kabayan mummies timbak

 

"where do you think the mummy caves are?" our guide Vince asked while we were looking at wide vantage of the mountain range. pointed at one hill with a farm on top "no. that's the witch mountain" answered the guide smiling.

 

after a quick rest, we started to hike through the stone steps to a hill which at the time was covered with fog. this added the thrill of seeing one of the country's most valuable preserved bodies. 

 

years back, it was in the news when the mummified body of Apo Annu was stolen from this hill. this led to the building of a more secured fence and an assigned caretaker to hold the key to the gates. looking at the size of the enclosed site, i knew we were about to see a national treasure.

 

the mummification process here includes the preservation of the internal organs thus the long process that could take months. with all these and the rituals, it is believed that only the tribal leaders or of great ancestral lineage had the privilege to be mummified by the Ibaloi tribes.

  

the hill is composed of small caves that holds a number of wooden coffins of the mummies. each cave entrance has steel frame and chain lock. though taking of photos of the mummified bodies were prohibited, i, Ga-el, Emil, Darwin and Kevin had the chance to see it up close.

 

we had rounds in entering the mummy tombs as it was too small to hold more than two persons. we were reminded that noise is prohibited in the area as one should not forget that the entire hill remains sacred.

 

it was my turn and i had to squat to enter the tomb. i tried to imagine how these coffins were actually placed inside a compact and dark inlet. there were several coffins of different sizes with a flat cover. the first coffin opened composed of four tattooed bodies all in fetal position.

 

some bodies has exposed internal organs and i was amazed at how the bodies were preserved that way for more than five centuries or even longer. the entire site is now managed and monitored by the National Museum of the Philippines and the municipality of Kabayan. there are about 50 caves and some 28 mummies listed. this portion of Timbac holds majority of the mummies inside the caves.

trail to home stay junction

special thanks to Tine of the Jovial Wanderer for tips on who to contact.

Profile:

Barangay: Timbak/Timbac
Altitude: 2715 MASL 
Municipality: Kabayan
Province: Benguet
Region: Cordillera
Island: Luzon

Location: 
Distance from Manila: 295KMs
GPS Location: 
16' 39'' 3 N
120' 47'' 43 E

How to get there:
By commuting:
[1] Take any regular bus from Manila to Baguio. From Baguio there are two options to reach Timbak. First is via KM55 of Halsema Highway and second is via the town center of the municipality of Kabayan. In our case, we chose option 1.
[2] From Baguio, take a bus at Dangwa Station going to either Sagada, Bontoc or Abatan. When buying your ticket, inform them to drop you at Kilometer 55 (of the Halsema Highway). This is the jump-off point to the Timbak trail and the mummy caves. Bus trip will take about 2hours.  

[3] Trek from jump-off to home stay junction 1hr with less stops. trek down the mummy tombs is just 15-20mins from the home stay junction.

Note: KM55 is just few minutes from the stopover in Atok but not all buses stop in Atok.

By car or private vehicle:
[1] Drive to Baguio, cross La Trinidad and take the Halsema Highway. 
[2] From Halsema, turn right at KM55. This is just meters away from Atok central. There's a sign that says "Welcome to Mummy Caves of Timbac" but sign is too small to be noticed while in the highway. Best yet to ask the locals after passing by Atok or at the highest point of Halsema Highway.

eskapo recommends:

1. get a guide who can either pick you up in Baguio or meet you at KM55 of Halsema Highway. you can contact Vince Gapuz 09198524410 who was also our guide when we went there.