Wednesday, February 3, 2016

GUIDE & TIMELINE: How to go to Mt. Pico de Loro and Parrot's Beak Monolith (Budget-Friendly Hike)


We were a group of 8 when we went here. Most of us are first time hikers. Our leader, Sir Ben Chavez is a mountaineer (also our IT supervisor during my cross training at work, he's 60 years old but his very fit) so everything went well. 
He told us that Mt. Pico de Loro is not for beginners but it's doable if you're in good health/condition. 


4:00 AM - Meeting Time

4:30 AM - Rode a bus with a signboard "Tarnate, Cavite" at Coastal Mall Terminal Rd, in Paranaque, Metro Manila. 
Transportation fee is 86Php. 

6:30 AM - Bus stopped as we reached Pico's tricycle terminal. 

Fee for the tricycle going to Mt. Pico de Loro is Php 85.00

 (Take note: Drivers require 3 people inside the tricycle, so if you are only two, you have to pay another extra 85 pesos) 

6:55 AM - Registration of names/ group that were about to hike.  




7:30 AM - Start of Climb. Every 20 minutes, we had a 5 minutes break. We were a total of 8 people. 





11:30 AM - We reached the Summit of Mt. Pico de Loro. Super scary because it was slippery & steep going up. You literally have to crawl your way up and hold on to very little rocks because the gravel soil tends to erode. 

Alayssa & I. That's the Parrot's Beak behind us. 

           THE SUMMIT!! 

11:40 AM - From 8 people, only 4 of us decided to continue going to the Parrot's Beak Monolith of Mt. Pico de Loro as it was dangerous just even looking from afar. 

          The four of us! 

This is separate from the summit. 

You have to go down the summit first and then this time, climb there very carefully since its all rock formation.The rocks were uneven.

12:30 PM -   We fell in line for almost 2 hrs since the space going there was very limited. 
While waiting.. that's a precipice behind us. One more move and we're close to falling off. 

1:00 PM (ALMOST) - YES!!!! We reached the Parrot's Beak of Mt. Pico de Loro. 

That's us at the top! Sir Ben, Ate Beth, Kuya Ram and I. 

Here's a picture of mine:


View at the top: SURREAL!!!


THE FOUR OF US WHO MADE IT: 



They let people climb one by one as it was very dangerous. It's a precipice so you're honestly facing a "bangin" while going up the rock formation. One slip and you're a sheer drop dead, so this is not advisable for people who have a fear of heights. Max of 15-20 person are allowed at the top of the Parrot's Beak Monolith.  

~We were only here for about 10minutes.

 ~It took around 20minutes to go down the monolith because we were waiting for 10 people to work there way up.

 ~Another 30minutes going back up the summit. This was the most exhausting part as it was very hot. i feel like I'm about to faint of dehydration although I ate and drink from time to time. 

3:00 PM - Time we got down the Summit's lowland. We ate our packed lunch and rest for another 20minutes.

5:00 PM - Time we finally reached the foot of the Mountain. We saw a very clear stream so we decided to chill there for a little while. 

6:15 PM - rode another tricycle going back to the Pico's bus terminal. Transo fee is Php 85.00 pesos

6:30 PM - we rode a bus with a "Baclaran" signage in it. Around Php 55-100. 

8:30 PM - Finally home!!

VERDICT:

It was definitely a "buwis-buhay" adventure to remember. I almost cheated death going up the Parrot's Beak because it was a very steep rock face/cliff. I'm thankful to God that I am still alive despite all my bruises.
This was only a One-day budget friendly hike. All in all I think I only spent nearly Php 400 for this hike since I have packed lunch. 

(Im a big spender when it comes to food so I went to the grocery beforehand, spent a whooping 500pesos for food which included nuts, energy bars, chocolates and a 1.5 liter of water. 

This was actually too much because I honestly did not eat all of them because I bought alot. I even gave some to my co-workers/ hikers LOL. You could buy food for as low as Php 200 and it would be enough. ) 

So for those (like me~ a first time climber) whose bucket list is to reach The Parrot's Beak of Mt. Pico de Loro, you could honestly do it!!! :) 
Just alway be careful and don't play around when climbing this risky rock formation because this hike is precarious.
Not for the faint-hearted but all in all, worthy of the adrenaline rush. 

Though I felt like a dead- beat fatigued woman after this climb, I loved and enjoyed the experience so much. Not only did I see God's wonderful nature creation at the top of this monolith, I also made fun memories with friends I'll forever keep.
:) 

Always, 
 Mary 

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