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Bulacan, Manalmon Climbing
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| GPS: |
11.76467, 119.68549 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
| Page Views: | 683 total · 5/month |
| Shared By: | Frances Fierst on Oct 16, 2012 |
| Admins: | Frances Fierst |
Description
A lot of the info for many of the area pages comes from Climb Philippines. Climb Philippines Their information is shared on Mountain Project with their permission.
Bouldering in Manalmon is always an unwinding experience. Go there to camp, enjoy natures rewards, spend seemingly endless, useless quality banter with friends, and of course . . . hours and hours of bouldering.
Bouldering in Manalmon started in the later months of 2001 or perhaps the early months of 2002. Prior to becoming a bouldering area, Manalmon has already gained repute for the pristine simplicity of its landscape. A clear river runs along the banks of the campsite and a canopy of giant bamboo trees lines the trail that leads up to the summit that is equally appealing, attracting hikers to meander its trails.
The full effort though in the development of the area into one of todays prime local bouldering destinations cant be attributed to the single endeavor of the discovery. Dennis Diaz, together with Anthony Prieto, after returning from their journey in Koh Tao, Thailand, decided there needed to be a place Filipinos could call their very own stomping grounds. And so after sending news of the discovery and together with a huge group of eager Pinoy climbers, they hauled bags, camp gear and local prototype versions of crashpads and rushed off to Manalmon for a new climbing experience.
Since most of the boulders stay close to the river, it is quite apparent that majority of the problems would present smooth features. Occasionally you can chance upon problems with crimps and slopers. On the upper sections of the banks the boulders become more grainy. Such is Jamaican Coffee and Manalmoner. The character of the boulders changes abruptly. Unlike some other bouldering areas where there is a strong constant feel on every boulder, Manalmon presents a varying array of rock each with a different texture.
Bouldering in Manalmon is always an unwinding experience. Go there to camp, enjoy natures rewards, spend seemingly endless, useless quality banter with friends, and of course . . . hours and hours of bouldering.
Bouldering in Manalmon started in the later months of 2001 or perhaps the early months of 2002. Prior to becoming a bouldering area, Manalmon has already gained repute for the pristine simplicity of its landscape. A clear river runs along the banks of the campsite and a canopy of giant bamboo trees lines the trail that leads up to the summit that is equally appealing, attracting hikers to meander its trails.
The full effort though in the development of the area into one of todays prime local bouldering destinations cant be attributed to the single endeavor of the discovery. Dennis Diaz, together with Anthony Prieto, after returning from their journey in Koh Tao, Thailand, decided there needed to be a place Filipinos could call their very own stomping grounds. And so after sending news of the discovery and together with a huge group of eager Pinoy climbers, they hauled bags, camp gear and local prototype versions of crashpads and rushed off to Manalmon for a new climbing experience.
Since most of the boulders stay close to the river, it is quite apparent that majority of the problems would present smooth features. Occasionally you can chance upon problems with crimps and slopers. On the upper sections of the banks the boulders become more grainy. Such is Jamaican Coffee and Manalmoner. The character of the boulders changes abruptly. Unlike some other bouldering areas where there is a strong constant feel on every boulder, Manalmon presents a varying array of rock each with a different texture.
Getting There
By private vehicle: Take the northbound EDSA highway and then veer right to enter NLEX (North Luzon Express Way). Exit at Sta. Rita (exit 32A/32B) and then keep going straight along AH25 until San Miguel, Bulacan (about 40 km). There is a right turn at Barangay Camias marked by the Total Gas Station on the left side of the road and a local tricycle terminal on the right.
The road will then wind up to Barangay Sibul (9+ km). Take a left turn for the Sibul Springs Resort, which by looks seems old and abandoned, and at the end of the down sloping road, turn right and head up to Sitio Madlum (3 km). The dirt road branches off several times but keep going straight until the huge enough marker announcing the way to Madlum Caves. The rocky down sloping road will take you to a small parking area close to the river. From here its a 30-40 minute hike to the farthest bouldering area.
By public transport: A number of bus stations in Cubao, Quezon City or Pasay City have trips going to Cabanatuan. Take any of these buses and go down Barangay Camias, San Miguel, Bulacan. Make sure you tell the driver youre going down Barangay Camias lest it speeds past towards Cabanatuan as not too many commuters go down this locale. From there take a tricycle from the nearby terminal and ferry off to Sitio Madlum. To go back, make sure to contract the tricycle to fetch you on the desired date and time.
The approach: From the parking lot the best route to take would be to cross the river on foot. After wading through the water come up to the opposite bank and then register with the Madlum guides. There is a log book where you need to sign in your names. Hike up the concrete steps to take you to the hidden opening of the Madlum Cave. The short direct cavern will open up to a bigger area and the first bouldering area.
To get to the next bouldering area requires another 30-40 minutes of hiking. Cross the river at the far bend of the first area and then just follow the obvious trail running along side the river.
The road will then wind up to Barangay Sibul (9+ km). Take a left turn for the Sibul Springs Resort, which by looks seems old and abandoned, and at the end of the down sloping road, turn right and head up to Sitio Madlum (3 km). The dirt road branches off several times but keep going straight until the huge enough marker announcing the way to Madlum Caves. The rocky down sloping road will take you to a small parking area close to the river. From here its a 30-40 minute hike to the farthest bouldering area.
By public transport: A number of bus stations in Cubao, Quezon City or Pasay City have trips going to Cabanatuan. Take any of these buses and go down Barangay Camias, San Miguel, Bulacan. Make sure you tell the driver youre going down Barangay Camias lest it speeds past towards Cabanatuan as not too many commuters go down this locale. From there take a tricycle from the nearby terminal and ferry off to Sitio Madlum. To go back, make sure to contract the tricycle to fetch you on the desired date and time.
The approach: From the parking lot the best route to take would be to cross the river on foot. After wading through the water come up to the opposite bank and then register with the Madlum guides. There is a log book where you need to sign in your names. Hike up the concrete steps to take you to the hidden opening of the Madlum Cave. The short direct cavern will open up to a bigger area and the first bouldering area.
To get to the next bouldering area requires another 30-40 minutes of hiking. Cross the river at the far bend of the first area and then just follow the obvious trail running along side the river.
Food and Accomodation
Camping is the main way to go if youre planning a bouldering trip to Manalmon. If you run out of food however, there are mini Sari-Sari stores in Sitio Madlum that sell beer, softdrinks, bread, etc
You can also chance Halo-Halo, a local fruit-milk concoction over ice shavings during summer.
If you happen to have a car, coming and going to the area will not be problem and so you can also probably stay at nearby motels along the main highway.
If you happen to have a car, coming and going to the area will not be problem and so you can also probably stay at nearby motels along the main highway.
Other tips...
Bring insect repellant. Mosquitoes are a bit rabid here and will likely be bit of nuisance. There has also been a freak case of Malaria in the area. Do not bivouac underneath the boulders near the water. Set camp in the more windy areas to avoid this dilemma. Another solution is to take extra precaution of taking anti-malaria pills, i.e. Lariam.
Best climbing season would be from December to February for cooler temps. Braving the heat of summer, March to early May, though can also be rewarding as more and more of the boulders expose themselves for climbing as the the rivers water level decreases.
A greater number of pads delivers a more satisfying bouldering trip. Bring at least 1 pad for every two climbers.
A manual water filter pump would greatly raise comfort as you wont be charging with gallons of water.
Get in touch with some local climbers if you feel short on company. Visit Dennis Diazs Multiply site for more photos and topos of Manalmon.
Best climbing season would be from December to February for cooler temps. Braving the heat of summer, March to early May, though can also be rewarding as more and more of the boulders expose themselves for climbing as the the rivers water level decreases.
A greater number of pads delivers a more satisfying bouldering trip. Bring at least 1 pad for every two climbers.
A manual water filter pump would greatly raise comfort as you wont be charging with gallons of water.
Get in touch with some local climbers if you feel short on company. Visit Dennis Diazs Multiply site for more photos and topos of Manalmon.
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