Basic Information
Name: Mt. Talamitam
Location: Sitio Bayabasan Baragay Aga Nasugbu, Batangas
Jump Off: Sitio Bayabasan with big sign-board you can’t miss
Difficulty: 3/9 (Pinoy Mountaineer)
Hours to Summit: 2 to 2.5 hours
For Beginner or Advance? : In my experience Mt. Talamitam is perfect for beginners. I had much ease going up this mountain rather than Mt. Manabu and Mt. Daraitan.
To kick-off 2017, I knew that I need to experience hiking once again. I contacted my high school friend Armstrong, who is a seasoned hiker already. We settled for Mt. Talamitam as our first summit for the New Year and I can’t be anymore happy. Mt. Talamitam is such a great beginner’s hike spot. You will love the view from the top and will enjoy walking on grass fields. In my opinion climbing Mt. Talamitam is like introducing yourself to the world of Batanes. It is truly unlike other mountains.
The Mt.Talamitam Jump-Off is located at Sitio Bayabasan Barangay Aga. You can tell this to the bus conductor easily since it is a known spot. The base camp features bathrooms, resting area and a carinderia/sari-sari store. This is also the spot where you will pay for the registration fee to start your Mt. Talamitam Day Hike Experience.
Below is our Itinerary + Expenses
9am | Meet up at Jolibee Buendia. We planned an afternoon hike rather than the usual morning hike. This turned out to be a good idea because we did get to enjoy the whole climb without the intense heat. Both Armstrong and I had our breakfast meal at Jolibee before getting on DLTB Bus Terminal.
Expenses: Going to Jolibee Buendia from Bicutan – 24pesos
Jolibee Pepper Steak Meal with Macaroni Soup – 94pesos
11:30am | We had a hard time getting on a bus bound to Nasugbu Batangas at DLTB. There were long line already and it took us an hour and a half to get on the bus. Manila to Nasugbu taskes two hours and the route is along Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite (going to Tagaytay). In case you plan for a Tagaytay trip with Mt. Talamitam as part of your itinerary I highly suggest booking your Tagaytay hotel or Batangas hotel in advance. Check TravelBook to get as much as 50% off on your accommodation.
Expenses: DLTB Buendia to Barangay Bayabasan – 128pesos
2:30pm | We arrived at Mt. Talamitam Jump-Off just in time. We started our hike as soon as we arrived at the area. It is optional to hire a guide as long as you know the trail e.g. you’ve been to Mt. Talamitam before. Armstrong didn’t want to hire a tour guide at first but if you read my Mt. Talamitam Day Hike Experience you’ll know that we eventually opted for a hiking buddy. Mind you ours was the cutest tour guide ever!!!
Expenses: Registration Fee – 40pesos/pax
Bathroom fees – 5pesos to 20pesos
3:30pm | After about an hour hiking we arrived in the plain terrain that resembles Batanes. I’ve never been to Batanes but just like my Guinahoan Island in Caramoan it features wide terrain and green grassland. You will even see horses and cows along the way. Very probinsiya yung feeling. We also noticed yung tanim ng mga tao duon like corn and sweet potatoes.
4:00pm | At around 4pm you will easily feel the strong winds in the area. You will also get to appreciate the view of Batangas below. Even Mt. Batulao is seen when you are already at the top.
4:30pm | The summit features a famous rock used for a photo ops. We also bought halo-halo from Ate and it was sooooo good. There’s a part in the summit for overnight hikers as well. Since we were there for day hike only we didn’t spend that much time at the summit. We took necessary photos and start our descent.
Expenses: Halo-Halo – 50pesos
6:30pm | We already lost the sun at our way back to the jump off. Good thing Armstrong’s phone had a flash light. Climbing off Mt. Talamitam is much easier and faster compared to our trip up the summit. At the jump-off we took bath and relaxed a little before heading to a good place for dinner.
Expenses: Sitio Bayabasan to Tagaytay Olivarez – 48pesos
7:00pm | We went to Diner’s Olivarez to have our dinner. Armstrong recommended this place and it I personally had an amazing experience dining in. The food we ordered were Ensladang Mangga, Kare-Kare, Sisig and free Bulalo soup. We enjoyed everything especially the sabaw of Bulalo na pwede ng ulam.
Expenses: 2 cups rice with Kare-Kare, Sisig, Ensaladang Mangga for 790pesos. This is a good for 2 meal.
9:00pm | To end our day we went to Starbucks Olivarez just beside Diner’s and had a chillax coffee session. The weather in Tagaytay was really cold and breezy at night so a good cup of hot coffee was just necessary. After coffee we head home by taking Pasay bound buses available around the area.
Expenses: Caramel Macchiato and Green Tea Frappucino – 360pesos
Bus from Tagaytay Olivarez to Pasay – 60pesos
Our Itinerary
11:30am – Departure at DLTB Buendia (Nasugbu bound)
2:30pm – Arrival at Sitio Bayabasan, Brgy. Aga. You’ll the Jump Off Site sign
2:40pm – Start hike
4:40pm – Summit
6:30pm – Arrival at Jump Off site
6:55pm – Departure at Jump Off site
7:45pm – Arrival at Diner’s for dinner
9:00pm – The mandatory coffee at Starbucks
Budget
For transportation prepare 128pesos papunta and another 128pesos pabalik.
Registration Fee is 40pesos only
Guide is optional and mostly ikaw bahala magkano ibigay mo. We were lucky to meet Emerson na taga area din and sumabay kami sa kaniya paakyat. We gave him 200pesos.
Overall Hiking Experience
3/9 difficulty pero to be honest out of Mt. Manabu and Mt. Daraitan I conquered last year Mt. Talamitam was the easiest. Ito ata yung akyat na hindi ako ganun kapagod. Feel na feel ko si Mother Nature. Will definitely go back.
How to Go to Mt. Talamitam Jump-Off
From Bicutan, Sucat, Alabang to Sitio Bayabasan Nasugbu, Batangas
Take a jeep or bus going to LRT Gil Puyat-Buendia. From there go to DLTB Bus Terminal and find Nasugbu bound bus. Tell the bus conductor to drop you off at Sitio Bayabasan, Barangay Aga.
Things to Bring on Your Mt. Talamitam Hike
If you ever plan to climb up Mt. Talamitam I suggest bringing the following:
Bottled Water. The trail isn’t that difficult in my experience but every once and awhile you might feel the need to hydrate yourself. Bring bottled water because everything will be too costly at the mountain. Still you can buy buko juice or halo-halo in the area for added refreshments.
Extra clothes. After the hike you might want to take a bath at the base camp. Make sure to bring extra clothes pampalit.
Final Notes from SavingsPinay
Mt. Talamitam is such a perfect hike for beginners. You can read my Mt. Talamitam Day Hike Experience for more stories and photos as well. For someone who seeks adventure especially at the start of the New Year this is for you. You can follow our itinerary or create your own. Very budget-friendly experience indeed.
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