Hiking - Osmeña Peak (Cebu, Philippines)

OSMEÑA PEAK

Osmeña Peak is in Dalaguete, Cebu, and it is the highest point in Cebu that consists of 1,013 MASL (Meters Above Sea Level). It is also known to be the "Little Baguio" in the Visayas region. The weather there is cool and windy. Climbing Osmeña Peak will reward you with an exhilarating view of the nearby Islands of Negros and Bohol. This mountain can get pretty cold, especially during the rainy season. It is recommended to wear something warm and a raincoat in case of rain. The climb to Osmeña Peak can be considered as a straightforward hike, but the path going up to the peak can be quite challenging as it can be slippery, muddy and windy as well especially on a rainy season. 

This blog is a compilation of our two attempts to Osmeña Peak, morning time hike (in September 2015) and night/ sunset hike (in October 2016). 

HOW TO GET THERE

BY BUS

Take a Ceres Bus Liner from South Bus Terminal in Cebu City bound to Dalaguete / Oslob / Bato and drop off at Barangay Mantalongon.

The travel time is roughly 2.5 - 3 hours and the bus fare will be around P120-P150 per person.

After that you may take a habal-habal (motorbike) ride to the wet market for about 20-30 minutes spin, and you may take another motorbike ride to get to the base camp for 20 minutes, and the drivers typically charge P200-P300 per person (roundtrip), but you may try to bargain or make a reasonable deal with the local drivers.

Motorcycle ride to the base camp of Osmeña Peak

BY CAR/ VAN

Travelling by car will save you more money as a group of people will share all travel expenses. The gas that we paid for was around P1,000 (full tank) from Cebu City.

To get to Dalaguete, you must follow the route to Mantalongon road and drive up to the wet market. You may ask the local for the direction to the base camp or follow the WAZE app for the route.

Car ride to the base camp of Osmeña Peak and flying Ryan's drone before heading up

Cliff to the Osmena Peak base camp

OSMEÑA PEAK BASE CAMP

To get to the base camp of Osmeña Peak, you must take a habal-habal (motorbike) ride for about 20 minutes. If you're travelling by car, you may drive up to the base camp, which can be quite a challenge as the roads are quite tight and only smaller cars are bound to fit. Big vehicles are a big no-no. Once you reach the base camp, you need to pay a fee of P20 per person. There is a toilet for you to use and a mini store for you to buy some snacks and water before heading up to the peak. The hike will approximately take around 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on speed).

Guide for hikers, a must read!

Top - A selfie with the love of my life

Bottom - Ryan and his cousin Mark

Heading up to Osmeña Peak where you will be greeted with plenty of vegetables

Mother nature is great!

Beautiful just beautiful

FRESH CABBAGES & COWS

While hiking up to the peak, take some time to check out the freshly planted vegetables in the field by the local farmers. For those who live in a city, well this is something you don't see in your daily life. You may also encounter some cows on your way up. Beware not to touch them as they can get pretty aggressive.

FRESH CABBAGES !!!

Vegetables everywhere in the field

COW !! MOO!! MOO!! MOO!!

MUDDY & SLIPPERY TERRAIN

The downside of Osmeña Peak is that it can get very slippery, especially during the rainy season. The chances of falling are quite high, especially when you step on a pile of wet mud. Both of our two attempts hike are both windy and a bit of shower. However, our second hike was not super slippery as most of the mud has been dried up. A little heads up to the beginner hikers, remember to wear proper shoes or trekking sandals to protect yourself from any possible injuries. Although we have seen some people wearing converse and flip flops over there, only because they are used to it or they are good at balancing but it's always good to stay safe to avoid any possible obstacles.

It is muddy and slippery especially when it rains

OSMEÑA PEAK

Finally, we reached the peak! Our first attempt was in the morning time in September 2015. It was very foggy and windy. However, the fogs did not stay for a long time; it comes and goes. So we still got the chance to take a glimpse of the view. On our second attempt, it was night time (sunset) in October 2016. We reached the peak at 6:05 pm, just in time for sunset. However, we barely see any view as it is already dark. The best time to hike up to Osmeña Peak is during the afternoon time, where you can have a breathtaking and proper view. Despite the fogs and windy weather, we still manage to see the view, but we're not able to capture them on our camera as we were overjoyed with the view and was too late to capture the moment, well we did capture some of it on time though. On the other side of the mountain, you will see some camping tents. That area is where the campers stay overnight.

We're here! Osmeña Peak!

Foggy but yet it's still a fun hike

This is where hikers camps and stay overnight at Osmeña Peak

Top - Osmeña Peak during morning time

Bottom - Osmeña Peak during sunset around 6:05pm

WIndy!!! WOOOHOOOO!

The windy look of me!

Overall, the experience was great. Although we didn't get to see the evident beauty of Osmeña Peak after our two attempts, we're glad that we get to experience the sunset in the peak. Hopefully our 3rd attempt would be less windy, but instead, it will be a bit sunny, and we probably will stay overnight at their camping site. I can't wait for my next visit to Cebu!

WHAT TO BRING

• Water for hydration

• Snacks (energy bars, bread, biscuits, chocolates, chips)

• Towel for cleaning after the hike (It will be muddy)

• Extra shoes/ slippers

• Extra clothing (optional)

• Sunblock cream

• Raincoat (in case of rain)

• Camera for photo taking

• Sunglasses

• Toiletries such as tissue, wet tissue and hand gel

• Flashlights or headlamp (when hiking at night time or till sunset)

 

WHAT TO WEAR

• Warm clothes such as sweater or long sleeves and sports leggings or jogging pants

• Trekking shoes or trekking sandals (rubber shoes are not highly recommended as it can be really muddy and slippery)

• Jacket

BUDGET (by private car)

Car gas (roundtrip, full tank) - P1,000 (divided by 4 people - P250 each)

Snacks (Siopao and bread) - P10

Osmeña Peak entrance - P20

Total spending: P280

Yours Truly,

Michelle Chan

Cebu Trip (Malapascua - Kalanggaman - Dalaguete)

So i finally get to go on trip after a stressful straight 6 months. Me and my boyfriend, Ryan went on an adventure to Cebu (Malapascua Island) to celebrate our anniversary and as part of our 'traditional trip' every anniversary. This is our 3rd Anniversary by the way. Time has flew very fast, indeed! 

Goofing around inside the plane

We left Hong Kong on September 22, 2015 and we catch the earliest flight to Cebu at 9:40am. It takes about 3 hours to reach Cebu City,

The first thing we did after we landed was to have a quick lunch at Mang Inasal. After the quick lunch, we went straight to North bus terminal to take a bus that will bring us to Maya port (also known as Daanbantayan). We took a different bus ride that cost P160 per head, I would describe it as taking a jeepney ride where it will stop by many different location and it took us nearly 6 hours to get to the port, in which it was already night time. We reached the port by 8:30pm and of course it is risky to travel by boat. So I would highly suggest to take the CERES bus service. It is a lot faster and should only take around 3-4 hours TOPS! Anyways, we had a mini non-aircomditoned bus adventure for 6 hours. We met a motorcycle driver and he suggested us to stay over in the closest inn called "KEKOYS". We paid P1,200 for an air-conditioned room for 1 night (it includes breakfast in bed). 

The next morning, we took off by 8am but unfortunately the boat does not leave until 12noon or until it gets full. So we didn't wanna wait any longer so we agreed to rent the whole boat for P1,500. It takes about 45 minutes to get to Malapascua Island.

View outside our veranda

We finally reach the beautiful island of Malapascua Island. We were greeted warmly by the locals. We stayed in Kokay's Maldito Dive Resort and Richelle, a staff from the resort assisted us to our room. I personally picked Room #7 located in the 2nd floor, as it has the best view and we have our own veranda. The room smells very nice. I felt at home with this place. 

Long legged bed. Nicely decorated

Cheers!

His new toy

After exploring our room and unpacking our stuff, we went to inquire for scuba diving. We went to our resort diving shop, DIVE SOCIETY. We spoke to this guy called John and he have arranged us to Try-scuba for P3,500 per head. He also helped us prepare for the equipment and suits that we will need to use for the following day. We left the place feeling extremely excited. 

On our second day in Malapascua Island, we woke up very early to have a good breakfast and to ready ourselves for the scuba diving. We met our dive master, Bryan and he quickly brief us with some information about scuba diving and taught us the signs that we need to learn to be able to communicate with each other underwater. After the brief we need to get change. I swear it was really hard to wear the suit, we need to wet our body in order for us to wear it, 

Healthy breakfast

ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT

We went to a nearby beach area, where the water was calm and good for starters. We took about 30 minutes to learn how to breathe properly, communicate, and some other useful things that we need to do underwater. After the lesson, our dive master started to bring us deeper. We get to see small but fat fishes and some small corals. There is actually some moment that I actually forgot to breathe and it is hard to think underwater, Bryan needs to remind me to release my ear pressure from time to time. It was an awesome experience and I am actually glad that I did try this and now it is out of my bucket list. I would really consider taking the 5-6 days diving course that will reward me with a diving licence. Well, maybe I will do it next year.

On our third day, we went on an island hopping trip to Kalanggaman Island. It is a 2 hours boat ride. Kalanggaman Island is located nearby Leyte and it is in the middle of the ocean (I would say in the middle of nowhere). We paid P1,500 per head for the whole trip. This island definitely took my breathe away. It is divided into 2 different part, a calm and a wilder water side. The water was just amazing. Never seen anything like this in my life. I am speechless and felt fortunate to have been able to see this beauty through my own eyes.

Kalanggaman Island

Divided into 2 sides.

Right: The wild water side

Left: The calm water side (Beware not to swim far as the wind will drive you away from the shore)

While waiting for our lunch to be ready, I took around an hour to sun tan while chatting with my boyfriend and we took some time to walk around the beach and take some pictures and videos of course. We also tried to get in to the wild water side and we almost fell as the water was too strong. I tried to go in the calm water side but only to realize that the sands are too soft and i nearly fell. No wonder they put on a sign that it is restricted to swim in the calm water side as the wind will push you away from the shore and will be unable to return. It sounds quite scary. Anyways for lunch we had grilled chicken and grilled fish. It was delicious and we also get to socialise with the people who are with us in the tour. It was a very nice day. 

Sunbathing while waiting for our lunch

Picture Picture

This is life!

Leaving Kalanggaman Island

So It is our time to say goodbye to Malapascua Island. We both feel very welcome and have felt at home in Kokay's. The hospitality of the staff are really warm and i will surely come back to this place. 

Last breakfast in Kokay's. Filipino breakfast (TAPA)

One last view of Kokay's

After taking another long bus ride back to the city, we went directly to my boyfriend's grandma house in Lahug to pick up his 2 brothers and cousin to proceed on to our next trip to Dalaguete. We took Ceres bus service this time and it only took us 3 hours to get to Dalaguete and we stayed in a nearby inn and took the night off.

The next morning we woke up early to hike the Osmena Peak (known as the highest mountain in Cebu). We took a motorcycle ride to take us to the starting point of the trail. I love riding motorcycle. It is refreshing yet dangerous but FUN. 

So the hike started and I am the only one who came prepared for a muddy, windy, wet hike. Thank God i wore shoes while the others are on their slippers. They had to walk bare feet, as the slippers are making it more slippery. We somehow had to step on the grass just for us not to fall. It was very hilarious watching them struggle, While hiking up, we saw many vegetables planted on the soils and I find this amusing as I don't see this everyday in my life. 

Cabbages

So we finally reach the top of the mountain. Although it was foggy but we can still see some view and the fogs does go away for a few seconds and then another one comes then gone and so on. It was rainy at that time when we reach on top but it was amazing to be up there.

On top of Osmena Peak

On top of Osmena Peak

The windy look of mine

After the hike, we continue on to another area in Dalaguete, to my boyfriend grandma's sister home. He showed me around and showed me the rice field where he used to play around as a child. We had our lunch over there and for first time i tried drinking Coconut wine. It was weird at first but i got the hang of the taste later. Overall, It was a nice day. Since i have lived in a city my whole life, I really do appreciate being out of the city and see nothing but nature. 

Rice field in Dalaguete

So we finally came back to Hong Kong on September 29, 2015. It was very sad that our trip is over but this only means that we had an awesome trip for us to feel sad. But this is not the end of our travel journey. We will be traveling more in the next few months, for sure!

Here are some of the best food that we ate during the trip. They're all delicious. 

From top left: Sizzling Fish, Pancit Canton (very big portion), Kinlaw, Sinigang Shrimp, Pasta Parmigiana, Mango Float, Mussels with Cheese, Carpaccio and Michelle's Soup (Broccoli Soup)

Ryan has made a video of the whole trip. It will be uploaded in my next blog.

Yours Truly,

Michelle Chan