Biglaang Escape at Mt. 387-Batong Amats, Puncan, Nueva Ecija

If you have plans to see the Chocolate Hills then you don't necessarily need to fly to Bohol. With approximately a 4 hours travel time from Manila, you'll definitely feel amaze to find it upclose from the North.

Just a couple of weeks back I and a friend of mine were talking about setting goals for 2018 - that ofcourse includes the famous #travelgoals. That's what when she asked me if I have been to Batanes, Palawan, Cebu and Bohol in particular. Until such, I have received an invitation from Medail for a non-profit tour to Mt. 387 few days after. What a co-incidence, right? And since I've been getting numerous positive feedback about this mountain lately, I instantly said "yes" to the invite.

According to some of the online sources, Mt. Batong Amat has the following features: minor climb, difficulty 4/9 (traverse), 2/9 (backtrail), trail class 1-3; showcasing the grassland, waterfalls, scenic view of the hilly section of the Caraballo Mountain Range.

As part of the organized hike, we left for Nueva Ecija around 11:30pm Saturday last week. After about 4 hours of travel, we arrived at the jump-off site where we had a brief orientation about the mountain.

So why called Mt.387? Simply because it's covers 387.9 hectares of the Talavera Watersheds Forest Reserve. Why does this mountain suddenly becomes famous to hikers? Primaly because it gives you an excellent view of the Caraballo Range and the southern part of Cordilleras. Thus, it was dubbed as the Bohol of the North due to its resemblance to the Chocolate Hills of Bohol. Batong Amat a.k.a. Mt. 378 is located in Brgy. Puncan, Caranggalan, Nueva Ecija.

Here's the itinerary for this 1 day tour trip:

ITINERARY:

Day 0 Saturday
10pm: Meet Up ETD

Day 1 Sunday
03:00 ETA Brgy Puncan, Caranglan, Nueva Ecija
(Sir Roy Manuzon Residence is in the front of INC Church)
03:30 Registration
03:45 Start Ascend
06:00 View Deck
07:00 ETA Summit (Batong Amat)
08:00 ETA Lovers Tree
09:00 Start Descend
10:00 ETA (Sir Roy House)/Lunch

6pm ETD Manila
10pm ETA Manila

You may wonder how come that we went back to Manila that late. That's because we have a side trip to Minalungao National Park. Please wait for the separate post with regards to it.

Cost: 1k. That's the total cost for this trip to Mt. 387 and Minalungao River

For your convenience and to save on your expenses you can join an organized non-profit hike just like what I did. I thank my good friend Medail Policarpio for inviting me to join the group. You can look for him in Facebook and/or look #TaraSama personal travel blog for more details.

More photos in our official facebook page.

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