The Climb: Mt. Romelo (240+ MASL) plus Buruwisan, Lansones and Batya-Batya Falls

Last December, Neil and I decided to hike Mt. Romelo before we finally end 2015. With a lot of waterfalls surrounding this mountain, seven to be exact, we were giddy to start our trek. Also, my sister eventually agreed to come with us this time (it's really hard to convince her. Haha!). *victory dance*

We arrived at Starmall-Shaw terminal around 4 AM to ride the jeepney heading to Tanay Market. From there we took another one bound for Siniloan, the last stop. Upon arrival, we stopped by an eatery to buy our packed lunch. Then, we rode a tricycle to the jump-off point which is Barangay Macatad. 

Our contacted guide, Kuya Rey (0928 275 3536), was already there waiting for us. He's a really kind and caring guide. He took good care of us throughout the hike, especially my sister who is a first-timer. Yes, I highly recommend him. 

Fresh buko!

During the trek, we came to a point where Kuya Rey asked us to choose between the easy but long trail or the difficult but shorter trail. We ended up choosing the latter. Well, it was still fairly easy actually if not for the mud that made the trail quite unbearable (okay, I might be exaggerating but you know what I mean. LOL!). Thank goodness we still made it and we we were able to visit three out of seven falls. If we stayed overnight, there was a great possibility that we'd be able to go to all seven, but to be honest, three falls in a day was not bad. 

We reached the summit first then we proceeded to Buruwisan Falls. If you have equipment for rappelling, Buruwisan is a good place to use them. We arrived just in time to witness a group traversing to the bottom of the falls using only a rope. So, we ate our lunch there, took a dip before moving on to Lansones Falls, which is just a few minutes away. After being satisfied with the photos we took, we went back to the campsite to leave our stuff. Then, we made our way to Batya-Batya Falls, our last stop for the day.
__________________________________________

TIPS: 
→ Wear hiking shoes because sandals or slippers are definitely no-nos. It's better to get your hiking shoes dirty and lessen the slips than wear sandals and end up walking barefoot on mud instead!
→ Bring your slippers, of course, because they can come in handy when you start waterfall-hopping. 
→ Waterproof your important belongings since a part of the trek to Batya-Batya Falls will require you to cross a river that's chest-deep. 
→ Bring trekking poles or ask your guide to make you one. It can be helpful when you are descending the muddy trail. 
→ Bring your flashlight or headlamp in case night creeps in and you're still on the road. We had a really difficult time going down because it was muddy and dark. My sister lost her balance twice but she was a fighter, so she stood up and continued walking. LOL! 
→ Don't forget to bring mosquito repellent as well if you don't want the to go home with red rashes all over your body.

It's best to hike Mt. Romelo during rainy days because you can really see the actual waterfalls. They usually dry up on summer. The disadvantage though when it's raining is the extra muddy trail. Whatever month you plan to hike, just always remember to be very careful. 

Itinerary: 

4:30 AM Take jeepney at Starmall-Shaw (crossing terminal) heading to Tanay Market

6:30 AM ETA at Tanay Market; Take jeepney to Siniloan, Laguna

7:30 AM Arrival at Siniloan; Ride tricycle to jump-off point at Brgy. Macatad

8:00 AM Arrival at jump-off; Registration

9:45 AM Start trek to Mt. Romelo

11:00 AM Mt. Romelo Summit

12:00 AM Arrive at Buruwisan; Lunch

1:45 PM Start trek to Lansones falls

2:45 PM Back to Buruwisan; Head back to campsite, then to Batya-Batya Falls

3:30 PM Return to campsite

6:30 PM Arrival at Registration area; Wash-up

7:00 PM ETD back to Manila

Team Romelo

Budget reference:

Jeep to Tanay Market - P58

Jeep to Siniloan - P47
Tricycle to Brgy. Macatad - P100/ trip

Food - P75 (packed lunch)
Registration fee - P50
Guide fee (back-to-back) - P600

Wash-up - P15

Tricycle to bus station - P70/ trip

Bus back to Manila ~ P160