MT. MATUTUM
Tupi, South Cotabato
Major jump-off: Sito Glandang, Brgy. Kablon, Tupi
LLA: 6°22'N, 125°06.5'E, 2293 MASL Days required / hours to summit: 1-2 days / 4-6 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 5/9, Trail class 3
BACKGROUND
Beautifully rising in Tupi, South Cotabato, a town famous for its pineapple plantations, is Mt. Matutum. Its characteristic irregular but imposing cone shape dominates the landscape from General Santos to Koronadal City. It is so grand in its rise that it literally beckons climbers passing by the road from GenSan to Koronadal to climb it. Rising to 2293 MASL, it is considered a active volcano.
Realizing the need to protect the mountain, local officials have made it an ecotourism spot, regulating hiking activity. An interesting feature is the requirement for each climber to plant a seedling in a designated area in the mountain (a good idea!). The motto is "Amyak Maleh Matutum!": Climb and plant Matutum!
Commencing at Brgy. Kablon, the first leg is an open trail passing by rolling hillds surrounded with fields and plantations. An hour away is the first camp, which is also the entrance to the forest. There is a water source here. From this camp to the summit is 3-4 hours of trekking through a dense montane forest, full of vines, mosses, and the usual flora. This forest is host to diverse plant and animal species including the Philippine Eagle. In all, there are 110 plant species and 57 animal species.
At the summit, a 360-degree view is at hand, offering splendid views of General Santos City, Koronadal, and Polomolok, as well as Mt. Parker (NW), the Daguma ranges, and of course, majestic Mt. Apo (NE). A metal railing fences the viewdeck, and a marker bearing the history of the mountain as an ecotourist destination can be found. The summit is a suitable place for camping -- it is the highest point in South Cotabato.
ITINERARY
Day 1
0500 Take bus / transport to Tupi, South Cotabato
0900 ETA Kablon Crossing, Tupi. Take vehicle to Sitio Glandang
0930 ETA jump-off; register at Tourist Guard House / DENR
1100 Start trek
1200 Lunch at Camp 1
1300 Resume trek
1700 ETA summit of Mt. Matutum
1800 Dinner / socials
Day 2
0600 Breakfast / sunrise views
0700 Break camp
0800 Start descent
1200 Back at jump-off; return to highway
1300 Take bus back to Davao / GenSan / Koronadal
SPECIAL CONCERNS
The municipality of Tupi requests climbers to secure permission beforehand / coordinate with the Tourism office before climbing. a P150 climb fee is collected together with a P10 fee for seedlings. Guides may be secured at the tourism office, as well as porters.
Safety, a major concern especially among hikers from Luzon and foreigners, is generally assured in Mt. Matutum. Rain protection, insect repellants, are advised. 3 L of water would suffice for each climber from water source at Camp 1 until Day 2.
It is possible to dayhike Mt. Matutum, especially if you're coming from Koronadal or GenSan. It is comparable to Mt. Makiling (starting from the UPLB College of Forestry) in difficulty.
TRIVIA
It is theorized that Matutum may have exploded on March 7, 1911, and is classified as one of the 22 active volcanos in the country.
RESEARCH
This article is a work in progress: PinoyMountaineer is still making inquiries on contact numbers.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Mt. Matutum (2,293+)
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29 comments:
Sorry Gideon, I haven't replied to your earlier query regarding Mt. Matutum. I don't have the specifics of an IT for Mt. Matutum, I'll ask my guide friend here.
I forgot to mention, the most pressing problems we had during our climb were the extreme cold environment and the lack of water source along the trail. The combination of heavy rains (which happens all year round near the peak, the cold weather, dusky skies, steep and very slippery root trails, made my first climb there extremely difficult (compared to let say, dulang). I got lost near the peak during that horrendous climb
thanks sir! ill await your updates. matutum being comparable to dulang makes it really difficult!
hi!
I'm a member of Earth Island Outdoor Environmental Club (SocSarGen Chapter). Mt. Matutum is one of our most climbed mountains and we'll be glad to forward you some IT details and contacts if that helps.
I search a lot on the internet for outdoor activities and your site is the most informative I've come across so far. Just exactly what a wanderer needs.
I hope you can also feature the Mt. Candalaga ranges in Maragusan, ComVal Province. I'd be happy to give you a hand if you plan to climb there in the future.
sir cai, sorry for the late reply, i just came from mt. kanlaon. many thanks for your offer! we really need information on mt. matutum and other mountains in mindanao. your help will be acknowledged and greatly appreciated. just email me at info@pinoymountaineer.com!
i look forward to climbing mt. candalaga with your group. i'll let you know if i can do that this year.
i look forward to hearing from you. more power to the Earth Island Outdoor Environmental Club!
gideon
hi gideon!
first things first, i'm a girl..thank you..
i'll be sending you files that i've got that will help your site feature more about Mindanao mountains..i'll give you the ones found in the remote areas as they're the ones which need to be discovered..i'll send you an email soon..
Thank you and Earth Island is looking forward to have you join us in one of our climbs..
=)
helo im mimi and im from brgy. kablon,i already experience climbing mt matutum and ki found at first when where walking that it is so tiring but when we reach the top and i see how beautiful being in the top i feel happiness different kind of happiness,before i just imagining being in the top of the mountain but then i did do to climb it...it is so very meaningful moment..during rainy days the way is to slide,but im encouraging you to climb mt. matutum and you can experience what i did try......it is my pleasure that you will visit our place and experience our fresh air and cold weather specially during dawn,,,,and see how beautiful as you are in the top of mt. matutum and you will see how nature is so beautiful..."GO AND CLIMB TO MT MATUTUM PLANT TRESS AND PICK UP SOME GARBAGE" AND YOU CAN HELP FOR THE OUR ENVIRONMENT.GODBLESS
nice to hear from you mimi! hope you can share us more stories about matutum and other mountains ^^
hi...haven't done any mountai climbing..but am interested to try..any tips?my co-workers are planning a trip to matutum in a few weeks..
My house were in upper kalsangi. Seemed Mt. Matutum is very close because my nieces, nephews and bro used to climb there all the time lol. I am the only never went there coz I am destined away from home-:(
elo sir Gideon:
I'll be going home to gensan this coming xmas... I'll try to ask my frends from there for the contacts numbers and some info's...
ezra
hello to all of you here guys, im dexter from cannery, polomolok, south cotabato.....actually i climbed mt. matutum so many times, we always climb during holy week, if i climb this this year i think this my 11th time to do it, anyway guys we have 3 ways to do it, 1 is in glandang, kablon, tupi, south cotabato, 2 is in brgy. limblisong, tupi, south cotabato and the other is in brgy. kalyong, polomolok, south cotabato, the easiest trail is in glandang and the hardest is in kalyong, we have climbed with foriegners with us before, most of my friends are not member of a club, we just do it for fun, just email me guys janexed@yahoo.com, maybe i could give any ingo that you need....
wala bang mag climb ng matutum ng july 2nd week? i think we will be there.. ehehe seeyou!
thanks for the IT sir!! :)
pwide po magtanong kong n\mag kano ang tour guide doon
500 sir. been there last sunday pero foggy sa summit.. walang view
Maganda pala ng Mt matutum, sayang lang malayo sa maynila...
ang ganda ng mt. matutum, sana makabalik ako dya.
Your readers might to interested in a guided climb to Matutum organized by Southern Peak Outdoor Depot in Gen San and Davao on 26 and 27 Sept via Datal. Posted at my site. Thanks www.tochs.blogspot.com
hi,, i lived most of my life in tupi... every day i able to see the beauty of Mt. Matutum... from the town proper you can feel the fresh air,,, foggy morning... almost daily rain.. even on suumer.. the town's average temperature is 23 Oc... fresh cool tap water... comparable to a bottled meniral water... these are many of the town's best asset... and still a secret to many.... hope you discover and coquer.. tupi... and climb Mt. matutum...
i love tupi marami ng baguhan at squatter
I climbed Matutum in 1964 with 2 of my brothers and a couple of peace corps people, there was no trail but to go up. we spent the night and enjoyed the view. kimo schrader dolefil
sir, please correct the info posted... this should be classified as a MAJOR climb... =)
We welcome all mountaineers to join our annual climb to Matutum. Dubbed as Amyak Maleh 2010, the registration will be on March 17 at the Tupi Municipal Hall. A new route will be launched to let you eperience other scenic spots of Tupi like our waterfalls. THIS ACTIVITY IS PART OF OUR LINGGO NG MATUTUM CELEBRATION. If you are an MTB enthusiast, join our MTB challenge on March 17. For more information please see us at Tupi.gov.ph.
good day guys, is there a water source at the summit of mt. matutum? is there a lake or spring water to drink? bringing lot of water is heavy. i am new to climbing and just climb mt. talinis of dumaguete where there is also a lake at the summit.
hi...i climbed twice already...latest was april 19...based on experiences..there is no more water source along the trail..just consider carrying at least 3liters of water part of the challenge and you will be fine..hehehehe
hello guys.. im mark from gensan city..im looking for a mountaineering group here in gensan..i already exprienced to climb mt. matutum..i wanna hike some other mountains in mindanao..help me guys to join a group of maountaineers..thankz!!
hi mark...may pa climb ang dolefil mountaineering club this coming june 12-13..baka gusto mong sumama..juz email this lady annelynd@yahoo.com pede kang inquire from her.
WILL CLIMB THIS MOUNTAIN ON JUNE12!
along the glandang trail, the last source of water is at the foot of the mountain. up in the summit there's a source of water only if you can take to drink golden brown (a like) water due to moss trees.. it is safe to drink but to those who are sensitive, you can bring some tablets.. hehe..
MIKE
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