Osmena Peak: Special Trek

Trekking has become a favorite past-time to many adventure seekers these days. Why not when Philippines is blessed to have several mountains to climb? And of course, trekking is truly exciting, fun and .. can burn lots of calories! haha. Anyway, so I have climbed two famous peaks in Cebu - Sirao Peak and Mt. Babag. However there's one peak that I've always wanted to climb - the infamous Osmena Peak in Mantalongon, Dalaguete.

One hot summer weekend, I never thought that I'd be able to cross out this activity from my bucket list. Yes finally I was able to trek Osmena Peak along with 2 other friends. Osmena Peak stands about 1,013 meters above sea level. So far the highest summit I have climbed and the easiest, I believed.

at the jump off point

My friends and I travelled about 3 hours by bus to get to Dalaguete (Php 105+ fare). We then hailed a motorcycle to take us to the jump off point (Php200/pax + 100 waiting fee). The jump off point was far; it took us an hour or so to reach it by motorcycle. Out of curiosity I asked the driver how many mountains we passed by to get to the base. Surprise! Surprise! If I remembered it corretly, he said 10 mountains (or 9). Wohoa..

cabbage farm

At the base, I was amazed at the number of people who have climbed and have started climbing the summit. Indeed, the Osmena Peak is a favorite destination among hikers. But I wondered why the peak has attracted such number of hikers. 

the steep part

So off we go, we started the trek. The trail was easy to follow, so you will never get lost. And there were kids who offered to guide all the way to the summit in exchange for a small amount of money.  

Along the way, we saw vegetable farms. My attention was caught by the rows of ready-to-harvest cabbage. Mantalongon supplies these green veggies so it's no surprise to come across vegetable farms at the foot of the grassy mountains.

the peak

Probably after 5 - 10 minutes from commencing the trek, we already caught a glimpse of the peak. Osmena peak is just behind the rocky hill that is visible from the base. I was.. surprised and a little disappointed as I have expected more. No wonder why many people loved to hike to O-peak because it would only take a few minutes to reach the summit. In fact, first-timers or solo hikers can easily trek up the peak. Even if you haven't climbed a mountain in your entire life, you can reach the summit without a sweat (okay with a little sweat if it's hot).

the road towards the base 

Hikers can opt to camp at the foot of Osmena Peak to make the most of the activity. Sounds exhilarating isn't? If you plan to camp, remember the quote "Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time". Be responsible and take with you your trashes. Don't leave it just there! And of course, watch your stuff.

view from the top

In less than 15 minutes, we made it to the peak. It was crowded! And there were only huge rocks to hop on to - less flat surface. Even though I felt it was less challenging, I still enjoyed the fantastic 360 view from the top. Neighboring islands were visible. 

standing on the summit

What made that day extra special was the fact that it was Mother's Day. My friend printed out a "Happy Mother's Day" signage. One by one we posed for a picture holding the sign. lol. It was a unique way to greet our mothers.

sending shout outs to mothers from the summit

We stayed for two hours, savoring the peaceful moment (not minding the crowd) and the picturesque scenery. It was past noon, the scorching rays of the sun were unforgiving but several hikers were still coming, including foreigners. Hence, we decided to trek back. 

trying to do a yoga pose on a rock. yikes!

enjoying the beautiful view

finding the perfect spot

road going to and from O-peak

Our driver met us at the base then took us back to the highway. Beforehand we have planned to have our lunch in a nearby spring - the Obong Spring - just a few minutes from the highway. We hailed a tricycle to take us to the spring. We paid Php5 entrance fee and Php100 table charge. 

along the road

We had our late lunch. Then my friends enjoyed the cold water while I just sit and observed the huge crowd that filled the spring. Yes the place was crowded too. T_T We have anticipated it since it was summer and weekend.

After a few hours, we decided to go back to the city. 

Was the trek to Osmena Peak rewarding? Uhm... Oh well the view was absolutely indescribable and fun. Overall, it was just okay. Please don't get me wrong. It was a fine day and the trek was enjoyable. It's just that probably because I have experienced overly challenging and dangerous trekking before, so the Osmena Peak trek was somewhat easy for me. 

Though I noticed other hikers made the trek challenging by starting the activity from the Mantalongon market - I think it's 30 minutes to an hour to the jump off point. While others traverse to Kawasan Falls to make the activity even more exciting. Actually, I was once invited to hike to Osmena Peak then traverse to Kawasan. It should have been a memorable experience. But I wasn't able to join. :-(

The trek to Osmena Peak was a dream come true. And I was glad to finally step foot on this popular hiking destination. Osmena Peak trek is just one of the many exciting activities to do in Cebu.


Have you been in Osmena Peak? Try it!




May '15