Hike to Tanawan

I was expecting to do my first hike on the mountains of Palawan this coming summer but turns out I had to do warm up here in Negros. I have never been to high places before so I was more nervous than excited when I said yes to hiking Tanawan in Sibulan. I was even close to not going because it rained so hard the night before the hike, and because I wasn’t and still am not a morning person. Bed was still calling me back at 5:30 in the morning.

Well, better go rather than say no. But really, I thank God for friends who texts you, “On my way”. That surely had all of us to pack up our things and head out of the house. So we actually ended up traveling towards the municipality of Sibulan and reaching there, we rode habal-habal to barangay Balugo. We basically just told the driver we were going up hiking to Tanawan and he was pretty kind enough to drive us to our destination and even had a little bit of tour along the way. He was really good as tour guide. We never had a boring dead air on the road.

When we arrived at the starting point, we had a brief orientation and took potty breaks before starting the 3.3km hike. The first few steps were just easy breezy but as you step further upwards, it tires your knees and legs right away. I couldn’t even count how many stops we took but everytime we do, we wouldn’t forget to take pictures. What really amazes me when we took the hike was when we met people along the way. There was one lady who walked and talked with us a few meters and even gave us directions. We almost took a right turn when we were supposed to go straight. Oh how the Lord provides! There were muddy trails, rocky steps and very steep paths. The hike was really exhausting but as you get closer to the top, the view is just breathtaking! You could almost see everything when you’re up there, and all the more you would be amazed of God’s creation.

And finally after almost two hours, we reached Tanawan Highland View. It was a little hot when we got there and the fog was nowhere to be found. They had cottages, and trees and fish pond and you can just camp anywhere you’d like to. The place was wide enough and the air was cooler as the clouds came in. We took our brunch, had fellowship, enjoyed the view as we rested a while before we took pictures and more pictures! I couldn’t remember how long we stayed at the top. I bet no one was checking the time as the view was really amazing and really awesome. It was but my first hike so excuse me if I can’t help but be really really amazed at it. Haha!

Going down was as strenuous as going up. We also had to take a few stopovers but the sight and the experience sure did not slow us down. It was worth the mud on my shoes and sweat on my clothes. The hike was really worth it!