Mt. Mapalad is one of the beginner friendly Rizal mountains. If you’re looking for a nice and no-frills adventure, the site may be just for you.
I know I have a love-hate relationship with hiking. I’m grateful for my friends who would drag and convince me to get up on wee hours and get on the trail even before the sun is up. Looking back, I can still remember conquering my mother mountain, Mt. Pico de Loro. I’ve climbed a few mountains to date. Mt. Pinatubo and Masungi Georeserve are definitely my favorites.
If you adore the mountains, you certainly have a number of places to visit in Rizal. One of the newer trails is what they call as Mt. Mapalad.
I was invited by my friend Marge of Coffeehan to go hiking in Rizal, that is, to trek Mt. Mapalad. She arranged a small group and even rented a private van for our transportation. We were supposed to catch the sea of clouds at Mt. Mapalad but the sun was already up when we arrived at the jump-off point. After we registered and paid the environmental fees, our group started hitting Mt. Mapalad trails together with the local guides assigned to us.
About Mt. Mapalad
In Filipino, the word mapalad actually means privileged or fortunate. I initially thought there’s a legend or story of how Mt. Mapalad came to be. But according to our guides, Mt. Mapalad derived its name after a plant that resembles the palm of a hand that can be found in the area. The term palad actually means palm.
Mt. Mapalad is towering at 750+ MASL with a difficulty level of 3/9. It is actually a Tanay Rizal hike recommended for beginners. But I learned from experience not to relax too much when they say beginner hike. When I climbed my first mountain, Mt. Pico de Loro, they also said it was for novice hikers. I felt betrayed, lol. I usually got a problem breathing when ascending, I easily run out of breath.
Mt. Mapalad generally has an open trail, there’s almost no shade to keep you from the scorching heat of the sun. This means the earlier you climb, the better. As in most climbs, Mt. Mapalad started easy with flat terrain until we started to ascend. These moments usually make me ask myself what I am doing in my life, haha. After around three hours, we finally reached Mt. Mapalad summit.
Mt. Mapalad Summit
Arriving at the summit of Mt. Mapalad, we saw what they call Palad 1 and Palad 2. They are giant wooden hands that you can climb and have your photos taken against a scenic mountain background. It’s not usual that you get man-made structures like these in a mountain peak. This is maybe the reason why Mt. Mapalad created a buzz when hikers started exploring it. The natural surrounding is beautiful enough but sometimes a little gimmick adds extra fun.
We took our time to rest, breathe fresh air, and marvel at the wonderful view at Mt. Mapalad summit. Surely, we also grabbed our chance to pose and to take our photos at the wooden hand structures. Unfortunately, there were other group of climbers and we had to wait for our turn. People do line up for their opportunity to get to the wooden hands.
We were still savoring our marvelous time at the summit when we noticed drizzles started to pour in. The skies also got a bit darker that it looked like a heavier rain was on its way. We immediately decided to descend because the last thing we wanted was to get stranded at Mt. Mapalad. It was trickier getting down because our path became slippery.
Fortunately, we managed to go down safely and we were back at the jump-off point after lunch time. There were shower areas where you can take a bath for a minimal fee.
Overall
If you’re looking for a Tanay Rizal tourist spot or what to do in Tanay Rizal, the outdoors may appeal to you. Mt. Mapalad can be a good place to start.
Mt. Mapalad Hiking Tips
- If you want to catch the sea of clouds, better start really early. You have to be on the trail before the sun rises so you get a chance to sight the sea of clouds.
- It’s also better to hike early to avoid the heat of the sun and to avoid the crowd as well. It can take you longer having to line up at the two wooden hand structures.
- Wear comfortable hiking clothes and shoes. Don’t skip the sunscreen!
- There may not be a lot but we managed to find a local eatery on our way to Mapalad where we had a quick breakfast. Aside from trail snacks, we did not bring any meals.
- Bring enough water and trail snacks.
- Bring extra clothes and towel. There is a shower area where you can take a bath after the hike for only a minimal fee.
- Starting early in the morning, you’d finish around lunch time. Depending on your pacing, the entire climb can take around 5-6 hours.
Photo Credit: All unwatermarked photos were obtained from Marge of Coffeehan.
