Pico de Loro in Mt. Palay-Palay will open again for mountaineers and nature lovers on January 12, 2023. Photo by Dennis Abrina
Pico de Loro to reopen for climbers on Jan. 12
MARAGONDON, Cavite – After being closed in October 2016 and undergoing a six-year rehabilitation of the mountain, Pico de Loro, famous for quick mountain trekkers and nature lovers, will be reopening starting January 12, 2023, according to the staff of the Protected Area Management Board of Mts. Palay-Palay/Mataas Na Gulod Protected Landscape (MPPMNGPL).
Mountaineers who want to climb must register on online booking and reservations at https://mppmngnp.com and pay necessary fees, including a mandatory tour guide.
Walk-ins are now prohibited, limiting the number of tourists to avoid overcrowding and protect the mountain. A P500 fee is required for a tour guide to assist a batch or team of five (one is the minimum) people on the right trail and monitor their movements in the area.
Park authorities enforce a “leave no traces” policy, and overnight camping is not allowed. Mountaineers are only allowed up to the Pico de Loro summit and can no longer climb the monolith area.
From the base camp, mountain hikers must be responsible for all the trash, and no things must be left unattended to maintain the cleanliness of the said mountain. Picking plants or herbs on the road or mountain trail is also strictly forbidden.
Cavite PENR (Provincial Environment and Natural Resource) Officer/Protected Area Superintendent Januel R. Peras thanked those who participated in the recent soft opening attended by mountaineers and hikers in his post on MPPMNGPL’s Facebook page.
In preparation for the much-awaited reopening of MPPMNGPL, the “Green Brigades” or tour guides underwent a two-day “Capacity Building on Wilderness First Aid” and orientation on their duties and responsibilities spearheaded by WISAR, Inc. and PROJECT, Inc. to ensure the public that the tour guides are all prepared and well-equipped to respond in any untoward incidents in the area.
Last December 21 and 22, 2022, around one hundred twenty hikers visited the park for the soft opening of Pico de Loro or “Parrot’s Peak.”
Mount. Palay Palay-Mataas na Gulod Pico de Loro Protected Landscape is a 3,973.13 hectares protected area covering Maragondon and Ternate in Cavite. It was established as a national park and bird sanctuary in October 1976 and was the last remaining lowland rainforest in the province of Cavite.
