Mt. Lanaya (Kalo-Kalo Peak) via Legaspi Trail Alegria, Cebu

Mt. Lanaya of Alegria which stands 720+ meters above sea level (MASL) is dubbed as the "toughest" mountain to climb in Cebu. Since I have never been to this mountain before, I tried to research over the internet about what to expect, the trail and how to get there. All blogs that I have stumbled has something in common - everyone agrees that arguably its the hardest climb in Cebu with a constant 50-60 degrees non-stop ascent from the foot up to the summit and that a rope is necessary for the climb. But instead of getting discouraged, this pumped up my blood and excitement of checking this mountain and experienced the ruthless and merciless Legaspi trail of Mt. Lanaya.

Our initial plan was to conquer Mt. Lantoy in Argao because I want to check Balay sa Agta Cave and Bugasok Falls. Unfortunately, Balay sa Agta was temporarily closed because its birthing season of bats so we changed plan and decided to climb Mt. Lanaya instead. My trekking buddies Mark and Ryan took the challenged bravely of conquering Mt. Lanaya.

Since it was our first in Mt. Lanaya, we asked the barangay officer if she could arranged a guide for us. Unfortunately, guides were not available because everyone is busy because of the upcoming fiesta. In our mind, we will pursue our Mt. Lanaya climb even without a help of local guide. Instead of wasting our time searching for a guide, we commenced treking and after 20-30 minutes we reached the Windows XP campsite. According to Kuya who sells "buko" or coconut juice, some mountaineers choose to spend the night at Windows XP campsite and resume trekking early morning because the campsite provides a good view for sunset and its facing the Tanon Strait.

The arduous trail

The trail from barangay Legaspi to Windows XP Campsite is bearable with a gradual steep ascent. The non-stop 50-60 degrees steep ascent starts after passing the Windows XP campsite. Here trails are covered with loose rocks which makes you easily loss your balance. The brutal trail is also "treeless" meaning you are directly exposed to the scorching heat of the sun. So make sure that you have sufficient amount of water and wore a protective gear against the sun.

After 3 hours of trekking torture we finally reached the campsite which could accommodate to no more than 5 tents and is just less than 30 minutes from  Kalo-Kalo peak which is the summit of Mt. Lanaya. The summit allows you to see the coastline of Alegria, Tanon Strait as well as the neighboring province of Negros Oriental.

Kalo-Kalo Peak

Here is our actual Mt. Lanaya Itinerary last November 10-11, 2012

Day 1
0700 Meet at South Bus Terminal, Cebu City
0800 Expected time of departure from Cebu South Bus Terminal
1200 Expected time of arrival at Alegria. Drop off at barangay Legaspi
12:30 Registered at Legaspi barangay hall
1300 Commence trek via Legaspi trail
1400 Buko break
1430 Resume trekking
17:30 Arrival at base camp, pitch tent, cook dinner
1830 Had dinner and socials

Day 2
0600 Morning calltime, cook for breakfast
0700 Breakfast and prepare ascent to Kalo-Kalo Peak
0830 Ascent Kalo-Kalo Peak
0900 Reached the summit
1000 break camp, off to Brgy. Lepanto/Highway
1100 Reached brgy. Lepanto then ride habal-habal to Alegria proper
1200 Arrive Alegria proper, spring, lunch
1300 Back to Cebu City
1700 Home sweet home

Mt. Lanaya budget and expenses
Food: 206
Transportation: 280
Guide: 200
Total: 686

P.S. Photo credits to Ryan.