GUNUNG · Filipina

Gunung Dulang-dulang

Mount Dulang-dulang

Information

Elevation: 2.938 m
Country: Filipina (PH)
Location / Range: Pegunungan Kitanglad, Provinsi Bukidnon, Mindanao Utara; kawasan lindung Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park
Mountain type: Puncak tertinggi Pegunungan Kitanglad — massif non-vulkanik aktif dengan hutan lumut (mossy forest) pekat di ketinggian
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 8.1153, 124.9208
Difficulty: Berat. Komunitas pendaki Filipina memberi nilai kesulitan 6/9 untuk pendakian biasa dan 8/9 untuk traverse ke Gunung Kitanglad, dengan Trail Class 2–4 dan beberapa ruas bertali. Pendakian standar tiga hari: hari pertama perjalanan dan ritual adat, hari kedua sekitar 10 jam mendaki ke kemah puncak, hari ketiga menyaksikan matahari terbit lalu turun. Traverse D2–Kitanglad memakan tiga sampai empat hari dan melibatkan rappelling, panjat dinding, serta ruas yang oleh pendaki disebut monkey climb.
Best Season: Musim kering relatif, sekitar Februari sampai Mei, memberi peluang terbaik untuk lautan awan dan jalur yang tidak terlalu berlumpur. Bukidnon tetap bisa hujan sepanjang tahun; banyak catatan pendakian justru menggambarkan hujan deras sepanjang malam di kemah puncak.
Permits & Rules: Wajib. Setiap pendaki harus mengikuti orientasi di kantor Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) di Kota Malaybalay sebelum mendaki, karena kawasan ini adalah Mount Kitanglad Range Natural Park. Gunung ini juga tanah adat suku Talaandig di Lantapan: sebelum pendakian, datu memimpin ritual di Barangay Songco, dan pendaki mengikuti pantangan tertentu seperti menghindari kata-kata tabu dan keributan di jalur. Titik awal resmi adalah Sitio Bol-ogan, Barangay Songco, Lantapan. Pemandu lokal wajib; catatan pendaki menyebut paket sekitar ₱3.500 per orang mencakup biaya, transportasi, makan, orientasi, ritual, pemandu, dan sertifikat, dengan porter sekitar ₱250 per hari.
Hazards: Suhu dingin — catatan pendakian menyebut sekitar 6 °C di kemah puncak, disertai hujan yang membuat perlengkapan basah dan memicu risiko hipotermia. Jalur berlumpur dan sangat curam, akar yang licin, serta hutan lumut yang rapat dan mudah membuat kehilangan arah tanpa pemandu. Pada rute traverse terdapat rappelling sekitar 150 m dan ruas berpegangan yang berat bagi pendaki dengan takut ketinggian. Turunan panjang dilaporkan sangat menyiksa lutut. Kelelahan ekstrem pada traverse sehari penuh — satu rombongan mencatat total sekitar 16 jam berjalan.

Description

Mount Dulang-dulang (2,938 m; some sources give 2,941 m) is the second-highest mountain in the Philippines after Mount Apo, only a little higher than the far more famous Mount Pulag. It is the high point of the Kitanglad Range in Bukidnon Province, Northern Mindanao, and local hikers simply call it "D2". What sets it apart from other high Philippine peaks is its forest. The route changes character from pine grassland into dense jungle and then into mossy forest: stunted, spiralling trees like giant bonsai, with moss and lichen hanging from every branch like beards. The Philippine hiking community describes it as one of the most impressive forests in the country. Ecologically the range supports dozens of mammal species and hundreds of tree and woody plant species, and it is the headwater for rivers that supply Bukidnon's homes and farms. Dulang-dulang cannot be climbed quietly. The range is the ancestral domain of the Bukidnon, Higaonon and Talaandig peoples, and every climb is preceded by a ritual led by a datu in Barangay Songco — part of the permit process and a mark of respect rather than a show for visitors. Climbers must also attend a PAMB orientation in Malaybalay beforehand. At the summit many parties hang white cloth in keeping with local custom. The standard route leaves from Sitio Bol-ogan, Barangay Songco, Lantapan, usually as a three-day trip: travel and ritual, then around ten hours of climbing to a camp near the summit, then sunrise and descent. The more ambitious take the traverse to Mount Kitanglad — the "D2K" line linking the country's second and fourth highest peaks over mossy ridges, steel stairways, a rappel section and a long descent. Trip reports describe a recurring mix: biting cold, rain through the night, fog coming and going, and occasional gaps that open onto Bukidnon's sea of clouds.

Gallery

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Routes

Bol-ogan Trail (rute normal, 2–3 hari)

Kesulitan 6/9 (skala komunitas pendaki Filipina), Trail Class 2–3

2–3 hari; hari pendakian sekitar 10 jam ke kemah puncak

The official summit route, starting from Sitio Bol-ogan, Barangay Songco, Lantapan, Bukidnon. Before walking, climbers must attend the PAMB orientation in Malaybalay and take part in the ritual led by a Talaandig datu in Songco. The climbing day usually begins around 5:30 am, passing farmland, then dipterocarp forest, then thick mud, and finally the mossy forest that defines Dulang-dulang — stunted spiralling trees hung with moss. The Alanib River is a commonly cited lunch stop. Camp is at Manny's Garden around 2,750 m, only five to ten minutes from the top, so the summit push is made at dawn. Camp temperatures are reported at 4–6 °C and overnight rain is unremarkable, so spare dry clothing is essential. The descent to the trailhead typically finishes around 2 pm. A guide is mandatory and permits must be booked in advance, not arranged on arrival.

Source

Traverse D2K: Dulang-dulang → Gunung Kitanglad (3–4 hari)

Kesulitan 8/9, Trail Class 2–4 dengan ruas bertali dan rappelling sekitar 150 m

3–4 hari; versi dayhike dilaporkan 15–16 jam berjalan

The line linking the Philippines' second-highest peak with its fourth, Mount Kitanglad (2,899 m), along roughly 10 km of mossy ridge. It is not simply walking: steel stairways on the steep sections, wall climbing, stretches hikers call monkey climbs, and a rappel of about 150 m that they admit is hard on anyone with a fear of heights. Direction is itself a safety decision — some deliberately climb Dulang-dulang first and descend via Kitanglad, judging Kitanglad's near-vertical sections too dangerous to come down, while others reverse it for cost and logistics. Three days and two nights is the usual format; the dayhike version is reported at 15–16 hours of walking, finishing long after dark at Sitio Intavas. The long descent, on muddy dirt road strewn with loose rock, is almost always named the worst part.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Accounts of climbing Dulang-dulang almost always begin somewhere other than the trail. Climbers must attend a Protected Area Management Board orientation in Malaybalay, then present themselves to a Talaandig datu in Barangay Songco for a pre-climb ritual, with taboos attached — words that must not be spoken, noise that must not be made. This is the consent protocol for ancestral domain, not a show. From there the official jump-off is Sitio Bol-ogan. The standard pattern is two to three days: a pre-dawn start, farms and fields, then dipterocarp forest, then thick mud, and finally the mossy forest that defines the mountain — stunted, spiralling trees hung with beards of moss. Camp is usually Manny's Garden at about 2,750 m, minutes from the summit, and nearly every report notes the cold: 4–6 °C recurs, often with rain all night soaking gear. The second theme is the traverse. The D2K line links Dulang-dulang to Mount Kitanglad (2,899 m), the country's fourth highest, over mossy ridges, steel stairways, a rappel of about 150 m, and the long descent everyone complains about. The dayhike version is brutal: one party logged a 5:30 am start, the Dulang-dulang summit at 10:30, five and a half hours along the ridge, Kitanglad at 4:30 pm in heavy rain, and an exit at Sitio Intavas at 11 pm — around 15.5 hours of walking. Even the direction is a safety decision: some deliberately climb Dulang-dulang first and descend via Kitanglad, judging Kitanglad's steepest sections too dangerous to come down. The third theme is weather that cannot be negotiated: many parties reach the top with no sea of clouds at all and still count it worth it. Costs quoted across reports: packages around ₱3,500 per person, PAMB permit around ₱1,000, guides ₱1,200–1,500 a day, porters ₱250–1,000 a day, and ritual fees of ₱1,000–2,500 per group.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.