/mt-batolusong-day-hike-from-manila

Day Hike · Tanay, Rizal

Mt Batolusong day hike from Manila

Three destinations on one mountain: Duhatan Ridge where the forest opens out, the Mapatag Plateau at 645 metres with its rolling grassland and sea of clouds, and Kay-Ibon Falls on the way down. Tanay has tightened the rules here, and we would rather you knew them in advance.

Request a date About the trail
Rolling grassland on the Mapatag Plateau of Mt Batolusong in Tanay, Rizal
Elevation883 at Rangyas, 645 at Mapatag MASL
Difficulty3 out of 9
Time on the trail3 to 4 hours
Drive from ManilaAbout 2.5 hours from Metro Manila

Is Mt Batolusong right for you?

Batolusong is rated 3 out of 9 and the walking is manageable, but it is the most regulated mountain in this collection and that catches people out. A guide ratio of one to five is enforced, single-use plastic is banned with bag inspections at registration, and weekend visits have to be pre-coordinated with the Tanay Tourism Office. Backdoor entry is prohibited outright. Handling that is most of what we do here.

Where the day starts

Jump-off is Barangay San Andres Hall, Tanay, Rizal. We collect you in Metro Manila, drive out, register the group and hand you over to an accredited local guide. A Trouvaille Diaro coordinator stays with you all day.

What the trail is actually like

Duhatan Ridge, around 500 metresWhere the forest canopy breaks and the grassland starts. The first real view of the day and the point at which most groups stop talking about how early they got up.
Mapatag Plateau, 645 metresRolling open grassland that people compare to Batanes, and the spot the sea of clouds forms over when conditions are right. Conditions are not always right, and we will not promise you clouds.
Kay-Ibon FallsReached on the descent. Flow varies a great deal by season, from a proper curtain after rain to a trickle in the dry months. Ask us the week before and we will tell you what it is actually doing.

Permits, guides and what they cost

The ecological or green fee is ₱150 per person and the guide ₱800 for a group of up to five, with the one-to-five ratio enforced at registration. Shower facilities are ₱50 and parking ₱50 to ₱100. All of it is included in your rate.

Fees change, and we would rather say so

Barangay and DENR fees are set locally and revised without much notice. The figures above were correct when this page was written. Whatever they are on your date, they are inside the rate you were quoted, and we absorb the difference rather than asking you for more at the trailhead.

What is included

Included

  • Private air-conditioned van, door to door from Metro Manila
  • Registration, environmental and permit fees
  • Accredited local guide
  • Trouvaille Diaro coordinator with the group all day
  • Breakfast snack, trail snack and bottled water
  • A proper sit-down lunch, vegetarian and halal on request
  • Drawstring bag, hiker certificate and group photographs
  • Safety briefing and first aid kit

Not included

  • Personal travel insurance, which we recommend
  • Porter hire, available at the jump-off
  • Tips for your guide and driver
  • Anything you buy at the sari-sari stores on the trail

How to book, and how payment works

  1. Message us with your preferred date on WhatsApp, Viber or Messenger.
  2. We check availability with the local operator and come back to you.
  3. Complete the registration form and waiver.
  4. Pay the ₱1,000 reservation fee per person to secure your slot.
  5. Receive your written confirmation with pickup details.
  6. Settle the balance no later than three days before the trip.
If we cancel, you never lose your money

If we call the day off for weather or any operational reason, you choose: move to another date, or hold the amount as credit against any other Trouvaille Diaro trip. Your slot is transferable to someone else with 48 hours notice. Reservation fees are non-refundable but they are never lost.

Questions hikers ask about Mt Batolusong

What are the new rules at Mt Batolusong?

Tanay enforces a one guide to five hiker ratio, bans single-use plastic with bag inspections at the registration desk, operates a pack in pack out policy, requires weekend visits to be pre-coordinated with the Tanay Tourism Office, and prohibits backdoor entry via Batangasan or Kay-Ibon. We handle the coordination and brief your group on the plastic rule before the van leaves Manila.

Will we see the sea of clouds at Mapatag Plateau?

Sometimes. It forms over the plateau when humidity, temperature and wind line up, which is most likely in the cooler months and after a clear night. Nobody can promise it, and an operator who does is selling you weather they do not control.

Is Kay-Ibon Falls always flowing?

No. Flow varies seasonally and drops substantially in the dry months. We check the week of your trip and tell you honestly, because it changes whether the falls are the highlight or a footnote.

Can we do Batolusong at the weekend?

Yes, but it has to be pre-coordinated with the Tanay Tourism Office rather than simply turning up. That is the barangay’s requirement and it is the main reason to give us notice rather than asking for a date in three days.

If this one is not quite right

We run several day hikes out of Manila and they suit different people. These two sit closest to this trip.

Mt MaynobaThe other Tanay hike, with eight waterfalls on a circuit
Mt Daraitan and Tinipak RiverA harder Tanay climb with a marble river at the bottom

See every Local Escape →

Talk to a person before you book

Fitness, ages, dietary needs, or whether this is even the right mountain for you. Message us and a human answers.

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