Hiking to Kandungaw Peak: A Challenging but Rewarding Adventure

Hey there fellow hivers!

Exactly seven years ago, when I had started my stint in hiking, one of my first hikes was a trail not so famous to many that it needed a guide to lead us there. The peak we were going to summit was slowly gaining popularity at that time, but people only took the shortcut to get there. However, we were not like the rest; we took the long and most tiring way to get there. Haha.

Together with the new team members of our defunct hiking group, we ventured into the highlands of Dalaguete, Cebu.

Our crazy adventure started at the Cebu South Bus Terminal as early as 4:30 in the morning so we would arrive early at the jump-off point where we would meet our guide. The bus took around 3 hours to reach the meeting place. From there, we met up with our guide.

We first stopped at a 7 Eleven store to buy some last-minute supplies.

And then we started our hike. But before that, we had a little prayer for our safety since most of us were novice hikers, hoping no one would get hurt along the trail. It was almost noon when we started our hike. The first part of the trail passed through a small community that resides near the mountainside.

Like every other hike, the first few minutes we were so focused on the trail that no one was talking. Haha, I am now questioning my decisions when the guide told us that the hike would take 8 hours or more.

But when we had a panoramic view of Badian Island and Pescador Island, our faces lit up a little bit.

We took a couple of stops along the way to drink water and enjoy the view. Despite all of us being tired, even though we hadn't hiked halfway yet, we didn't stop, and we were still enthusiastic about reaching the summit.

We passed a water source, but our water bottles were still full, so we decided to skip it to finish early. Whenever we were tired or slowing down on the trail, we kept reminding ourselves about our side trip, which was the beach of Lambug. That way, we would be motivated to move faster. Haha.

Finally, after a few hours, we arrived at the first peak - the Dalas-ag Peak. It had the same view as before but a little bit closer. The sea of clouds added an extra feeling to the view. We stayed there for almost 20 minutes, admiring the views.

I never heard or saw people visiting Dalas-ag Peak on social media, maybe because it requires hiking to get to the peak, which most people don't intend to spend hours doing. People prefer shortcuts. But I guess it is a good thing to preserve the place from irresponsible people.

We left the peak and proceeded to the main event. The guide decided to take us on the shortcut to Kandungaw Peak, which is steeper than the traditional trail, as per our guide, and has no trees that can offer shade while hiking.

I was craving a cold Coca-Cola, and that was my motivation to finish this hike. It was super hot going there; we were all covered in sweat. And finally, we got a sneak peek of the peak, but we still had to go up a little bit more to reach it.

And finally, after pushing ourselves to the peak, we arrived at the peak. But we decided to have our lunch first at a small hut near the peak.

We recharged our bodies, minus the cold Coke, but still, we were all energetic again to have the energy to enjoy the summit.

There was a Philippine flag installed at the summit which appealed to us for photos. We took turns posing beside the flag. After we were all satisfied with our photos, we decided to go back to the jump-off place to catch a motorcycle taxi ride to Lambug beach. We ordered 2 liters of Coke when we arrived at the jump-off. Haha, cravings satisfied.

We then took a motorcycle taxi to Lambug beach. It was the perfect way to end our hiking adventure. We were greeted by a lovely sunset on the beach.

If given the chance to go back to this trail, I would not hesitate. I think the trail to Kandungaw peak offers beautiful landscapes of the highlands of Dalaguete which other mountains in Cebu cannot offer. Until my next adventure!