Tanay, Rizal: Maynuba Circuit

posted on Monday, October 15, 2018

It was a pre-birthday climb planned after conquering another Mascap twin hike on the last day of September 2018. And since Ling and I were on a hiking roll since February 2018, a day hike on my birth month is more than appropriate. Six fellow mountaineers from our group, Horizon Extreme Adventure Team or HEAT, joined including core members Jeff, Jo, Sid and Tna. We were reunited with Vince, whom we met during our Mt. Pigingan climb this year. He brought along his bro, girlfriend and friends. We were eleven in all.

The plan was to conquer another twin hike in Rizal: Tanay’s Mt. Cayabu and Mt. Maynuba. The latter’s summit boasts of a higher chance in seeing a sea of clouds especially during the –ber months. Though accessible via public transport, we booked a private van worth P4,500 to conveniently bring us to Barangay Cayabu’s jump-off. We assembled in Cubao by 1:30 am and pulled out at exactly 2 am. Travel time is around 1-2 hours. Registration fee, by the way, increased from P40 to P100 since March 2018. As we were eleven in the group, we needed to secure two guides. Guide fee is pegged at P500 for the two mountains. Our younger guide is Hannah, who is also one of only 10 indigenous guides in the area. There are a total of 63 guides in Barangay Cayabu.

We started ascent of Mt. Cayabu by 3:45 am. Hikers can opt to trek straight to Mt. Maynuba but our iti included Cayabu’s summit as our first stop. We reached the enclosed peak in an hour’s hike. Conquering Mt. Cayabu’s grassy and covered trail was a great warm-up for the day’s second mountain. The twin hike also called the Maynuba circuit is considered a minor climb with 4 out of 9 level of difficulty. Aside from the two mountains, hikers will pass by 8 waterfalls down the loop.

Climbing Mt. Maynuba in time for sunrise was quite a challenge. Good thing the trail is filled with rope or wooden railings. The promised sea of clouds on the summit was no doubt a great motivation for the steep assaults. We reached Maynuba’s peak by 5:45 am. And though the sea of clouds was a no show, the magnificent 360-degree view made up for it. It was just the perfect backdrop for Ling’s banana cake baked especially for the occasion. Everyone in the group, including the two guides, had a tasty share.

The icing on my pre-birthday climb was perhaps the chance to dip in the Lantay waterfalls. It was reached after our stopover in the waterfalls branded as ‘Natatagong Paraiso,’ which was aptly the best description for the place. We dropped by two more waterfalls on our way down the Maynuba circuit. It was no doubt a solid start to my birthday countdown.

For van rental, you can contact this number: 0926-970-2947.

See also our climb up Mt. Apo, Mt. Ayaas-Mt. Espadang Bato, Mt. Oro-Mt. Sipit Ulang, Wawa Trilogy 1, Wawa Trilogy 2, Laiban Trilogy, Mt. Arayat, Mt. Batolusong, Mt. Binutasan, Nagpatong-Mt. Masungki, Mt. Balagbag and Mt. Tagapo.