Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Los Banos, Laguna
Entry point: Sitio Jordan, Brgy. San Miguel, Sto. Tomas Exit point: UP College of Forestry, Los Banos, Laguna LLA: 14.13°N 121.20°E, 1090 MASL (Peak 2) Hours to Peak 2 / days required: 1-2 days / 5-8 hours
Specs: Major climb, Difficulty 5/9, Trail class 3 with roped segments Features: Roped segments, rocky face, limatik, rattan, tropical rainforest
The Makiling Traverse (which we first referred to as "Maktrav" in 2008), invented by Sky Biscocho in the early 1990s, is still a well-liked dayhike. The height of Mt. Makiling is 1090 meters above sea level, or 3576 feet. It provides climbers with a thorough view of the Southern Tagalog mountains, including Mt. Banahaw, Mt. Kalisungan, Mt. Cristobal, Mt. Obabis, and Mt. Prinza, from the summit.
According to Dr. Jose Rizal’s writings in the year 1890 about the story and myth of Maria Makiling: Once upon a time in a place called Makiling, there lived a god and goddess couple. They have a daughter named Maria. Maria is a very beautiful maiden or fairy. Her beauty is captivating and any young man will be charmed by her porcelain complexion and shining eyes. Their family is known to be kind and helpful to others, especially those in need, which is why the people around them love them so much. In those days, the gods were given the power to mingle with the people. One day a charming young farmer saw Maria one day, and upon seeing her beauty, he fell in love with her. Since then, he has always looked forward to it. The young farmer is the envy of his fellow farmers since, thanks to Maria Makiling's care and protection, neither plague nor bugs have harmed his crops. The young man thus always ascends the mountain to meet and be with his fairy lover. They quickly developed a romantic relationship, which the girl's parents learned about. Because a goddess cannot fall in love with a mortal, Maria's parents promptly cut off contact with that man.
