Mount Mantalingahan (or Mantalingahan or Mantaling) is the highest mountain in the island province of

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, with an elevation of above sea level, its ranked 68th-highest peak of an island on Earth and 10th-most prominent mountain in the Philippines. Located in the southern part of

Palawan Island Palawan is the largest island of the province of Palawan in the Philippines and fifth-largest by area and tenth-most populous island of the country, with a total population of 994,101 as of 2020 census. The north west coast of the island is alon ...

that forms the highest part of the Beaufort Mountains Ultramafics geological region, a series of

ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed ...

outcrops of

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

origin, of which Mount Victoria forms the largest contiguous land area. The peak of the mountain is the highest point on Palawan island.Okubo, Y. 1989. The Mineral Exploration – Mineral Deposits and Tectonics of Two Contrasting Geologic Environments in the Republic of the Philippines – Consolidated Report on Palawan Area. Japan International Cooperation Agency, Metal Mining Agency of Japan and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines) Joint Committee, 182 p. The mountain forms the center of the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL), a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

covering the entire Mantalingahan Mountain Range. The

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

status of MMPL was proclaimed on June 23, 2009, by virtue of ''Proclamation No. 1815''. The protected area covers an area of . The entire park is currently listed as a tentative site for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

inscription. Continuing discoveries of new species of plant and animal from the mountain highlight its tremendous ecological value and the importance of maintaining such protective zones in the face of constant

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

pressures. The

pitcher plant Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...

species, ''

Nepenthes mantalingajanensis ''Nepenthes mantalingajanensis'' is a tropical pitcher plant known only from the summit region of Mount Mantalingajan, the highest point on the Philippine island of Palawan, after which it is named.McPherson, S.R. 2009. '' Pitcher Plants of the ...

'', described in 2007, is named after the mountain itself. In May 2018,

formally began the process which would possibly declare the landscape a world heritage site by 2020.

Hiking activity

Mt. Mantalingajan is one of the most difficult climbs in the Philippines, being graded Difficulty 9/9 by local mountaineering website PinoyMountaineer.com. The usual route starts from Barangay Ransang in

Rizal Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The p ...

on the south-west coast of Palawan. Three days hiking is required to reach the summit and two days to return to the jump-off, a total of five days, unless another day is wanted exploring the summit and surrounds. Highlights of the trail include encounters with the Tau't Bato tribe and the "Knife Edge" Canopy Walk that leads to the summit.

References

External links

"Mount Mantalingajan, Philippines" on Peakbagger
{{Protected areas in Mimaropa Mountains of the Philippines Landforms of Palawan Protected landscapes of the Philippines

Hiking activity

See also

References

External links