Mt. Napulak in the bucolic municipality of Igbaras is one of the most popular and sought-after mountain peaks in the province of Iloilo and on the island of Panay for that matter. More and more mountain climbers, both beginners and experts, are beguiled every day to walk the trail and finally sit on top of the “nipple,” a protruding rock at the very peak of this mountain.
Curious and excited what charmed many people to walk the long and winding way up to the peak, we decided to do it ourselves to find out why.
From Iloilo City, we took the jeepney en route to the town of Igbaras at the Iloilo Terminal Market. Travel time is approximately an hour. We got off in front of Igbaras Municipal Hall and logged in at the tourism office. It is important that every guest who wants to do the trek inform the municipal tourism office or the MDRRMC office. It is actually a MUST for both safety and security reasons.
From the Municipal Hall, we rode a “habal-habal” going to Brgy. Bagay; our jump-off point. We were informed that there are two routes going up. One is from Brgy. Bagay and the other is from Brgy. Tigbanaba. The former is characterized by a longer but gradually increasing trail while the latter is shorter but a much steeper trail. Choose which way you want considering your endurance, pace, and time constraints if there’s any. One may also do the day trek, but we chose to camp on top so we could get a complete mountain climbing and camping experience; something we strongly recommend as well.
After logging in at Brgy. Bagay, we commenced the trek to conquer the all-popular Mt. Napulak. It was 11 o’clock in the morning and the sun was at its zenith by the dryness we felt in our throats and the sweat we kept drying on our foreheads. Good thing there were canopies of trees that covered us from the scorching heat of the sun.
The first couple of hours of our trek was arduous for the beginners. We easily went down to the brink of dehydration and some almost fainted. These were not a new scene to our guide though. Pajun, as he’s called in their village, has been guiding tourists going up and down the mountain for a number of years. He encouraged us by telling that for beginners, our pace was actually good. Whether he’s telling the truth or not didn’t matter to us anymore. We just wanted to reach the top and have a good rest as fast as we could. Because of the trail’s gradual incline, endurance and stamina were our life-savers. One of the more advanced climbers taught us the basics of mountain climbing: One, never stop and sit down or lie down right away; it will make you feel more tired. Two, breath in through the nose and breath out through the mouth; synchronize your steps with your breathing. Third, do not bow down when resting, instead, look up and take a deep breath. Simple as they may seem but, according to some advanced climbers, it took them several occasions to make these “simple” techniques their second nature.
At 1 in the afternoon, we reached the first water source. A campfire was still spewing out smoke when we reached a clearing, signaling that the previous group had just left the area. We took a quick lunch of rice and lechon manok, drank to our heart’s content from the natural spring water gushing out of a rock, and refilled our canteens with as much water as we could.
The next four hours of our trek was easier after our body had adjusted to the pace and our muscles started to gear up. We passed by man-made irrigation used by local farmers to water their fields, groves of hundred-year-old trees, and bushes of wild berries and fruit trees. Our laughter came much more easily and our backpacks seemed to lighten a little bit more. Perhaps it was due to the healing power of nature, the cool breeze and the canopy of towering trees that gladdened our dampened hearts and lightened our steps. When we knew that we were nearing the peak and we were somehow ahead of our time schedule, we walked more leisurely and just took everything in along the way.
We finally reached the peak just before the sun went down over the horizon which was already below us. There were no words to describe the beauty of the sunset viewed from the top of Mt. Napulak. Several times, we witnessed the sun’s bidding of goodbye on the ocean’s horizon in places like Panglao Island in Bohol and in Yato Island in Guimaras, but seeing the sun’s descent over the horizon from the peak of a mountain higher than the horizon itself is a stunning and spiritual experience. From the top, one could see a vast expanse of sea and further another island on the horizon. From that perspective, we realized that the sea doesn’t separate the islands, it links them and that the sun setting over the horizon is one more day we’ll never see again and one day closer to our demise. Don’t be surprised if you’d feel a sense of sadness and immense joy both at the same time on top of Mt. Napulak. That’s her secret, after all.
We camped in a small clearing along with many other campers. Just minutes after we reached the peak, a drizzle began to hit our faces. We pitched our tents hurriedly before a short yet forceful sheet of rain came falling down. One minute we savored the soft glimmering light of sunset and the next minute we found ourselves almost drenched and shivering inside our tents. Such was the temperament of Mt. Napulak that nobody has ever mastered yet.
As darkness enveloped the surroundings, our tour guide cooked our supper of rice, beans, and beef under a huge rock; offering protection from the sudden gusts of wind that could instantly snuff out our camping burner’s fire. We ate our dinner in silence, more in contentment, shared stories, and played cards until the stars became more evident overhead. After such a long time, we once again saw the flickering lights of fireflies dancing in and out of our tents, a scene we last witnessed in Olotayan Islan in Roxas City, Capiz. These small winged creatures are such a thing of beauty; the kind of beauty that doesn’t last very long but leaves an indelible mark in one’s hearts. We would like to think that those fireflies were the mountain fairies welcoming us and reminding us that in almost all occasions beauty comes in the darkest hours of the night, just when you thought that light has been snapped out and buried deep inside a cavern. Wait a bit longer and the stars and the fireflies, one by one, appears and guide you home.
As the night fell deeper and more fireflies horde around our tent, we looked up at the skies and bathed in the eternal beauty of the stars. The fireflies and the stars blended and created a marvelous show.; perhaps one of the greatest shows on earth. It’s as if the fireflies were the stars themselves and the stars began a dance that was born billions of years ago. We closed our eyes with the show still going on in the space above feeling an immense sense of contentment and joy.
Just after midnight, we woke up and found ourselves grappling for something to hold on to. Strong gusts of easterly wind trampled our tents and threatened to take us up and throw us off the jagged cliff. It was as if the Heavens and the Earth collided around our tents. We felt like we were inside a washing machine and being tumbled dry. We had to reinforce our tent’s pegs with a rock and stack our bags in one corner to keep our tents from being uprooted. Again, the unpredictability of Mt. Napulak manifested itself.
The sun was ascending over the eastern skies when the wind died down. Some slept a bit more while others bathed in the soft light of the morning sun. Indeed, the sunrise is as breathtaking as the sunset we witnessed the day before. If only those moments of the day could be captured and put inside a bottle so that one could just pull it out of their pockets and be reminded instantly of the passing beauty that happens every day yet most of the time left unnoticed.
We took a light breakfast afterward, packed our tents, and began the winding descent on the opposite side of the mountain. We thought that going down was much easier than going up but we were wrong. Gravity’s pull seemed to be more forceful when you’re going down a mountain that’s 1239 meters above sea level. For three hours, we slid down, crawled, and constantly groped for vines, shrubs, and roots (basically anything we could hold on to) to keep us from falling down on steep ravines and crevices.
After a seemingly endless downward trek, we reached the foot of the mountain (Brgy. Tigbanaba), passed by a sari-sari store selling ice-cold Coca Cola and fresh buko juice. Imagine the sound our throats make as it welcomed the familiar sweet and icy taste of Coca Cola down our esophagus. There you have it.
From Brgy. Tigbanaba, we took a “habal-habal” going back to the jeepney terminal close to the Municipal Hall. We ached for sleep, the comforts of urban living, and the need to be connected online. It’s hard to brush these things off when you’re so used to it. Who can blame us living in this time of human history?
Just like an autopilot, I felt the urge to turn my phone on and check my emails and notifications. But with the last remaining willpower left in my spirit, I slid my phone back deeper inside my bag and decided to enjoy the moments when life is simple and when one feels more connected with their fellow human beings, and when silence speaks louder than words.
Mt. Napulak has taught us one important life lesson: you can only see the interconnectedness of things all around you when you start paying attention. It is a kind of attention that lets you see the ants crawling on small branches of the trees carrying a day’s load of food, the subtle changes of the sunset’s hues from tangerine to mauve to amber, and the little beads of sweat falling from the forehead of the person next to you.
How to get there:
From Iloilo Terminal Market, board a jeepney en route to the town of Igbaras.
Take a “habal-habal” to your chosen jump-off point (either in Brgy. Bagay or Brgy. Tigbanaba).
How much you’ll spend:
30 pesos- fare from Iloilo Terminal Market to Igbaras.
350 pesos- fare in “habal-habal” to and from the jump-off point.
700 pesos/day/tour guide- tour guide rate (you can divide it among your group)
TIPS:
Make sure that your stuff is well-packed to avoid strain on your shoulders.
Avoid hiking with a full stomach either by food or water.
There are two water sources you’ll pass by on the way up the peak and one on the way down. Try to manage your water consumption to avoid emptying your canteen and get dehydrated.
Always bring extra food for your tour guide(s).
Take your waste down the mountain. There are no garbage bags on top of the mountain.
Time your hike with the time of the day to avoid exposing yourself to extreme heat on open fields.
Emergency Contact Numbers:
Igbaras Municipal Hotline: 0955-086-6651
Radio: 146.625 MHz
Lagawone PH 