trip and effort you put in just to get there.
From the viewpoint at the summit of Mt. Kupapey, one could already see the three sitios of Maligcong surrounded by this enormous terraces, namely: Favarey, Favuyan, and Farung-ao.
We descended down as the last group for the day since we expected foot traffic along the trail. This time we took the trail that passes by the stone walled terraces of Maligcong, and from down there, they look like several pancakes stacked on top of each other. We got back to our homestay after an hour.
Where to Stay
- We stayed at Vilma’s Homestay – 0905 7011448, 350php/night
- Maligcong Terraces View Guest House – Ms. Rowena (0915 1881732), 350php
- Suzette Homestay – 0915 5463557, 350php to 400php/ night
How to Get There
- Kupapey and Fato are located in the highlands of Maligcong in Bontoc, Mountain Province. (30-45mins, 7.7 kilometers away from Bontoc proper)
- During this trip, I joined an organized event going to Sagada and Maligcong to maximize my 2-days off. But being already familiar on how to commute going to and from here, here’s my take on it:
- Manila via Bontoc:
- CODA Lines Cubao has the most comfortable buses with daily trips going to Sagada and Bontoc.
- Travel time is 11hrs. 871php (Express), 1,123php (VIP)
- Bus Schedules at CODA LINES Cubao Terminal:
- 08:00pm/ 09:00pm/ 10:00pm – Cubao to Bontoc, Cubao to Sagada
- 10:30pm – Cubao to Bontoc
- Bus Schedules at CODA LINES Bontoc/ Sagada Terminal
- 10:30am – Sagada to Cubao
- 11:30am – Bontoc to Cubao
- 02:00pm – Sagada to Cubao
- 03:00pm/ 04:00pm – Bontoc to Cubao / Sagada to Cubao
- 05:00pm – Bontoc to Cubao
- CODA LINES Address and Contact Details:
- Cubao, Q.C. – Monte de Piedad cor. Maryland St., Cubao, Quezon City (0927 5592197/ 0929 5213229
- Baguio City– Otek St., Burnham Park, Rizal Monument, Baguio City (0935 5359114/ 0998 4448831)
- Banaue, Ifugao – Poblacion Banaue near the Tourism Office (0936 9719240/ 0920 651 9672)
- CODA Lines Cubao has the most comfortable buses with daily trips going to Sagada and Bontoc.
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- Upon arrival in Bontoc town proper the following morning, hail a tricycle to take you to the jeepney terminal. They are located near the public market, during weekday afternoons sometimes they wait for passengers near the post office next to the museum.
- Fare is 30php, travel time is around 30-45minutes
- Take note that jeepneys fill up with passengers before departing, they might leave ahead of schedule if already full
- Their trip schedule is as follows:
- Bontoc to Maligcong – 0800/ 1200/ 1400/ 1600/ 1700
- Maligcong to Bontoc – 0630/ 0800/ 0900/ 1400/ 1600
- A registration fee of 50php is collected before hiking Mts. Kufafey and Fato.
- Guide fee for each mountain
- Upon arrival in Bontoc town proper the following morning, hail a tricycle to take you to the jeepney terminal. They are located near the public market, during weekday afternoons sometimes they wait for passengers near the post office next to the museum.
Extend Your Trip
- Challenging the Stairways of Finaroy | Mt. Amuyao (2,702+)
- Through the Spanish Trails of Cordillera – Bauko Seven Peaks
Updated June 15, 2020
