A WEEKEND ESCAPE TO TREASURE MOUNTAIN

Having lived in the fast pacing metro for all my life — working and burning my ass out in the office chair made me realized that I deserved a sweet escape to a serene place even just for a day. Thankfully! there are many beautiful places just an one or two hours drive away from Manila such as treasure mountain in Rizal where you could take a breather or at least have a peaceful time even just for day.

Last weekend of December 2019 —a very cold and peaceful morning, I have explored the Treasure mountain in Rizal province with my friend. It was my first out of town again after coming back from abroad. I’ve stayed in the kingdom of Cambodia for two years and It was a roller coaster journey. It was a mixed of good and bad experiences that made me feel a little bit exhausted. So when I came back in the Philippines I immediately grab an opportunity to visit and explore the Treasure Mountain in Rizal.

GETTING THERE

Going to Treasure Mountain is technically easy just like the other mountains in Rizal Province. You can either ride a jeepney or UV Express in Cubao going to Tanay and then drop off at Tanay market. From the market you can either hire a tricycle going directly to treasure mountain but it might be expensive or you can ride another jeepney going to Cayumbay and then drop off at Sitio Maysawa where the mountain is located.

THE TREASURE MOUNTAIN

Treasure Mountain is located in Sitio Maysawa Brgy. Cuyambay, Tanay, Rizal and is less than two hours away from Manila. This place is famed for its effortless sea of clouds and breathtakingly beautiful views of Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

It was already eight in the morning when we arrived in Treasure Mountain — a little bit late for the sea of clouds. We only got to see a small portion of the clouds embracing the mountains of Rizal. It was still very cold and I was only wearing a sleeveless shirt and hiking short so I was literally freezing. It was my mistake for not checking the weather forecast before going to the mountain and so I was not aware that it would be that cold and I didn’t bother to bring a jacket or a scarfs to protect myself from cold.

It was already packed with people when we reach the viewing deck or the spot where people are taking photos for their social media specially Instagram. We had to wait 15–30 minutes each spot for our turn to be able capture a photo. I was not really happy about it so if you are planning to visit this place better to visit on weekdays as it could get crowded in the weekend just like what we’ve experienced.

OUR ATV EXPERIENCE

After some hours of exploring and taking pictures as much as we can, we have decided to leave treasure mountain and visit another tourist spot nearby the El patio Razon for Kawa Bath — unusual bath that will make you look like you’re being boiled alive, but don’t worry, the fire is just to keep it as warm as you want.

It was only about 30 minutes walking to get to El Patio Razon from Treasure mountain. We were disappointed when we get there as it was also packed with tourist waiting for their turn to use the kawa bath. We were not really happy about that because we didn’t want to waste our time waiting for our turn for the Kawa so we left immediately and tried to look for another activity that we could do instead of the Kawa bath experience. Luckily, there was an ATV renting station just in front of El Patio Razon. We asked for the renting fee and we decided to try it.

It was my first time driving the ATV Car and it was very challenging for me yet amazing experience. We drove around the rolling rocky slopes from Sitio Maysawa going to the top of this unfamiliar mountain. I’ve bumped into big rock couple of times and I got some scratches because of some ratan leaves along the way so I felt very happy and celebrating when we reached the finish line. It was one of the biggest achievement I’ve ever done in my life as a traveler. I’ve never try driving ATV before but I was able to drive it until the finish line in the top of the mountain — sounds amazing right? It was definitely one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had so far. My friend told me that we should do it again next time and right! I will absolutely do it over and over again. I really had fun.

REMINDER AND TIPS

• This place is famed for its effortless sea of clouds and breathtaking views of Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

• Be cautious on your steps while climbing the rock formations as it could be slippery because of the moist produced by the fogs.

• Be observer and be aware about do’s and don'ts when visiting treasure mountain.

• The best time to visit Treasure mountain is at dawn and wait for the sun to break.

• You can also enjoy sunrise viewing while having a hot cup of coffee.

• Bring some jackets and scarfs to protect yourself from cold specially in the morning.

• El Patio Razon is just 15–30 minutes walk from treasure mountain.

• You can also explore Daranak Falls. It was approximately an hour drive away from treasure mountain.