Experiencing Mapait and Minalungao

‘Nature is the art of God.’

Mount Mapait was an easy climb, but it was not for that reason that I decided to pursue this mountain. If it’s about its name, which literally means ‘bitter’, or if it’s about the scenic Aulo Dam and Lake located at its foot, I am not sure. I just remember seeing pictures of this mountain somewhere and then I suddenly decided I want to go there. It was easy to plan and arrange the trip. After all, Palayan City was just an hour or two away from the province of Tarlac. After getting in touch with the barangay captain of Mapaet (Yes, that’s with an ‘e’) it was easy from then onwards.

We were only eleven people that made it to the trip. Palayan City was not far from Tarlac. We arrived there early. We waited at the barangay hall while I kept in touch with the barangay captain. Our guide and a barangay official arrived later. We register and paid the necessary fees. Then, we rode our van which takes us to Aulo Dam which serves as the jump-off point.

Aulo Dam and Lake is a few meters away from the barangay hall. The road was rough but our vehicle managed to get near the dam. We had our group and individual photo op once we get to the dam and its lake. Then, we started the trek with our lone guide leading. Since it was summer season the lake was dry. We walked through the dry portion of the lake to get to the other side and the foot of Mount Mapait. Normally, especially during rainy season, you had to make a boat ride to get to the other side of the lake.

The trek was easy and short. It only took us an hour at least to reach the summit. The trail was purely assault with some forested portion. At some point during our ascent we were stung by bees but it was not that serious. Nevertheless, it was painful and it was my first time to have encounter with these tiny but deadly creatures in the mountains.

As we come near the summit the view becomes eminent. Below you can see the picturesque Aulo Dam and far beyond the horizon you can catch a glimpse of Mount Arayat, which we climbed a week earlier. Our small group loses no time to capture the scenic view. After our photo op we decided to make our way to the summit.

At the summit we were greeted by the stunning view of the vast Sierra Madre mountain range. The summit was bare and the land was used by the locals to plant vegetables including Sweet Potatoes. We exercise cautiousness while exploring the summit so as not to trample the vegetables planted there. After our group and individual photo op we decided to make our descent. It was only early morning but the heat was starting to be unbearable. The descent took us only half an hour. We made our way back to the top of the Dam where our vehicle was parked.

Upon reaching our vehicle we immediately took some food and refreshment with our guide. Then, after eating and a few minutes rest we made our way back to the barangay hall. We logged out at the barangay hall and some in our group taking time to go to the bathroom. After a few minutes we finally leave Mapaet and proceed to Minalungao in General Tinio. Our driver was not familiar with the place so we rely on using GPS. It didn’t help. Based on my previous experience with this map navigating application, it proved to be unreliable as we were lost twice on our way to Minalungao. We finally, did the best option, and that is to ask around to find the way to our destination.

I never expected that it will take us that long to finally reach Minalungao. It was lunch time during that time. A few meters before the National Park there was a check point where you need to pay an entrance and parking fees. We proceed to the park and rented a cottage located just near the DENR office. Down below was the river and plenty of cottages also for rental to visitors. There were a lot of people at the park most of them are having a great time swimming at the river and riding the bamboo rafts.

It was summer and the place was a good place to spend the day. There were crowd in every corner of the park. Since we were all starving we immediately started preparing our meals upon settling ourselves inside our cottage. We had our lunch and after a few minutes we decided to explore the park. We didn’t go far because the afternoon heat was so intense. We simply scale the rock formations at the banks of the river. We had our photo op there with the scenic limestone wall, Peñaranda River and the ubiquitous bamboo rafts in the background.

After exploring some part of the park we decided to go down the river. Some of us took a dip into the crystal clear and warm water. I decided against swimming since I didn’t have the mood to get wet. We don’t want to spend much time at Minalungao because we want to go home early. So, at four in the afternoon we leave the place and headed to Cabanatuan City. We made a short stop at a mall in the city to have our snacks. Soon after that we made our way back to Tarlac.

Mapait was my easiest and shortest hike to date. The place was very serene and the locals are hospitable. I never expected though that Palayan City to be very laid back. It was a nice place to relax and unwind. The same can be said to Minalungao but the rising popularity of the place may pose a threat to its natural beauty. There are a lot of activities to done at Minalungao like picnicking, zip lining, hiking, spelunking, bamboo rafting, swimming and cliff diving. I believe you need a whole day to fully explore and enjoy Minalungao. It was crowded during weekends. So, if you want to solitude in exploring the park better go there on week days.

Mapait and Minalungao are natural wonders that worth paying a visit. Including Minalungao to your Mapait day hike was a perfect choice since it will only took you two to three hours to scale Mount Mapait, leaving you enough time to go to General Tinio and explore Minalungao. Although Mapait is not as popular as Minalungao or other mountains in Nueva Ecija like Mounts 387, Sawi, and Kemalugong (Paasa Peak); still, it deserves to be on your list of places to visit when in this province. Mapait and Minalungao are serene place full of wonders. Going to these places will make you closer to nature and appreciate God’s creations. Let’s just be responsible when we set foot to these places and respect nature. Let us preserve and nurture the beauty and Mapait and Minalungao for the next generation to see and experience.

Mt. Mapait Dayhike side trip to Minalungao National Park
Brgy. Mapaet, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija/Sitio Minalungao, Brgy. Pias, General Tinio, Nueva Ecija
May 7, 2017

ITINERARY:

02:00 AM Assembly at McDonalds-Motorway

03:00 AM ETD Tarlac City/Breakfast along the way

05:30 AM ETA Mapaet Barangay Hall/Register

06:00 AM Proceed to Aulo Lake

06:15 AM Arrival at trailhead/Photo op

06:30 AM Start trek

07:30 AM ETA Mt. Mapait summit/photo op

08:00 AM Head back to trailhead

09:00 AM End of trek

09:30 AM Back at Barangay Hall

10:00 AM Leave Brgy. Mapaet for Minalungao

12:00 PM ETA Minalungao National Park/Lunch/Explore the place

03:00 PM ETD Minalungao

05:00 PM Dinner at SM City Cabanatuan

06:00 PM ETD Cabanatuan City

08:00 PM ETA Tarlac City

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Mr. Tolentino S. Baltazar

Barangay Chairman

Brgy. Mapaet, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija

0920-812-5946

NOTE: This post is undergoing editing.