Mt. Guiting-Guiting Traverse (2,058+)

MT. GUITING-GUITING/TRAVERSE (2,058+)
Sibuyan Island, Romblon
Entry point: Sitio Olango, San Fernando, Sibuyan Island
Exit point: Brgy. Tampayan, Madgiwang, Sibuyan Island
LLA: 12°24'50"N, 122°34'4"E, 2058 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 10-18 hours / 2-3 days (excluding travel)
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 9/9, Trail class 2-5
Features: Knife-edged rocky trails, rock bouldering/scrambling, tropical forest

BACKGROUND
Guiting-Guiting has always held a lofty place as one of the most challenging hikes in the Philippines, owing to its dramatic trails that pass through the thin, jagged rocky ridges that characterise the mountain. In 2009 and onwards, intrepid hikers and local guides led a sustained effort to pioneer and establish a trail from the southwest that connects to the summit in a relatively straightforward ascent - effectively creating a "Mt. Guiting-Guiting Traverse" that requires either three days up the ridges, or a very arduous dayhike.

This page is supplementary to the main Mt. Guiting-Guiting article, and covers the practicalities for a Mt. Guiting-Guiting Traverse. Please see more information in the main article.

ITINERARIES

THREE-DAY G2 TRAVERSE

Day -1
1330 Take bus from Manila to Batangas port
1600 Arrival at Batangas port
1700 ETD to Romblon (either Romblon or Odiongan)

Day 0
If arriving in Romblon, transfer to M/V Maria Querubin to Ambulong
If arriving in Odiongan, take jeepney to San Agustin, then the Querubin to Ambulong
1100 Arrival at Ambulong. Early lunch at the port
1130 Proceed to DENR for registration/briefing
1200 ETA DENR
1300 Head to San Fernando, Romblon
1330 Optional sidetrip: Lambingan Falls
1600 ETA San Fernando, Romblon. Buy supplies
1700 ETA jumpoff (Sitio Olango)
1900 Dinner

Day 1
0500 Wake up call / Breakfast
0600 Start trekking
1200 Lunch at Camp 2
1300 Resume trek
1600 ETA Camp 3. Set up camp
1800 Dinner / socials

Day 2
0400 Wake up call
0500 Breakfast / Break camp
0600 Start trekking
0700 ETA Crash Site
1100 ETA G2 summit / Early lunch
1200 Resume trek
1300 ETA Peak of Deception
1330 Mabel's Spring
1400 Kiss the Wall
1500 Knife Edge
1700 ETA Mayo's Peak. Set up camp
1800 Dinner / socials

Day +1
0800 Wake up call
0930 Proceed to Ambulong port by tricycle
1000 Take M/V Maria Querubin to Romblon or San Agustin

Day +2
0300 ETA Batangas port. Take bus back to Manila
0600 ETA Manila

PRACTICALITIES: GUITING-GUITING TRAVERSE

Transportation	(1) Bus to Batangas Port – P170 (2) Batangas Port to Magdiwang via Odiongan or Romblon (Daily departures at 1700H; arrives in Ambulong Port at 1000H the next day) - P1400-1500 total.  (3) Ambulong port to Olango jump off -  P400 per person by tricycle; cheaper if renting a jeep with more people (4) DENR jumpoff to Bagumbayan beach - P75 per person by tricycle (5) Bagumbayan beach to Ambulong port - P20 per person by tricycle (6) Return ferry and bus trips same as above. Note that daily ferry leaves Ambulong at around 1000H (ETA 1300H Romblon and 1430H San Agustin); Romblon and Odiongan ferries leave for Batangas at 1700H (7) If connecting from San Agustin to Odiongan by jeepney, fare is P120
Registration	Logbook, waiver, and registration form at DENR Station, Brgy. Tampayan. Total fees per hiker P300
Guides	Available: 2400 per guide regardless of hiking duration (1-3 days); 1800 per porter. 1 guide and 1 porter required for every three hikers. Note: Allot additional fee for guides' transportation
Contact numbers	DENR (Andy Regla) +639284901038 Guides (Remy Rebiso) +639217322462
Campsites	Usual campsites include Olango Camp 3, Mayo's Peak, Traditional Camp 3 and 2.
Water sources	Olango River (2 kms from entry point); Mabel's Spring (irregular; past Peak of Deception); Bulod's Spring (more regular; past Mayo's Peak). Anticipate unavailability during peak season and thus bring 4 L
Cellphone signal	Present in most parts except Knife Edge and Mayo's Peak area (Smart > Globe)
River crossings	Minor crossings at the beginning of the traverse trail; bigger stream 45 minutes from exit point; usual precautions apply
Roped segments	None but some segments from summit to Mayo's Peak requires extreme caution and possible assistance
Limatik	Yes - minimal (near Camp 3 of traditional trail)
Lipa	Yes - minimal
Rattan	Yes – minimal
Sidetrips	Sibuyan Peak – 3 hour detour from Camp 3 (Traverse) but not sanctioned by DENR; waterfalls and rivers within the park
Alternate trails	There are other possible traverse routes but not permitted by DENR as of 2014
Dayhikable	Yes (7-10 hours to summit; 8-14 hours from summit to exit point)
Estimated budget	6000-7000

MT. GUITING-GUITING TRAVERSE PICTURES 

View of Mt. Guiting-Guiting from the Olango trailhead

With Tatay Remy Rebiso, the lead guide of the traverse trail, while having breakfast at Camp 3 of the Olango trail

The beautiful ridges of the traverse trail (Feb 2014)

The blogger at the summit of Mt. Guiting-Guiting (Feb 2014)

TRIVIA
With many hikers taking part in the efforts to establish a Guiting-Guiting Traverse, acknowledging all of them is not an easy task. As early as the 1980s, mountaineers have attempted to traverse G2, with attempts from clubs such as UPM. But the successful traverse did not come until 2004 when a group of DENR personnel performed the traverse. A year later, a AMCI-led group became the second group to the traverse. In Holy Week 2009, two groups, led by Kat Ocol and Emman Palacio, respectively, initiated the latest spate of interest on the traverse, followed by a succession of many others, including Benj Magkalas. In 2010, Koi Grey and Melo Sanchez became the first to do the traverse as a dayhike.

The blogger revisited Sibuyan island to do a Mt. Guiting-Guiting Traverse on February 2, 2014. This hike is narrated in Hiking matters #388-389.