Climbing Osmeña Peak in Cebu

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doi
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January’s almost over and am still talking about Christmas presents, and this time it’s the gift of climbing Osmena Peak. 🙂 Anyway, this is the last installment of my Best Christmas Gift series wherein I received the perfect gifts last Christmas of 2011. For the benefit of those who have not read the 1st two posts, I got the perfect gifts last Christmas in the form of travel adventures. I never imagined I would end the year swimming with whale sharks in Oslob or be transported back in time as my friends and I did the Boljoon Heritage walk and almost jumped off the boardwalk and swam in the town plaza of Boljoon. What’s more crazy is climbing Cebu’s highest peak, the Osmeña Peak in Mantalungon, Dalaguete, Cebu, again! And this is what this last series is all about, my second climb to Osmeña Peak.

climbing Osmena Peak

Now that I am composing this post, I couldn’t help scratch the back of my head and chuckle as I recall what we just did last December. It was by far the most exhilarating and adventurous trip I did in my entire life. char! For a day, we visited three towns in the south of Cebu where crazy adventures awaited us. Without considering the possibility of those whale sharks in Oslob mistaking us for food, we carelessly carefully swam the seawaters of Oslob to get up close and personal with those whale sharks. Seeing the heritage sites of Boljoon allowed us the chance to get a glimpse of our past. And then the climb…

Climbing Osmeña Peak

Osmeña Peak

Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking on why I agreed to climb Osmeña Peak again. Last November 2011, my friends and I climbed the peak for the first time and I almost didn’t make it to the top due to an injury which I’ll share in another post 😉 But I guess my travelling feet are just too stubborn and never hesitated the invitation to climb the peak again 😆

Osmeña Peakmy turtle pace. care to guess who reached the peak last? 😆

The plan was to make sure we reached the top of the peak before sunset. After doing the Boljoon heritage walk, we travelled to Mantalungon, Dalaguete using our other companion’s SUV. Free ride! Wohooo! 😆 I’m happy that we were able to save a few bucks  (P95) with that free ride up to the jump off point of the climb 😀

free ride to the highest peak in Cebu

L-R: moi, edcel c. and sheena, christine, cris, edcel s. and andrew

It normally takes 1.5 – 2.5 hours to reach the peak depending on your pace. But since we were dropped off half-way down the trail, we were able to cut the time in hiking to reach the top. We could have asked to be dropped off at the foot of the peak where we could reach the top in 30 minutes but some of my companions wanted to hike. I originally planned to start the trek from the foot of the peak too to avoid what happened on my first climb but since majority of the group wanted to hike, the rest of those who wanted to follow the shorter trek were led to believed that that was the start of the short climb 😆 Am just glad no one complained why it took them more than 30 minutes to reach the peak. peace! 😛

trail to Osmena Peak

Trivia: All cities/towns/village/barangays in the Philippines have their own basketball courts and this small village in Mantalungon, Dalaguete, Cebu is no exception 😀

And since I’m travelling with my fellow Pinoy Travel Bloggers, we couldn’t help make unscheduled stops to take photos of the place and of themselves (me not included 😆 )

trail to Osmeña Peak Cebustop-overs like this extends the trek time 😉

foot of Osmena Peakfoot of Osmena Peak where it will take 30 minutes to reach the top

During this time, the trail was not dry. It wasn’t too muddy either but enough to make you slip in case you don’t watch your step.

Reaching Osmeña Peak

entrance to Osmeña Peak in Cebu

This makeshift bamboo pole gate is the entrance to the peak. You need to pay P20 per head but since this was our second time, Ed tried his haggling skills with the kids guarding the entrance and was able to get a P5 discount for each head. Besides, those kids still remembered us not because we climbed there the month before but because of my epic injury. hahaha

Osmena Peak, Mantalungon, Dalaguete, CebuLo and behold! The highest peak in Cebu, the Osmena Peak!

There are quite a number of peaks in there and one can’t help wonder which peak is really the highest. I wonder if they measured its height. 😆 If you are familiar with the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, you will notice that they looked kinda similar. The only difference is that this one’s pointed whereas the Chocolate Hills in Bohol are round-shaped. These pointed mountain ranges are also visible from Moalboal if you are on your way to Pescador Island and you can also see Cebu’s neighboring islands – Bohol and Negros from the top.

Osmeña Peak in Cebuone of our death-defying stunts to climb each mini peak just to have our own spots

Osmeña Peak offers different magnificent sights for your eyes to feast on. All you need to do is make a 360-degree turn and you will witness one of God’s wonders 😉 I’m sorry if I can’t describe it properly 😆 You just have to be there to see for yourself. hehehe.

Osmena Peakguess who took the picture…definitely not me 😆

sunset at Osmena Peakthe reason of our choice of time to climb Osmena Peak – S-U-N-S-E-T! 🙂

levitation shot at osmena peak
Edgar levitated! (no camera trick here) 😉

headstand at osmena peakthe best way to watch the sunset

zero visibility at Osmeña Peakgroup pic before the fog ate the entire peak

Tips on the descent from the Osmeña Peak

As soon as the sunset was over, the entire place was covered with fog. Some of us were shivering due to the sudden drop of the temperature. We had to collect all our stuff and hurry our way down the mountain. It was dark and foggy and not all were able to bring  a flashlight. Some of our companions had to make do with the built-in flashlights in their cellphones. Some relied on the person infront of them who’s got a  flashlight. The others had to keep up with the kid-guide who was leading the way.

The descent is not really that scary unless the trail is muddy. In our case, it wasn’t. But the ground was not dry too so there were some parts of the trail where it was really slippery.

You just have to be careful and watch where your foot lands. It is also best to remember the trail when climbing up as you will need that memory when descending from the peak. If you are not sure where your feet lands or how stable the soil is, it’s best to just sit and glide to avoid any accidents.

foggy trail on our way down

Also make sure you have a buddy with you when you descend since you will be needing each other’s support in case either one slips. Your buddy will also come in handy when showing you the pathway or letting you know the sudden change in the trail.

ghost hunting in Osmeña Peak Cebuour thankful faces after reaching the foot of the peak unscathed 😆 awoooooo!

Although I just climbed oPeak a month ago, the trek to the top still did not fail to make me say “huwaw!”, “nice!” or silently smile at the beauty that unfolded in front of me. What’s more fulfilling was hearing my companion’s, who were also first-timers to climb the peak, positive remarks about the whole climb, the whole trip for that matter. It made my heart glow with joy and made me more proud to be a Cebuano as they witnessed the majesty of one of my province’ hidden gems. 🙂

Osmena Peak

Travel Essentials to Climb Osmeña Peak

  • drinking water (there’s a fresh water at the foot of the mountain where you can refill your water bottles if you want to)
  • flashlight – a must if you are descending at night
  • jacket or sweater
  • food in case you get hungry (ie. bread, chips, banana, biscuits)
  • change clothes (optional)
  • sunblock to protect you from the sun’s rays (optional depending on how OC you are. LOL. )

What to Wear

  • comfortable clothes
  • slippers will do but be sure it’s sturdy. bring an extra pair just in case or better wear proper hiking/trekking shoes/sandals 😉

Accommodations

  • There’s a camp site at the peak in case you decided to camp for the night
  • There’s a lodging house in the town of Mantalungon for P150/head. Just ask around where the lodge is located.
  • You can sleep at the town’s barangay hall for ~P50-P100/head.


Discounted Accommodations in Cebu

How to Get There

  • From the South Bus Terminal, look for buses that ply the Dalaguete route. Tell the bus conductor you will alight at the Dalaguete intersection headed for Mantalungon. Fare is somewhere around +/- P149
  • Hire a habal-habal to take you to the Mantalungon Market. Fare is P50.00. Travel time is ~20 minutes.
  • You can start trekking from the town to the peak but that may take 2.5 hrs. You can also ride a habal-habal up to the foot of the peak for P25. Travel time is ~15 minutes.
  • From the foot of the mountain, you can hire a habal-habal to take you back to the Mantalungon Market. Fare is around P25-30. You can also ask the motorcycle driver to bring you to the town proper of Dalaguete. Fare is P100.
  • Buses from Dalaguete to Cebu are up to 10pm only. The buses pass by every 30 minutes (i think 😉 )

 ———————————————–

This is Part 3 of my Best Christmas Gift series where me and a couple of my friends from my Pinoy Travel Bloggers group went on a day trip to the south of Cebu to experience 3 amazing adventures. To checkout Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, visit the link below ;-)

Part I: The Best Christmas Present: Swimming with Whale Sharks
Part II: The Best Christmas Present: Boljoon Heritage Walk

For more photos of the Osmena Peak climb, check out the FB Page here.

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27 COMMENTS

  2. was really surprised to learn Doi nga ni balik ka after ato nga trek nato. thus made me so impressed despite the hard way during the first time.

    lingaw dyud basta lingaw ang mga kuyog. daghang salamat sa pagkuyog nako.

    • hahaha. wa ghapon ko ka G sa impressed part kay murag dapat expected man nga kiat and adventurous ta. hahaha. but salamat Dom! salamat sad sa pagpauban namo and looking forward to joining you on your future trips! 😉

    • hi mervz! yeah. if you start the climb at the foot of the mountain and skip the trek, kaya sya but sayang yung magandang sceneries na madadaanan mo. hehe. hahaha. sana magamit mo nga! 😆 actually, if di ka mag camping sa oPeak, you can go to Oslob and climb oPeak in 1 day 😉 sa case namin, we started heading to Dalaguete at 2pm (from Boljoon) then 7pm nasa foot na kami ng peak. we immediately left after the sunset eh 😀

    • thanks gaye! nakaka addict din mag climb minsan especially if the trail’s easy like Osmena Peak! hehe. hopefully if malaki laki na si Luna you can climb mountains together na! 😉

  8. hi ms. doi… i really love your blog… sobrang informative.. i wanna climb osmeña peak! waa… 2 palang naka-climb ko… mt. pico de loro and nagsasa traverse 🙂

    • hehehe. thank you gelai. na shy naman ako bigla 😆 am happy you found the info on this site useful. hehe.

      wow! dream ko ang pico de loro and i wanna do the nagsasa climb too. am sure madali nalang tong Osmena Peak for you!

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