Hiking Chronicles: Mt. Daraitan

Mt. Daraitan (739+ MASL)

Brgy. Daraitan, Tanay, Rizal

Mountain Specs: Difficulty 4/9 | Minor climb | Trail class 1-4

FACTS ON MT. DARAITAN

Mt. Daraitan is a mountain range located along the borders of Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon. It was part of the southern range of Sierra Madre. Daraitan came from two words - dara, a local term for limestone and aeta, a Filipino term usually used to describe native people of dark skin.

Mt. Daraitan is a part of the vast ancestral land of the Dumagat tribe and is protected by military as history of insurgencies and armed presence has been reported to this place. However, in general, Daraitan is considered to be safe for hikers.

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Daraitan has been itching to remove itself from my bucket list, as there are a lot of unsuccessful attempts to hike this mountain. Finally, last December, I had successfully conquered it.

It was a rainy day when I attempted to hike Daraitan. A traverse was planned as Daraitan's fame was brought upon the discovery of Tinipak Limestone Formation. Though there are thoughts of cancelling the hike that day, I decided to leave the decision to the guide. Anyway, they do know the mountain better.

The first challenge in a Daraitan hike was the travel to the jumpoff itself. It will take an hour to reach Tanay from Cubao, followed by a thirty minute bumpy ride to the river crossing. Upon reaching the place, I was amazed to know that the vicinity of Daraitan is secluded by a river system. To cross the river, one has to ride the raft up until last January 2016, sights of a wooden bridge construction were seen during my second climb, which I assumed is made for pedestal purpose.



Navigating across Daraitan River

Upon reaching the other side, tricycles are available to take you to the barangay hall where you register and secure guides. Brgy. Daraitan strictly implements a "no guide, no hike" policy; hence, guides are required. Good thing,  the fees collected by the hall is reasonable - a registration and environmental fee of Php 25.00 and a guide fee of Php 500.00 which is good for ten persons. By the way, I was assigned to Kuya Efren. It was a solo hike and he was the one who told me to pursue the hike. He knows Daraitan better so we continued.

After a small hiking orientation, I'm ready to set foot on Daraitan. There are two trails leading to the summit - the long and the short trail. Main difference? It is on the short one that you'll know what it means by assault. I experienced it. Kuya Efren told me that though the long trail is open, it is not advisable for dayhike since it will take one roughly five to six hours to reach the summit. However, he mentioned that the barangay will be closing the short trail by 2017 to allow the mountain recover itself. I think that is a good move of Daraitan community to preserve and protect the mountain. Kudos to that!

The good thing about hiking while raining is that the burden of heat that adds up to the usual dilemma of hikers is entirely removed. Kuya Efren told me a lot about the history of the mountain and their land - from how the Daraitan River shifted its path after a storm, how the mountain was strategically located to how their ancestors started fighting for their land towards commercialization. It was fun to have these guides share their local culture and history as it adds up spice on the hike. Along the trail, you will see lots of rock formations similar to Mt. Irid, Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan. There is actually this cave along the trail that stretches down to the bottom of the mountain and Kuya Efren said that it wasn't yet that explored yet. Several wooden structures and supports can be seen installed along the trail to assist the hikers as the trail can really be dangerous.



Rock formations along the trail of Mt. Daraitan

We haven't noticed the time until after an hour and a half, we reached Camp 2. Summit's around ten minutes so we continued. When sights of those white limestones appeared, I knew I'm hands away from the summit. Since it was raining, I didn't expect to see views from the summit. To my surprise, clouds started to disappear and for fifteen minutes, Daraitan made me experience its wonder. The panoramic view from the summit is just magnificent - the beautiful limestone formations washed through time on the peak, Daraitan River meandering through the central plains and the Sierra Madre southern mountain range working against your background - everything was indeed a wonder of nature.


View from the summit with the meandering Daraitan River on the background

Mud. Sandals. Limestone. I survived Daraitan.

I never had the chance to take a photo on the summit as it started to rain again, so with my second hike, it was the single thing I promised to do. Here we go.

Sitting on my own couch. Greetings from the summit!

After a few minutes, we went back on the trail and continued to the traverse to Tinipak River. Unlike the previous trail, the traverse is relatively easier. Lesser rocks, lesser steep trails but it was way too longer than the ascent trail. I mean it when I say longer. The trail is forested and there are certain stopovers where you can take a rest. After two hours, we reached what paved Daraitan its way to fame - the Tinipak River and Limestone Formation.

Water's playground in Tinipak River.

Kuya Efren told me that Tinipak River holds the record for having the second cleanest water in the country, next to the waters of Coron, Palawan. It is an integrated part of the Daraitan River system. The word tinipak was attributed to the fact that the river passes a big limestone formation that looked as it was split into two. The river comes from an unknown source from the Sierra Madre and empties itself to the Pacific Ocean. Since this part of the river is part of General Nakar, a registration fee of Php 30 is collected.

From the registration, a few minutes of walk will take you to the well-known part of the trip - the limestone formation. Oh boy, after seeing it, my jaws literally dropped. Everything is perfect. You would even wonder how time and nature polished this magnificent work of art. Of course, I didn't miss the chance to take a photo with this and up to now, this has been one of my favorite hiking photos.

Let the waves polish and reveal the hidden wonder in you.

From there, one may choose to go caving at Tinipak Cave. Kuya Efren told me that they are about to open another destination in this complex, the Bayawak Cave. Unfortunately, I still got this phobia on caves so I chose not to go spelunking. I enjoyed the river's water for a few minutes and returned back to the barangay hall to finish the whole trip.

My trip to Daraitan has been one of my most favorite and memorable of all the hikes I've had. No one will leave Daraitan without having his heart captivated.

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ITINERARY

Mt. Daraitan-Tinipak River Traverse Dayhike
04:00 AM	Assembly at Farmers Cubao.
04:30 AM	Take jeep to Cogeo Gate II.
05:30 AM	Arrival at Cogeo Gate II. Proceed to the market and ride jeepney going to Brgy. Sampaloc.
07:00 AM	Arrival at Brgy. Sampaloc. Take trike to Daraitan.
07:30 AM	Arrival at river crossing.
08:00 AM	Arrival at Brgy. Hall. Register and secure guides.
08:15 AM	Start trek.
12:00 PM	Arrival at summit. Explore viewpoints. Lunch.
01:00 PM	Start descent to Camp 2. Take traverse route to Tinipak.
04:00 PM	Arrival at Tinipak River. Explore area.
04:30 PM	Head back to Brgy. Hall. Tidy up.
05:00 PM	ETD Brgy. Daraitan.
06:00 PM	ETA Tanay Public Market
08:00 PM	ETA Manila

SPECIAL NOTES
Transportation: Daraitan is a remote barangay in Rizal which is accessible via Marcos Road. There is a parking fee of Php 25 for private cars before the river crossing. One may opt to go directly to Tanay Public Market from Shaw Boulevard and ride tricycles there. Tricycle rides from Sampaloc to Daraitan costs Php 300 per ride; from Tanay Public Market to Daraitan, Php 500 per ride.

Registration, guides and porters: Registration fee on the barangay hall costs Php 20 per head. Guide fees are fixed at Php 500 for a dayhike and Php 1250 for overnight hike, good up to ten persons. An additional registration fee of Php 30 will be collected upon reaching Tinipak River.

Hiking and camping notes:

1. There are no water sources along the trail.
2. Rocks along the trail can be sharp. It is recommended to wear gloves during the hike.
3. Trail can be slippery and muddy during rainy season. Prepare accordingly.
4. As an entirely assault trail, Daraitan is only recommended for experienced hikers.
5. Cellphone signal is sporadic along the trail.
6. As much as possible, do not attempt hiking the mountain on bad weather. Daraitan River and Tinipak River swell up during these periods and are not safe for crossing.

Estimated budget: Php 500 - Php 800