Mt. Famy, Siniloan Laguna

As everyone in the blogosphere says, Mt. Romelo or most famously known as Mt. Famy is one mountain that is perfect for beginners. Tracks are not that hard to walk through and available guides are in place for rookies to consider. With this in mind, to enter this league, Club Tourists traveled almost 3 hours from Pacita Complex Laguna going to the starting point in Siniloan Laguna. Quite a tiring and sleepy ride 'cause we started it at around 12 midnight.

The route:
Pacita Complex to Calamba Laguna, Php 30 / pax
Calamba Laguna to Siniloan (town proper) Laguna, Php 80 / pax
Take tricycle from Siniloan Town proper to drop point (aka KM 3), Php 10 / pax

For a group of 8 and above, Club Tourists recommends to rent a van or jeep to lessen the wait time and at least the travel fare.

Upon arrival in KM 3, we met Tita Merlin. She's the one responsible in the registration of all mountaineers who wanted to experience the beauty of Mt. Famy. An amount of Php 20 / pax for environmental fee will also be collected. Tita Merlin showcases a wide range of services like guides who can accompany hikers going to the camp site and even goods that can be brought up like drinks, snacks and the like. She also offers a public toilet and bath for a cost of course.

Tita Merlin's Place

For the guides, rates are as follows:

Child Guide (around 10 - 15 years old) - Php 150
Adult Guide - Php 300
Horse - Php 200 (Note: A little help with heavy stuffs and this also includes an adult guide)

The guide is ready and so are we. We started walking in a muddy uphill. Excitement overflows in the group while walking since majority of us was first timers. When in a group like this, one very important value learned is teamwork. For every obstacles along the way, a helping hand is right in front just waiting. If there's an upcoming cliff, someone will shout "Bangin! sa Kanan" (means Cliff on the right side) to warn the group of the upcoming threat. Not to mention sharing of water and heavy load.

The stretch of the path has 4 stations altogether. These stations are resting place for hikers. 2 of which are plain improvised resting grounds with bamboo seats, the other one is a mini store where fresh coconut, mountain dew and ice water are available and the last one is a nipa hut. Begin to count and after getting to the last station, its just a matter of half an hour going to the camp site.

While on top, breath-taking views cover our eyes and cold breeze embraces our bodies. Simple things that make the hike more interesting. Enjoying nature at its best!

Roughly 3 hours of trekking just to reach the campsite. As soon as we reached the camp site, flowing water is a common sound. Little rest is needed before we started building tents and cook food. Common finds are also available in the camp site since there are approximately 4 stores around. Canned goods, softdrinks, rice, snacks and even cigarettes are available.Drinking water is not a problem because there's water flowing from under. This is right beside one store in the campsite.

There are at least 4 Falls in different location and the most popular of them all are the "Buruwisan Falls" and the "Batya-Batya Falls".

From campsite, there's a need to climb downhill in a very steep cliff in order to reach the "Buruwisan Falls". This is one of the highest falls that Mt. Famy offers. Extra caution since the water is really deep. Aqua shoes really come in handy in this type of place. Get a very good one since its good for a simple trek and for rocky water such as this one.

Next stop is the "Batya-Batya Falls". Swimming in a deep water is necessary before reaching this hidden paradise. Much easier compared with the first falls. Falls is around 20 feet in height. A short jump in the water won't hurt. Because of Club Tourists curiousity, we went on top of the falls and found out why this falls is called "Batya-Batya"! There's an oval formation of rocks that looks like a "batya" (laundry tub) filled with water coming from a mini falls from above. Just be careful when climbing since its very slippery.

Mt. Famy is a very challenging yet worth it mountain to climb. In order for the next generations to experience this, we must ensure that we help in preserving her beauty. Lets be responsible with our waste. This wont hurt a thing.

How to Go to Mt. Famy:
Coming from North side,

1. Go to JAM or HM terminal in Cubao. Take bus going to Sta Cruz Laguna. When in Sta Cruz, you can either take the jeep or tricycle to Siniloan, KM 3.
2. Go to edsa central jeepney terminal in Crossing Shaw Blvd just near 7-11. The fare is only Php 80. The route would be Crossing → Ortigas → Rosario →Junction → Rizal (Binangonan, Angono, Taytay, Teresa, Tanay, Baras) → Siniloan.

Coming from South side,

1. Go to bus terminal in Edsa Taft, either in JAM and HM transit.
2. From Alabang, ride a jeep or a bus going to Calamba Laguna. Then ride a jeep again going to Siniloan.