Mount Banahaw

Another popular destination, specially during the Lent period, is Mount Banahaw, an extinct volcano which rises 2,100 meters above sea level.

Banahaw towers over the southeastern towns of Laguna and Quezon. Revered as a mystical mountain, Banahaw has become a sanctuary for different religious cults. Up on Banahaw’s leafy slopes live members of various religious sects who adhere to what seems to be a mixture of Catholicism, Buddhism, the cabala, animism and other forms of pagan worship. Down below, in the foothill towns, dwell amulet-makers, soothsayers, faith healers, diviners and dedicated UFO watchers.

Banahaw comes alive during the Lent when various religious sects re-enact the passion of Jesus Christ.

People ascend to Mount Banahaw to experience its cool weather, bathe in its hot springs or simply stand amazed at the sight of nature’s beauty.

Mt. Banahaw is a traditional pilgrimage site for locals, being considered a ‘holy mountain’. It is also popular among mountain climbers being the closest >2000-meter mountain to Manila. Hiking activity peaks during Holy Week of each year, with climbers numbering thousands. At least four trails exist, from Dolores, Sariaya, and other towns in Quezon. The most frequently trails are the Cristalino and the Tatlong Tangke, taking an average of 9 and 5 hours, respectively. These two trails originate from Brgy. Kinabuhayan, Dolores, and meet near the summit of Banahaw. At the summit, which is actually a rim encircling the caldera, viewpoints are numbered as ‘Durungawan I,II, and III’. These viewpoints are the usual destination for pilgrims and hikers. Other points of interest include the ‘Kweba ng Diyos Ama’ (Cave of God the Father) and the spring at Brgy. Kinabuhayan, said to have curative powers.

Due to incessant climbing activity, the mountain trails have become littered with trash. In March 2004, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered a 5-year suspension of hiking activity in the mountains, covering the Dolores and Sariaya trails. It is scheduled for reopening on April 5, 2009.

Trivia:

The term BANAHAW is not known to many people but it is actually describing a holy being! This mountain has rock with footprint of unknown being and supposedly, this was the basis of the origin of the name of the mountain. BANAHAW is very close to the modern tagalog words BANAL THAW which literally mean a holy being. The way it was written in baybayin tagalog finally produced the word banahaw.

Sources: EnjoyPhilippines, WikiPedia