In December 2024, my mother and I planned a trip to her hometown, Davao—home to Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines and the 27th highest mountain in Asia. I hadn’t been back in 10 years, and I had been dreaming of climbing Mount Apo ever since. Rising 2,954 meters (9,692 feet) above sea level, the mountain is a true challenge. As a hiking newbie, I assumed I could climb it in any kind of weather, even without a physically active lifestyle.
Boy, was I wrong.
Keep reading to find out how I prepared for my “mother mountain”, who turns out to be the grandfather of all Philippine mountains.
Best Months to Hike Mount Apo
My cousin, who has climbed Mount Apo countless times, said that hiking it in December isn’t a good idea, lol. The best months to hike Mount Apo are from March to May and November. The mountain is typically closed from June to August.
That being said, we weren’t able to hike Mount Apo last December and decided to come back in April during Holy Week. It was the best experience. We witnessed the sunrise, the clearing, and, good heavens, a sea of clouds!
What felt like a setback turned out to be the perfect setup for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The sunrise, the clearing skies, the sea of clouds… they all reminded me that some things are worth the wait.
@9jammoves mount apo via kapatagan trail – breathtaking views #mountapo #kapatagantrail #CapCut ♬ suara asli – Iyon Gopret Gobret – iyon_
Hiking Mount Apo Trails
According to our tour guide, these are the trails of Mount Apo and he has hiked all of them. If you’d like to reach him, here’s his Facebook. He is a member of Guide and Porter Association for different trails.
Region XI Mount Apo Trail
- Tamayong Trail /Davao
- Mt. Talomo /Apo/Mt Zion traverse
- Sibulan Trail
- Sta Cruz Trail
- Kapatagan Trail
- Digos Trail
- Bansalan Trail
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Region XII Mount Apo Trail
- Kidapawan Trail
- Magpet Trail
- Makilala Trail
Easiest Trail
The easiest trail is the Celebrity Trail via the Aboitiz Trail, but securing a permit is quite difficult since it’s located within a geothermal site.
The next easiest option is the Kidapawan Trail. It has a gradual elevation gain and fewer technical sections. Along the way, you’ll see here Lake Agco and hot springs, river crossings, lush mossy forests, and Lake Venado.
Hardest Trail
According to our guide, the hardest trails are the following:
- Mt Talomo Traverse
- Mt. Apo Traverse
- Mt. Zion via Makilala Trail
Mount Talomo will take you 4-5 days before reaching Mount Apo’s summit.
Trail with Different Experiences
If you’re after a hardcore experience, go for the boulder-filled trails such as Kapatagan, Santa Cruz, and Sibulan. If you’re interested in rich fauna and flora, take the Bansalan Trail via Camp Macadac. And if you’re up for some river-crossing adventure, the Kidapawan Trail is the way to go.
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Our Kapatagan Trail Mount Apo Hike Itinerary
The Kapatagan Trail, which we took, offers scenic views of the neighboring mountains. Its boulder section is also shorter compared to the Santa Cruz Trail.
The Santa Cruz Trail is more difficult than Kapatagan because it has a longer boulder section. What makes this trail special is that you get to see Lake Venado.
Day 1
4:00 AM – Meet up
6:00 AM – ETA Sitio Paradise (jump-off area), briefings, porter arrangements
7:00 AM – Trekking to Camp Gudi-Gudi
12:00 PM – ETA Camp Gudi-Gudi
Lunch / Pitch tent / Freshen up / Dinner
(End of Day 1)
Day 2
2:00 AM – Wake-up call / Prepare for ascent / Coffee / Light snack
3:00 AM – ETD (Estimated Time of Departure) for the summit
3:30 AM – Welcome to the boulders
6:00 AM – ETA Crater Lake / Breakfast
6:30 AM – Welcome to the summit / Peak hopping
12:00 PM – ETD back to Camp Gudi-Gudi
3:00 PM – ETA Camp Gudi-Gudi / Wash up / Dinner / Socials
(End of Day 2)
Day 3
6:00 AM – Wake-up call / Coffee
7:00 AM – Breakfast
8:00 AM – ETD back to Sitio Paradise
12:00 PM – ETA Sitio Paradise / Lunch
(Home Sweet Home)
Here’s our 1-minute video of our 3 days 2 nights Kapatagan Trail hike!
@9jammovesThis is us before and after hiking the highest mountain in the philippines♬ Alapaap – Eraserheads
Cost of Hiking Mount Apo
As mentioned, we took the Kapatagan trail, so the costs may vary depending on your meetup point, chosen trail, group size, and the weight of the items the porters need to carry. But to give you an idea, here’s the cost of our Mount Apo hike:
- Guide Fee: ₱3,500 per group
- Porter Fee (up to 15 kilos): ₱1,800 per group
- Meals: ₱2,000 per group
- Transportation (van): ₱4,000 per group
- Trekking Fee: ₱1,500 per pax
By the way, there were five of us in the group, so the guide fee, porter fee, meals, and transportation costs mentioned above were for all five people — except for the trekking fee, which was ₱1,500 per person. However, since we hiked during peak season, the trekking fee increased to ₱1,800.
Our guide, Roldan Barrientos, is a member of the Digos City Mountain Guide Association (DCMoGA) and has completed a basic mountaineering course. He’s also involved in several trail networks and works as a fire brigade responder and rope rescue technician when he’s not guiding. If you’d like to consider him as your guide, you can find him on Facebook: Roldan Barrientos.
He brings all the necessary cooking equipment, so you don’t have to worry about packing those. He’ll also handle your medical certificate, necessary permits, and the certificate of climb.
As for the meals, they are prepared by the guide based on your budget and preferences. You can coordinate with him beforehand to request specific dishes. We were able to do some ihaw-ihaw (grilling), and I believe we had tuna since eating meat isn’t allowed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Mount Apo Weather
As I mentioned, this was my first time hiking a mountain. Two of my cousins who had climbed Mount Apo before warned me that it gets really cold up there, so I listened and packed the items our guide recommended to prepare for the cool weather.
We arrived at the jump-off point at 6 AM, and the cold hit us immediately. My Gore-tex jacket kept me warm. As we started hiking, my body warmed up from the movement, so I took off my jacket. That’s when the arm sleeves came in handy, I didn’t want my skin to darken, lol.
The Kapatagan Trail winds through a mossy forest, so the sunlight rarely reaches you. But when we stopped at camp, the cold returned since we weren’t moving.
At night, I really noticed the difference between using a tent with an insulating pad and one without. Our tent lacked the pad, so I felt the cold bite. I used an emergency blanket as a makeshift insulator, but it only helped a little to keep me warm while sleeping.
I compared the weather to Hong Kong’s cool climate. I’d estimate the temperature stayed around 5 to 7 degrees Celsius.
When we woke up at 3 AM, the cold made our tent moist inside, even without rain. We could see our breath puff out like smoke whenever we talked.
As soon as we started moving again to reach the summit, the cold faded away. We caught the sunrise and saw a breathtaking sea of clouds. But wow, the wind at the top really howled, lol! Don’t forget to wear sunscreen—the sun feels so close up there.
Hiking Mount Apo Difficulty Level
The difficulty level of hiking Mount Apo depends on the trail you choose. According to All Trails, the Kapatagan trail rates 7 out of 9 in difficulty. Since I had no prior hiking experience, I took pride in calling Mount Apo my “mother mountain,” and I didn’t want to fail in climbing it. So, I prepared my body to get fit.
Because I’m usually not physically active, I made time to exercise regularly starting one month before the hike. I worked out four times a week, mixing running, biking, core exercises, glute workouts, and posture training. Since this was my first—and a major—hike, I wanted to familiarize myself with the kind of muscle pain I might experience.
However, I missed strengthening my knees, lol. During training, my hamstrings and quads ached, so I was already familiar with that pain and I guess those muscles got stronger. But during the hike, the pain on the sides of my knees caught me by surprise. Thankfully, my cousin brought some pain-relieving liniment that helped a lot.
Also, I weigh 54 kilos and stand 5’4” tall. I guess that helped me reach the summit because I could lift myself up easily. I also don’t have medical condition. During the ascent and descent, I was also able to tackle the steep steps more easily since I have longer legs.
@9jammovesMount apo, mother mountain.♬ suara asli – Ruull
Things I Brought When I Hiked Mount Apo
My bag weighed about 6 kilos carrying the following items.
Attire Day 1
- Dri-fit shirt
- Cargo pants (from TikTok)
- Arm sleeves (from Tiktok)
- Balaclava (from SM)
- Socks (from Decathlon)
- Hiking shoes (from Decathlon)
Don’t forget to pack your undergarments along with your clothes.
Hiking essentials
- Hiking backpack (from The North Face I just borrowed from my friend)
- Headlamp (from Brown Trekker)
- Extra batteries
- Powerbank
- Gloves (from Brown Trekker)
- 1 hat
- 1 cap
- Trekking pole (from Brown Trekker)
- Medicines: Erceflora, Biogesic, Gen Cee, Dulcolax, Diatabs, Gaviscon
- Stainless mug (from Brown Trekker)
- Foldable spoon and fork
- 2 face towels
- 1 liter water
- Ziplock bags (to waterproof your items)
- Raincoat (from Shopee)
If you’re coming from Manila and flying to Davao or Cotabato, I’m not sure if trekking pole can be carried in your hand luggage, as I put them in my checked luggage. A spoon is allowed in hand luggage, but a fork should be packed in checked luggage. Power banks up to 100Wh are allowed in hand luggage.
There are water source on the trail. Bring more if you’re not comfortable drinking from the water source.
Toiletries
- Wet wipes
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
- Pantyliners
- Cotton pads
- Mosquito repellent
- Pain relief liniment (Omega, Efficascent Oil, Zeng Gu Shui)
- Makeup remover
- Makeup: lipstick, foundation, eyebrow liner, cheek tint
I brought shampoo, conditioner, soap, and microfiber towel but honestly, I wasn’t able to use them. My body felt too tired to bathe in cold water, and I was worried I might get sick the next day. Plus, it was really cold.
We hiked during Holy Week, so there were a lot of hikers. Some did take a bath, but because of that, the camp ended up with not enough water for everyone even just for peeing or answering the call of nature. So I think it’s important to be considerate of others who’ll also be using the bathroom, especially during peak season.
Bringing 50 sheets of wet wipes was one of the best decisions I made. Totally worth it!
Night 1
- Sleeping bag (from Lazada)
- Heat tech leggings (from Uniqlo)
- Heat tech long sleeves (from Uniqlo)
- Wool socks (from Shopee)
- Fleece jacket (from The North Face)
- Slippers (for camp attire)
- Gore-tex jacket (from The North Face)
- Emergency blanket (from Shopee)
- Malong
I didn’t bring a puffer jacket because I thought it would make my bag too bulky, so I just brought Heattech and a Gore-Tex jacket instead.
My cousin, who is based in Davao, brought an insulated pad with a reflective layer and a tent because these were things I could no longer carry from Manila, and they were carried by the porter for an additional fee.
Attire Day 2
- Mount Apo souvenir shirt (from Outdoor Access lol)
- Gore-tex jacket I used the night before
- Arm sleeves (same as Day 1)
- Cargo pants (same as Day 1)
- Socks (from Decathlon)
- Balaclava (same as Day 1)
- Hiking shoes (same as Day 1)
- Shades
Attire Night 2
- Reused everything from Night 1
Attire Day 3
- Dri-fit shirt
- Arm sleeves (from Tiktok)
- Cargo pants (from TikTok)
- Socks (from Decathlon)
- Balaclava (from SM)
- Hiking shoes (same as Day 1)
Food trail
There are snacks available at local grocery stores with food stands—this is usually where people buy champoy. They’re cheaper there.
Snacks I bought from the store:
- Adobo peanut – P30
- Gummy strawberry – P30
- Choco beans – P30
Other trail snacks I packed:
- Trail mix
- Jelly stick (easier to pack and eat on the go)
Is Mount Apo an Active Volcano?
Conclusion
Climbing Mount Apo was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. From the scenic trails and breathtaking sea of clouds to the physical exhaustion and unexpected lessons along the way—it was truly unforgettable. It taught me the value of patience, preparation, and respecting both nature and the people you share the trail with. If you’re thinking about taking on this hike, train well, pack smart, and embrace every moment. It’s not just about reaching the summit—it’s about the journey, too.
