Reconnecting with Nature: Mt. Manunggal Camping!

Hi there! In this blog, let me take you to one of the highest points in Cebu—Mt. Manunggal—with its glorious sunrise!

Mt. Manunggal is a historical spot in Cebu, as it was the site where Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s airplane crashed in 1957. It also boasts beautiful camping grounds and stunning rock formations. Located in Balamban, Cebu, it is approximately 35 kilometers from Cebu City.

The Adventure Begins

For this trip, I took my Suzuki DA17V Minivan—quite a brave decision because I wasn’t sure if it could handle the steep uphill and downhill roads. A few days before the trip, I browsed through Facebook groups in Cebu and asked if a minivan could make it. I got feedback that it could, but it should be driven in manual mode. Annndddd… I’m not really good at manual driving, LOL!

Still, I pushed through and decided to see how it would go. To make things even more challenging, my minivan was loaded with all my friends’ backpacks—plus three passengers including @kev.incredible —so we were pretty heavy!

Travel to Mt. Manunggal

Since we were driving while the others were commuting, we went straight ahead from Cebu City at around 1 PM. Luckily, the weather was amazing—hot, with clear skies and dry roads. It would have been nerve-wracking if it had been raining, cloudy, or foggy, with wet roads—haha!

I used manual mode during the uphills so the van could handle the heavy load. Surprisingly, it managed to do it—though it got really noisy trying to lift all that weight. Sorry, Suzi!

Pit Stops

We made a few stops so my minivan could take a break and hopefully not overheat.

Our first stop was at Bayer’s Café in Taptap, Cebu City. We were supposed to visit a trending spot that had recently gone viral for its resemblance to New Zealand’s mountains, complete with a boardwalk. But funny enough, we actually ended up at a completely different place—and even paid a ₱50 entrance fee! Ahahaha, talk about scamming ourselves!

Bayer’s Café is a resort with a campsite, a room (I think), and a pool area. It wasn’t bad at all—I could see myself coming back just to chill. The mountain breeze made the experience even better. We only stayed for a few minutes after realizing it was the wrong spot, then headed to our next pit stop: Charlie’s Cup.

Charlie’s Cup is a famous café in the highlands of Cebu. Fun fact: Charlie is actually their dog’s name! I didn’t get to meet Charlie, but I did meet her offspring—corgis, which were absolutely adorable. We ordered coffee to keep me awake. The café offers an overlooking view of the mountains and Malubog Lake in Toledo, Cebu.

After finishing our coffee, we continued our journey to Mt. Manunggal.

Here Comes the Real Challenge…

From Transcentral Highway—already known for its steep inclines and descents—we took a right turn toward the Manunggal Campsite. Our friend Chiarra was waiting at the junction, so we picked her up.

And then… the real challenge began.

The roads were thankfully cemented, BUT they had steep ascents of about 45 to 50 degrees. On Transcentral Highway, I could manage the climb in 2nd gear, but here, I had to shift to 1st gear. My minivan was able to do it, but I started smelling smoke. I had to “alalay” (carefully balance) my acceleration to avoid overheating.

After multiple curves and steep climbs, we finally reached the Mt. Manunggal parking area—which, to my surprise, was much more developed since the last time I visited.

Mt. Manunggal Experience

Compared to before, Mt. Manunggal now has a designated parking space for cars and motorcycles. There’s also a cafeteria where you can buy food and charge your devices, plus a view deck just a few meters away with a stunning view of the mountains. They even have a new campsite near the parking area!

But since we’re titos and titas who prefer peace and quiet, we opted to camp at the old campsite. It took a 10-minute trek to get there, passing by the Ramon Magsaysay plane crash landmark.

When we arrived, we were happy to find that our group was the only one there. We chilled, pitched our tents, and prepped for dinner.

By the way, the old campsite has a few houses nearby, and the locals are incredibly hospitable. They even have Piso WiFi, haha! Plus, they kindly let us use their toilet when we needed to do #2.

Feast & Socials

As usual, our dinner was a feast! It was @mariasalve and @danahnatalie birthday, plus an advanced celebration for @thestrollingmind and Alton—so for the first time, we had lechon belly! There was also pizza, cake, dynamite, and lumpia. Huhu-haha, so good!

It was fine to eat a lot because, well, we had access to a toilet. LOL!

As night fell, the thick fog covered the campsite. Good thing I brought my jacket to keep warm!

We had socials, where we drank Mojito Tequila. Lol, it had been a while since I last drank tequila! Funny enough, we struggled to finish two bottles and even had leftovers! We ended the night at midnight since we wanted to wake up early to catch the sunrise at the monolith.

Catching the Sunrise

Waking up to the cold morning fog, I realized… I had hyperacidity—hahaha!

Alton and the guys woke us up at 5:45 AM so we could catch the sunrise. We did a 15-minute hike on an established trail, climbed some rocks, and then—there it was.

Glorious. Amazing. Words can’t explain how breathtaking it was. So, here are the photos instead.

Going Home

After that unforgettable sunrise, we returned to the campsite and packed up. We didn’t even bother cooking breakfast—we decided to eat at the cafeteria near the parking area instead.

Then, we headed home with my minivan.

Going home from Mt. Manunggal can be quite challenging if you commute since there’s no terminal for van-for-hires (v-hires). You’d have to wait for a passing v-hire and hope there’s a vacant seat. That’s why having your own transportation is recommended.

This trip was such a great experience—it allowed us to reconnect and renew our friendships. Until next time!

Watch the vlog here!

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