Lake boat riding, scenic trail, and amazing 360-degree overlooking view of Laguna de Bay. This is Mt. Tagapo in Talim Island, Binangonan, Rizal!
This is the most updated hiking guide to Mt. Tagapo. Plan your hike on this beautiful mountain by reading this guide.
Table of Contents
How to Get to Mt. Tagapo
Private Car
This is the most convenient transportation to get to Binangonan port. Use Waze and search for Binangonan Fishport. The known landmark is the Binangonan Public Market and Binangonan Plaza.
Once you arrived at the port, you need to ride the pump boat or ferry to take you to Brgy. Janosa in Talim Island where the jump-off and registration to Mt. Tagapo are located. The boat ride may take more than 1 hour including the waiting time for passengers and offloading and loading in other ports in Talim Island. The boat fare is Php50 per head one way.
The boat schedule starts at 7 am and the last trip around 5 pm so make sure to plan your itinerary especially if you’re doing a day hike.
Public Transportation
Public transportation is also available depending on your place of origin. The common route we know is from Shaw Boulevard to Binangonan.
- Ride a jeep or van from EDSA Crossing to Binangonan Port (you can find the terminals in front of Starmall and beside World Corporate Center). A minibus is also available in Megamall terminal but you may need to ride another jeepney to take you to the fish port.
- Pump boat or ferry from Binangonan Port to Brgy. Janosa.
Jump-off & Registration
When you arrived in Brgy. Janosa port, go straight to Brgy. Hall to register and get your tour guide. You won’t get lost since it is a short walk only but Sto. Domingo Parish Church is your landmark as an additional reference.
Getting a tour guide is mandatory to ensure your safety and guide you along the trail. The tour guide fee is based on 1:5 ratios. Bigger group means sharing of expenses, fees which mean more saving!
Registration Fee – Php40/head
Tour Guide Day Hike – Php500
Overnight – Php1,000
The current active tour guides are more than 30 so you don’t need to reserve in advance as they also follow a queuing number. If you have other concerns, you may reach out to Brgy. Captain Henry Arambulo at 09634329043.
Dayhike or Overnight Camp and Hike?
While both are fun, we would recommend having overnight camping.
Doing the day hike means you have a very limited time to finish the hike and are a bit anxious about the boat trip schedules. We found it very exhausting, especially if after all that, you need to endure the public commuting.
With overnight camping and hike, you treat yourselves with a glimpse of sunset and sunrise. Something you need to witness in Mt. Tagapo as the view is mesmerizing. Also, since you have extra time, you don’t need to hurry to try to reach the summit fast. Take your time and just enjoy the trek and scenic trail.
Another good side of doing overnight camping is to have enjoyable cooking at the campsite and storytelling with your camp buddies. And you know as a hiker, the food tasted better in the mountains!
Mt. Tagapo Hike
The entire trek on average is 1.5 hours to 2 hours to reach the summit with the height of 438MASL. It is recommended even for beginners, as the trail is mostly flat with gradient assault at some point.
A big portion of the trail is covered with bamboo trees. The main source of woods in Talim Island for furniture making, boat outrigger or “katig” and other products made from bamboo.
We had a hard time during our hike in the late afternoon, as the wind seems a bit unhelpful. We tried doing the traditional whistling hoping it attracts air but to no avail. Thinking we will not make it to the top to witness the sunset, I flew my drone and capture this superb view of Talim Island and Laguna de Bay.
We felt exhausted and burned but thanks God, we endured and reached the campsite safe and sound.
It is already dark when we arrived at the campsite so we just pitched our tent, prepared our dinner and enjoy the long night with chilly weather.
At dawn, we started preparing our coffee and breakfast then trek to the summit. The continuous ascend is less than 20 minutes covered in green cogon grass. You need to wear sleeves to ensure you are protected from grazes and cuts.
The 360-degree overlooking view is stunning and you will love it! To get to the jump-off point, the descend will follow the same trail or what is commonly known as Back Trail or Out-and-Back trail.
Things to Know
- Tagapo is an easy trail but we recommend that you be in good health condition before the hike.
- The summit is an open area and will be too exposed to the sun. Bring and apply sun protection with you.
- Bring extra clothes and rain covers
- Observe and practice social distancing
- Wear your facemask
- Wear proper hiking attire
- Bring enough water
- Bring cash with you.
- Bring enough food for your camping and trail food
- Bring a first aid kit with you for emergency
- Always listen to your guide for your safety
- Do not litter
- Always practice the Leave No Trace (LNT) Principles
- Enjoy and keep safe!
Give Back to the Community
We are happy to share that we made some donations for Mt. Tagapo tour guides using the stars sent from our supporters on We Wander PH’s Facebook page. The earned stars are converted to cash together with our contribution to purchase bags for more than 30 active tour guides.
If you’re interested to purchase the Decathlon bags, below is the direct link.
