Mt. Pulag Via the Akiki Trail - May 2023

Let's revisit Mt. Pulag this 2023 but let's challenge ourselves by going the Akiki Trail route again! In this video we will humbly try to show you a nearly start to finish climb of Mt. Pulag, Luzon's highest peak and the Philippines' third highest, via an Akiki-Ambangeg traverse. This experience was different from our first climb because the itinerary is different and we got to see in the daytime some parts that we only hiked in the dark last time.
We weren't able to include all the tips we wanted to talk about in the video, so if you have questions about this route, please feel free to leave them in the comments and we'll try to get back to you.
Please like, comment, share and subscribe if you'd like to see more of our adventures.
Subscribe: / @fogandcoffeeadventures
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Photos ♥
Some photos courtesy of the group:
Allan O.
Trishan B.
Marilen Y.
and everyone else whose photo was included here, please let us owe you some coffee. It's hard to scroll back on the group chat media bin to find the photo and check who uploaded it (because there's a gazillion images there! ^^ Love you guys! )
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Soundtracks:
Music by AZU - Weeping Willows (feat. McCall) - thmatc.co/?l=1...
Beckoning - Telecasted, KZbin Audio Library
Music by Public Library Commute - With Somebody - thmatc.co/?l=B...
Savannah Sunshine - Dan Henig, KZbin Audio Library
Clover 3, Vibe Mountain, KZbin Audio Library
Music by Pluto and Charon - Back When - thmatc.co/?l=B...
Koto San - Ofshane, KZbin Audio Library
Music by Carlos Stephens - Wet Dreams (vol. 1) - thmatc.co/?l=4...
Tropic Fuse - French Fuse, KZbin Audio Library
Silver Waves - TrackTribe, KZbin Audio Library

[@dalandan8300]

That;s the best view ive seen of mt pulag so far. Amazing clouds

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you, we really appreciate your comment. ♥♥♥ We were indeed blessed with a good view that day. On our way down, fog was already moving in, and hikers who came half an hour later probably weren't able to see the sea of clouds anymore.

[@meetdjx]

thank you for sharing this lovely journey. there’s really magic there.

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you as well for being here and writing a note for us. 🙏Magic is probably the one thing we go chasing for in the woods... 😊🙂

[@XandiBoi]

This is the most beautiful Mt. Pulas vlog i ever watched. What an adventure. It must have been a very heartfelt walk going back to the ground

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you 💗💗💗 We are so humbled by your comment. It's the greatest pleasure when someone is able to connect with our work. Yes, it's a mixed bag of emotions going down--you're exhilarated and recharged from seeing the sunrise up there, and yet you feel lonely having to say goodbye to the mountain. But anyhow, it's a touching experience that you could only hope will sustain you for a good long while when you go back to the cares of the world. 😀🥰

[@maeembate1692]

I already hike mt.pulag via ambangeg trail..sea of clouds worth it ang pag akyat..gusto q din try ang akiki trail 😍😍😍

[@nonoylopez5197]

the most angelic voice i heard so far in philippine mountaineering vlog. tnx for sharing your experiences...

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Ryan's reaction would be this: 😳🤣😂🤣 LOL. 😊Thank you sincerely for your comment. It is truly appreciated and does so much to help us along. 🙏🙏🙏 Wishing you safe travels.

[@napoleondomineng7545]

Great narrative! I'll be hiking Pulag next month with same trail and your story will surely a great help.

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you and sorry for the late response. We hope you had a fun and memorable hike when you did Akiki. 😃 😄

[@baconbriefs]

...chill soundtrack...soothing voice over....bracing for our turn this end of the month..fingers crossed. 😎🤙

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you 🙏😊. Wishing you a great and memorable hike! Do tell us how it goes! 😀

[@5150JOHNJOHN]

Wow! I appreciate your video. It was put together nicely that i can actually feel how hard your journey was. Congrats for conquering it twice!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you so much! Your comment and feedback really means a lot to us. Wishing you happy travels! 🙏

[@madzam5886]

Once I saw and heard your voice I subscribe right away and the way you presented this vlog is top notch!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Oh thank you so much for your kind comment. ♥♥♥It truly means a lot to us! Wishing you lovely adventures wherever you are 😄

[@marvzadventure6015]

Great adventure! Amazing narrative! Been there to Mt Pulag 5 times. Hoping to see you on the trail. Be safe and healthy :)

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you! Wow, doing Pulag 5 times is really enviable! You probably had slightly or maybe even significantly different experiences for each climb depending on the group you went with, the weather, the season, the trail, etc. We don't know if we can climb Pulag again anytime soon, because ...life... and other mountains are calling, ehe. That's why we tried to store as many memories as we could in this vlog. Wishing you safe and happy travels, too! ♥

[@marvzadventure6015]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures Almost with the same group. Hehe. All of them had a wonderful clearing and the stunning sea of clouds :) 2 Amba, 2 Akiki, 1 Tawangan Trail. I feel you there, we have to conquer and create memories to other mountains :) Continue the journey and be safe and healthy.

[@eltontontongpakitongkitong5946]

I like the narration of the entire Vlog. What camera did you use po for the video?

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Sorry for the late response. Thank you for your comment, we sincerely appreciate it. For this vlog we used the DJI OsmoPocket Version 1, it's the only video camera we have besides our phones. ☺️ It's a small camera that is 4k capable, tho rather fragile.

[@1kmilesmorales]

Wow. Ang hirap daw talaga ng Akiki trail na yan. Ang lakas nyo at ng mga kasama nyo. Congrats 🎉 ang ganda. ❤

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Maraming salamat po! Mahirap nga naman ang Akiki, pero kung di malakas, pwede pa rin naman kunin sa tiyaga hehe, kaso isama din diyan yung tiyaga ng paghahanda. ♥ Happy hiking!

[@MISSJIALING]

Great and informational video! :) I’m considering the same route too - which guide/group did you engage?

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi and thank you for being here! ♥ We did this hike with Lagalag-Baguio--but it wasn't like a 'commercially' organized climb, but more like a self-organized climb among friends. Sorry we don't have any climb organizers to recommend at the moment. We hope you found a group to hike with if you've already done the climb, or if you haven't yet, you'd be able to find FB pages of some organizers in mountaineering groups.

[@ponggwapong]

Akiki Trail is my best hike so far. Unfortunately no clearing when I went but will definitely go back on summer.

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Aw, sorry to hear that. Hope your next one will have clear views and beautiful skies. 🥰

[@ernestlcolemanjr]

I wish I knew about this trail earlier. I would have planned for this.

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Aw, yes this is a great trail if you want to go through the forest, rather than the grasslands. Wishing you a chance to do so at some future time. 😀

[@rolynyap8065]

Such a nice vlog! May I know what camera did you use? Would love to know it. ^^

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi and sorry for the late response. Thanks a lot for taking the time to leave us a note. We used the DJI OsmoPocket 1 for this. It's a handy little camera for hiking or traveling tho it does need patience and getting used to. 😀😄

[@rolynyap8065]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures nice! Thank you!!

[@menopause7275]

Love your video !

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you so much! Your comment means a lot to us! 🥰🥰

[@menopause7275]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures We were there last Dec... Tawangan-Amba Trail .never had the chance to have a good clearing...as it was raining on the whole duration of our trek ... " well balik na lang siguro next time ." The mountain dictates the weather, not us 🙂 (Kalasag Mountaineers - Singapore) God Bless!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Wow, Tawangan! But sorry to hear you ran into bad weather. Wondering if it's as bloody as they say, especially since it was raining 😬 so the leeches wouldve been having a fiesta! 🥲😵 I didn't mention in the vid how truly lucky we were to see the sea of clouds and blue skies (though the sea of clouds eventually blanketed the summit so the latecomers would have missed what we saw). When we got to Ambangeg jump off, someone who did the hike the previous day was like, "Was there a sea of clouds? We didn't get to see one!" 😅😊

[@menopause7275]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures Yes! The leeches had an Suck All You Can treat 🙂 . Again congratulations! ❤

[@sbcswhatever]

Amazing! I love your narration --- I'm excited! I want to do this trail as well after a couple of minor climbs and some cardio prep :D I have a question about the actual hiking trail --- are they any dangerous parts? Or is the challenge because it's very steep? I don't see a lot of info on why it's really called the "killer trail" and my anxious trait wants to confirm I can do it :D

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Sorry for the late response. I'd say the challenge comes from the steepness of around 2/3 or 3/4 of the trail, so that's like 11-12 kilometers uphill carrying heavy backpacks--that's a killer for the unprepared. From Eddet River, it's uphill all the way, though of course you'll be walking up so many switchbacks. The trick is not to overpack, but lots of hikers realize this too late, when they're struggling up the trail barely able to carry their backpacks. This was a lesson I realized myself on our first hike (2020 pre-pandemic), and it hit me way before the actual hike, when we'd just disembarked from the jeepney and were walking up the steep foot path to the Akiki RANGER STATION, and I had a hard time getting myself and my backpack up the path, ehe 🤦‍♀️. I did shed around 2kg from my 15kg backpack then (to the porter) and was able to manage so much more. On this 2023 hike, we kept our backpacks at 10-11kg. We passed by so many hikers on the trail carrying upwards of 15 to 20kg. That's why they could only take a few steps at a time and then would need to rest, and we can all guess they'd have hated the experience. Sorry, very long response. I meant to make a follow-up video about our gear but didn't get around to doing it. Happy hiking and hope you'll have a good experience of Akiki. 😊

[@soldiermike07]

Love this video. Where to hire/rent some Jeepey for the whole trip?

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi, so sorry just saw your comment now. Will get the number of the driver we know who ferries climbers and bikers regularly to Pulag. For privacy, in case you still need the info, kindly PM our FB Page "Fog and Coffee Vlog" so we could send it to you. Thanks

[@lourdesh9373]

Nice vlog! I enjoyed it so much!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Thank you so much! Your comment just made our day so much brighter! Have fun out there 🥰

[@firdausimran6156]

hello, may I know what agency did you hike with?

[@lynlynn6897]

beautiful..not so many people take the Akiki trail..TRy the other trail but in the summer..so no leeches.

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

We hope to do Tawangan sometime in the future. Definitely in summer. 😁 Thanks for watching and commenting. 😊🥰

[@lynlynn6897]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures i am watching every videos about mt.Pulag or mount Ulap for i want to hike them when i go home..😆 I watch a vlog of a family hiked through Tawangan trail and they were swarmed by leeches..😬😬

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

@@lynlynn6897 Oh nice! I mean your plan to hike when you get here, not the leeches. ☺️ We're now on the process of editing our Mt. Ulap too! 🤪😁 Hope you'll get to hike both mountains! 😀

[@lynlynn6897]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures lol yeah..thank u!looking forward to watch ur Mt Ulap adventure!

[@lynlynn6897]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures i want to ask,if u climbed up the Akiki trail,can u climb down through the Ambangeg trail?and vice versa?

[@JERMTB]

Panalo mam. Type ko po yung tone ng voice mo :)

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Sorry po sa late reply. Naku maraming salamat. I actually cringe when I hear my own voice in the videos. So I can't emphasize enough how much comfort and reassurance your comment brings me. Wishing you happy adventures out there! ^^

[@ChillPusit]

i need to find a stair mill to train for this!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Yes! A stair mill would be perfect if there are no hills around 😄. And yes, we highly recommend doing Mt Pulag at least once. 🥰 Ambangeg Trail is also an option if short on time, but Akiki would be epic!

[@nicolucino8887]

Is this 3d2n ? Or just 2d1n?

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi! (half) day 1 - travelled to DENR and on to Akiki Ranger Station (we started from Baguio around lunch time) night 1 - slept at the homestay near the ranger station due to bad weather day 2 - hiked all the way to Saddle Campsite, which is already below the summit, so 1 full day hike for the whole of Akiki trail. left Ranger Station around 6:45 am, got to Saddle nearly 4pm. night 2 - camped at Saddle day 3 - summited then descended thru Ambangeg, and then travelled back to Baguio. Kindly note this was our group's own itinerary. Other hiking groups may plan for a [two-day hike] up the Akiki route alone which I hear is the norm. Also, kindly check guidelines in place -- the ranger stations and DENR will have rules and recommendations about hike schedules for the different trails. Thanks. 😄

[@bigbad_roy]

Len of Hot Cat specialty coffee? 🤯🤯🤯

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Um, yes po. Do you by chance know each other?

[@bigbad_roy]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures No po. Palagi lang ako nandoon when I'm in Baguio. 😅

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

@@bigbad_roy Oh awesome! She'll be so tickled to know that! We'll definitely tell her, like tomorrow 😀 cos we will be dropping by.

[@bigbad_roy]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures Hahaha thank you! I'll be in Baguio next week and will visit Hot Cat.

[@kikaybiker7994]

Hi po! May I know how many hours it took you to reach the campsite? 1 night/2 days po ba kayo? We’re planning to visit Mt pulag via akiki rin po kasi thanks!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi, here was our itinerary: • Saturday afternoon -- Travel to DENR Visitor's Center Bokod then to Akiki Ranger Station. Spent the night at the homestay due to bad weather. • Sunday morning-- 6:40 AM Start of hike Sunday afternoon -- 4:30 Arrival at the Saddle Campsite This meant a 10-hour hike for us, but pace varies. We had to ask to pass many people along the way and we were NOT even fast. (Some from the other groups arrived at Saddle around 5,6,7 and even after 8pm. Mentioning this to show how big of a variance there could be.) • Monday morning -- Summit and then descent via Ambangeg Wishing you great conditions for your hike, but the rain will kinda complete the experience, so don't forget rain gear. ^^ 🥰

[@Abdultikol]

Last climb ko diyan year 1943 with japanese imperial army.

[@ChillPusit]

sticker pls! 😅

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

yis! when you get to Baguio one of these days 😁😀

[@karlomarvel2240]

Hi! May i ask which part of the trail has limatiks or leeches?

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi! The Akiki Trail is not known to have leeches, and none of us had that experience either, even when it was raining. It's the Tawangan Trail that's known as the "Bloody Trail" because of those bloodsuckers. We haven't done that trail yet. Scared of leeches too but hoping to be able to do Tawangan one day. 😀😁 Thanks for being here! ♥

[@xXpenetratorXx]

How were you able to camp at the saddle? Are they allowing camping there already? Nice vlog. Thanks!

[@FogandCoffeeAdventures]

Hi! Yes, they now allow hikers to camp at Saddle. As far as we know, it's only been allowed this April (er, someone from the other hiking group told me we were the first this year but I don't think so, wink wink) 🙂 Thanks for watching and leaving us a comment! 🥰

[@xXpenetratorXx]

@@FogandCoffeeAdventures Thanks for the response. Great vlog. ^^