Mt. Ulap: A Guide for First Timers

I spent my online time mostly on social media. Every now and then, I find a group of people posting their travel getaways. The pictures are amazing, so breathtaking that I wanted to go there myself ;-) As my curiosity tickles me in the right places, I began to follow some of those posts and it seems that, being a JOINER is a fad nowadays.

Without any hesitation, I began to search for a group who will be travelling somewhere north, I will ask them if they can allow me to join their trip. One Facebook page help me to gather a group, and with a little chitchat, a little confirmation, 15 strangers decided to trek Mt. Ulap.

I had to write these experiences so that many like me, a self-proclaimed adventurous, will have a little guide on what to expect, what to bring, what to wear and how much will it cost to travel somewhere gorgeous.

15 people meet up at Quezon Avenue corner EDSA late at night around 10 PM. We expect to be at Barangay Ampucao Itogon Benguet as early as possible, that’s where our trek to Mt. Ulap will begin. They say that, if you start your trek as early as 4 AM, not just you can witness the amazing sunrise, you can even enjoy the sea of clouds, and I would like to experience that ;-)

Before we go on to our trip, let’s have a little background information about the infamous Mt. Ulap. The Cloud Mountain or Mt. Ulap, is located at Itogon Benguet with an elevation of 1,846 meters above sea level. It features a lot of Grasslands and Pine ridges, along with the scenic views of the Cordilleras and the Burial Caves. It is one of the impeccable selection of stunning mountains in Benguet. Anyone can enjoy the 360-degree view of the surrounding mountain ranges once you reach its peak. You might wonder how difficult it is to trek Mt. Ulap, we have rated it as 4 out of 10 in difficulty. Not to mention the steep 80-degree cliff descent ;-) You can refer to the vid and rate for yourself how easy or how difficult it is to descent the mountain ;-) Almost all of pics and vids posted here were taken using SJCAM 5000+.

Every spot in the mountain is breathtaking, it will literally consume anyone’s time just to take those photos to post online later on. One tip if you want to trek the mountain with less people, do it on a weekday. I have estimated 300 to 400 people were gathered to trek Mt. Ulap during that time, it was a long weekend as Monday was declared Holiday so, we took a line just to shoot this pic below ;-) But on a bright side, having more people makes it more fun and exciting ;-)

Don’t let the cool weather fool you. Wear sunscreen to protect your skin. The sun is still up there even when the air blowing through the whole time is as cold as the early morning breeze. It is still Benguet, if you find Baguio freezing, Mt. Ulap is way more than that.

It took us 7 hours to complete the trek. So be prepared though, bring some light snacks and water to rehydrate you but don’t drink too much, not unless you’re wearing adult diaper, there’s no comfort room available for the duration of the trek. As you descent from the mountain, there’s a sari-sari store waiting for you with lots of pancit canton to order ;-)

If you’re wondering what should you bring up there? We manage to give you a list just in case ;-)

Jacket
Trekking shoes
Flashlight if you manage to get up there earlier than 5 AM
Weather gear (gloves/bonnet)
Camera / Video Cam / Cellphone Cam
Extra Clothes
Toiletries
Umbrella
Trekking Pole
Poncho/Raincoat
First Aid Kit including personal meds
Trail snacks
2L Trail Water
Packed Lunch

I will not spoil your trip as this writing is way too much to guide you on your trip ;-) Feel free to approach these people to help you on your long waited trip ;-) If you feel there’s still something to tell, please join the convo and comment below.

Cheerio!