PICO DE LORO
NASUGBO, BATANGAS PHILIPPINES
Mount Pico de Loro, also known as Mount Palay-Palay, is a dormant volcano in Cavite province on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of 664 m (2,178 ft) above mean sea level and is one of the ancient volcanic features of Bataan Arc. 
Mount Pico de Loro is the most notable mountain at Mounts Palay-Palay–Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape and is considered as one of the two prominent mountains of the protected landscape together with Mount Marami. It features a monolith or a natural 60-meter rock column beside its summit which is the major attraction of the mountain.
( picture of myself at the camping site with the monolith and its summit on my back )
Although the major jump-off of the mountain is at Ternate, most of its area is under Maragondon. Its summit is shared among the boundary of both the province of Cavite and Batangas.
Pico de Loro was first named by Spanish sea-farers which means "Parrot's Beak" as its pointed summit resembles the shape of a parrot's beak from afar and it is commonly used as a signal by sea-farers to turn east to get to Manila Bay.( wikipedia )
Mt. Pico de Loro is most frequented mountain of the Mounts Palay-Palay–Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape, together with Mount Marami. There are two major jump-off to the mountain. One is via Ternate which is usually is the primary jump-off to the mountain and the other is at the border of Maragondon and Nasugbu at Barangay Papaya, which is usually the traverse exit point.
The hike to the summit features a 5-kilometer long trail passing through forested areas and minor streams. The saddle camp beside the summit is notable for its bamboo trees while the summit itself is grass.
A side trip to Pico de Loro Waterfalls is also notable especially during rainy season.
Its summit gives a 360-degree view to the whole protected landscape. To its north is Manila Bay and Corregidor, and to the south are the remaining portions of the protected landscape which includes Mataas na Gulod, and Dos Picos as well as the far mountains of Nasugbu such as Mount Talamitam and Batulao. To the west is the Limbones Cove and the rest of the West Philippine Sea.
Itineraries:
It takes 2 ½ hours to get to the jump-off point of Mt. Pico de Loro from Manila. A brief orientation will be given before the climb starts. The trail starts with a short ascent before descending and reaching a flatter trail that leads to the ranger station. From there a flat trail that small streams will have very exposed areas which will last for around an hour before heading into the forest. The forest trail marks the start of a steeper ascent that may last for 1-1 ½ hours and ends at the camp site. The camp site is one of the best places to take beautiful and daring photos. It's the best place to take your lunch and rest before the assault to the summit. Climbing the summit will take 20 minutes. From there you can see the beautiful view of the rock peak. Climbing the rock peak is optional but highly encourage. After enjoying the view, my group decided to descend and head back to Manila.
