Mt. Talamitam (630+)

MT. TALAMITAM
Nasugbu, Batangas
Jump-off point: Sitio Bayabasan, Brgy. Aga, Nasugbu (KM. 83)
LLA: 14.1158° N; 120.7577° N; 630 MASL
Days required/ Hours to summit: 1 day / 1.5-2.2 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3 with steep assault (100m)

Last updated: September 10, 2013

BACKGROUND
The same terrain of Mt. Batulao gives rise to its ‘younger sister’, Mt. Talamitam, on another side of Nasugbu, Batangas. Although it lacks the cool breezes and grand landscapes of Batulao, it is a surprisingly wondrous mountain on its own right, with verdant cogon grass during the rainy season, and a challenging, 60-degree trail before the peak.

Talamitam is a mountain that had a more glorious past. It was named after the talamitam trees that used to grow on its slopes – a reminder of the time when Talamitam had lush vegetation and untarnished ecosystems. Today, it is a bald mountain, but efforts are underway to rehabilitate the peak with tree planting and other initiatives.

The trail to Talamitam is easy, taking just 1.5 to 2.5 hours to complete the trek up to the summit. However, it can be a very exhausting hike if the sun is up, because there is little tree cover.

The trail starts at the end of a rough road descent to Talamitam river, and from here, a short woodland trek would connect you to a grassland slope that has sparse vegetation. There are many trail variations, most of them leading to the plateau where the peak of Talamitam sits. From here, it is easy to just follow whichever trail leads to the peak.
The summit assault takes about 20-30 minutes; it does not require scrambling, and the trail is established, save for the talahib that can slow you down, especially during the rainy season.
At the summit, which hikers will share with the barn swallows that frequent it, there are nice views of the surrounding towns such as Nasugbu and Calatagan, Batangas as well as the hills and mountains of Maragondon. Notable peaks include Batulao to the southeast, Mt. Makiling which is partially covered by the Tagaytay ridge ENE), Pico de Loro (W), and the Lubang islands (SW).
Going back will take less than an hour, but take note that because of the many different trails, you might end up on another part of the village. So it is important to remember which trail you took going up. In case you end up on another trail, use Talamitam river to determine your position; do not panic as the terminal (i.e. eastward) end of the trails all end up in the highway.
After the trek, it is possible to tidy up or take a shower at the registration area in Brgy. Aga. Just like Mt. Batulao, a visit to Tagaytay is a relaxing finale. Considering that climbing Mt. Talamitam can actually take just half a day, an increasingly popular option is to combine the trek with a half-day hike of Mt. Batulao as a ‘Twin Dayhike‘.

ITINERARY
0400 ETD Coastal Mall bus terminal to Nasugbu, Batangas (P120.00)
0700 ETA Registration area at Sitio Bayabasan, Brgy. Aga (KM. 83)
0730 Start trek
0930 Arrival at summit
1030 Start descent
1200 Back at registration area, head to Tagaytay or Manila
1300 Lunch at Tagaytay
1430 Head back to Manila
1700 ETA Manila

PRACTICALITIES: MT. TALAMITAM

Transportation
Public
(1) Bus, Coastal Mall to KM. 83 [P120, 2.5 hours] – isang sakay lang!
Private
(1) Head to Tagaytay either via SLEX-ETON Greenfield -Sta. Rosa or via Cavite (2) Follow through the road to Batangas, until you reach KM. 83. Make a right turn at the small side street past the school and look for parking space (available; give a ‘tip’ to the locals after)
Registration (de facto)
Logbook at Brgy. Aga (P20/person). 
Available; P300 per day. Expect to be ‘required’ to get a guide but you can try to talk your way out of it especially if you have hiked Talamitam before. 
Ted Calimag (Brgy. Aga)+639477118513
Nick Wijangco – 09278248475
Nasugubu Police Station – (043) 931-9952
Campsites
At the base of the summit and at the summit itself
Water sources
None in normal course of trail except near the trailhead
Cellphone signal
Present throughout the trail
River crossings
Talamitam river near the jumpoff used to be crossed but there is now a bridge. 
Roped segments
None
None
None
Rattan
None
Hiking notes 
Caution when ascending the steep portion before the summit; there may be loose rocks. The blades of the talahib can cause ‘papercuts’.
Sidetrips
Nasugbu or Tagaytay; Twin dayhike with Mt. Batulao (see itinerary here)
Alternate trails
The old access point from Kayrilaw is still passable and some hikers have spoken of a traverse trail. Ask the locals first for permission before proceeding.
Yes (1.5-3 hours to summit; 1-2 hours down)
600-900


ADDITIONAL CONCERNS
Local context. Two parties have competed for jurisdiction or ‘caretaker’ status on Mt. Talamitam. Historically, Nick Wijangco, a local resident and artist, was the one who welcomed hikers and collected a registration fee. On the other hand, Ted Calimag, who heads the ‘Concerned Citizens of the Environment Movement’ (CCEM) has also claimed jurisdiction and is the de facto (as of 2013) caretaker of the mountain. PinoyMountaineer does not take positions in local disputes and leave it up to the locals to settle whatever differences they have. 

MT. TALAMITAM PICTURES
The first highlight of the trek is to cross Talamitam river. As of May 2012, this bamboo bridge is no longer than reliable and locals say they are planning to build a new one. Otherwise, the river is shallow enough to be crossed by foot.

Past Talamitam river, the trail passes by a woodland.
Past the woodlands, gradual slopes, then a plateau emerges, with Mt. Talamitam’s summit looming in the background. This is a grazing area, so expect to see some cows.
The summit can be a cool and breezy place with expansive views of the surrounding towns. Choose one of the rocks as your viewpoint, and enjoy!

Some of the mountains visible from the summit of Mt. Talamitam include nearby Mt. Batulao, Pico de Loro, a partially covered Mt. Makiling, and to the southwest, the peaks of Lubang group of islands in Occidental Mindoro.

TRIVIA
An optical illusion creates the impression that the peak on the right side of the summit is higher ground. This is not true; the highest point in Talamitam is where the trail ends.

PINOYMOUNTAINEER IN MT. TALAMITAM
Hiking matters #133: Twin Dayhikes – Talamitam and Batulao
Hiking matters #266: A verdant Mt. Talamitam
Hiking matters #391: A morning hike up Talamitam

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246 Comments on "Mt. Talamitam (630+)"


Guest
JRJ
9 years 7 months ago

Hi PinoyMountaineer…

We've been to Mt Talamitam yesterday (04/25/15), just an update, guide is still fixed at 300/day but the registration fee rose up to P30/person.
Before the trek, you will be listed for monitoring purposes where you can also secure guides and will pay the registration fee once you descended. Guides are from Sitio Bayabasan of Brgy. Aga but the registration fee is collected by the other Barangay where summit is part of their realm.
Our guide was likewise staggered to find out that registration fee has increased as they were not informed of the changes.

Other than that, trekking Mt. Talamitam is worthwhile for it offfers a grandeur mountain scenery with Grotto present at the summit.

Happy Trekking…

JRJ

Guest
10 years 22 days ago

Day hike on Sunday. 'ta kits!

Guest
Anonymous
10 years 5 months ago

san po ang dbest na jump off to talamitam?plano po namin mag mt.talamitam and then mt. batulao this june 28 2014.
sana may sumabay pa na ibang group.txt me on this number. 09277973227 marc

Guest
10 years 5 months ago

Update lang po.

Mt. Talamitam, guide not required na po. Kakaakyat lang namin nung end of may, nighthike. Kahit yung mga naka salubong namin ng morning, wala na ding guide.

Sa mga mag nntighthike po pala ng talamitam, beware of aggressive cows and horses.. hehe!!

Pasensya na po sa late post.

Guest
Vinci Berris
10 years 7 months ago

04.26.14 Talamitam Update

We went to talamitam for an overnight camping with hopes of having a clear sky for some stargazing. luckily the weather cooperated blessing us with a clear sky. the trail is still straight forward and can be really hot on daylight.

The only problem we encountered was there was a man called mang Herman who apparently has a psychological disorder who attacked our group by throwing things at us. what scary about this incident was mang Herman was carrying a bolo on his other hand. Locals told us about the story of mang Herman. Mang Hermans lack of sanity came from his previous vices and also that his family was once used to own a large portion of land but unfortunately it was already sold by his other siblings. This is the reason why he is attacking people on trail because he thought that their family still owns the land. just be wary about this person and be sure to be quick when you encounter him.

aside from mang Herman locals also says that the jumpoff will be transferred to barangay Kerilao due to lack of progress on the current location despite of collecting fees.

aside from minor encounters; Mt. Talamitam is still very nice mountain for beginners.