osmena peak

 

just a day before this trek, the group that i was supposed to join, cancelled it due to emergency reasons. but i was there for the weekend for one ultimate goal. to trek Osmena peak. so it must happen even if it takes me to go there alone.

on the last few hours, i was in one internet cafe checking best option to get to Mantalongon, the peak's gateway. when Edwin of Lakbay Pilipino, who was also online, messaged that he is open to joining me though it was also his first time to the peak but is familiar with Mantalongon. then Doi of The Travelling Feet also confirmed that she will be joining. on the morning of our trek Edcel of SoloflightEd completed the instant team.

 

we made it to Mantalongon market after a quick stop at Boljoon, here habal-habal drivers gave us the option to ride these motorbikes to shorten the trek to 30minutes. for sure this was the best option for those who just want to see the peak but we chose to trek.

though the trail was not that difficult as majority of the trek was following the rough road, the afternoon heat was still at its peak. two thirds of the trail was passing by several houses and vegetable farms but the view of mountain range remained a great backdrop.

we met some kids along the way rewarding us with cute smiles and sweet good byes. some of them were there to carry drinking water from the water station to the climbers up the summit. they get paid from doing this.

 

on our way to start the ascend to the rocky portions of the range, a fresh water station with a storage tank was available. it was here when we crossed ways with other climbers and the cow who blocked the path. we tried to make way but it was firm. in the end we realized that the cow's  resistance made sense. it leads to the wrong trail.

on our final ascend we did not avoid to encounter sprain specially for Doi who decided to stay somewhere on the last few turns of the trek. we had to hurry our way up to catch the sunset from the summit. 

 

 

unlike most mountains, Osmena Peak's summit is composed of multiple rocky hills. giving it a special mountain topographic feature. multiple in such a way that groups of these hills come from many points and i wonder if somebody already recorded the number of hills that this part of the Cebu mountain range holds.

 

a view from the marked peak was fantastic. overlooking the Western coast of Cebu and the

the Tanon Strait that separates the two long islands of Cebu and Negros. a bonus was to see few wild pine trees sprung up on some of the rocky peaks.

 

after few minutes by surprise we saw Doi making her way up the summit with some of the local kids. she made it just in time for the sunset behind Ed who brought the tripod base plate. i was impressed at her courage to make it to the summit and surprisingly, several weeks after this trek, i found out that Doi made her second trek to OPeak.

 

finally reaching Cebu's highest peak and experience its sunset view was a big deal for me. but the tandem with three of Cebu's coolest bloggers, Edwin, Doi and Edcel, made the trek even more memorable for the Eskapo Mountain Series. below is the trio sunset posterity shot.

 

this is the third mountian in the first Eskapo Mountain Series. 

companion's related post:
SoloflightEd: Reaching Osmena Peak

Profile: 
Mountain Spot: Osmena Peak
Altitude: 1,010MASL (Cebu's highest point)
Barangay: Mantalongon
Municipality: Dalaguete
Province: Cebu
Region: Central Visayas
Island: Cebu

Location: 
Distance from Cebu: 90km
GPS Location: 
9' 50'' 9 N
123' 26'' 8 E

How to get there:
By commuting:
[1] From Cebu City, take a bus to Dalaguete from the Cebu South Terminal or buses that is bound to Boljoon and Oslob which will also pass by Dalaguete. (2.5hours due to some stopover)
[2] From Dalaguete, look for the crossing where motorbikes or locally known as habal-habal that will bring you to Mantalongon market which is the jump off point to the trek to Osmena Peak or also known as O-Peak. (30mins)
By car or private vehicle:
[1] Go directly to Mantalongon via the Cebu South road and take a right turn from the Dalaguete crossing to Mantalongon market (2.5hours).
[2] You can park your vehicle somewhere around town.

From Mantalongon market:
option 1: To trek from Mantalongon market to Osmena peak summit. If you have no companion or someone familiar with the trail, i recommend you to get a guide. some locals will offer this once you arrived at the market.
option 2: To pay for a motorbike ride or habal-habal from Mantalongon market to the final ascend point. this will shorten to about 40mins to an hour of your trek. final ascend can take to as short as 30mins.

eskapo recommends:

1. If you have the option to stay overnight, it would be better as sunrise is also beautiful from the summit. if you decide to make a day trip make sure that you return early as you might run out of motorbikes that can bring you back to Dalaguete from Mantalongon.
2. if in case you plan to stay overnight in Mantalongon, you can approach the barangay hall which offers a cheap overnight sleepovers.