Mount Tagapo, also known as Susong Dalaga mountain, is a conical peak on the
lake island
A lake island is any landmass within a lake. It is a type of inland island. Lake islands may form a lake archipelago.
Formation
Lake islands may form in numerous ways. They may occur through a build-up of sedimentation as shoals, and become ...
of
Talim on
Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines. The mountain
ridge is in elevation and the highest point of Talim Island.
["Mt. Tagapo (438+)"]
Pinoy Mountaineer. Retrieved on 2014-08-02. The peak falls under the jurisdiction of the towns of
Binangonan
Binangonan, officially the Municipality of Binangonan ( tgl, Bayan ng Binangonan) is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 313,631 people.
A thriving fish port an ...
and
Cardona in
Rizal province
Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a 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 province is named after José R ...
.
Etymology
![Susong Dalaga LB](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Susong_Dalaga_LB.JPG)
The name is derived from the
Tagalog word ''taga'', meaning "to chop".
[ The island's name, ''talim'' (also in Tagalog), means "blade" in English, probably named after its outline on maps, which looks like a short sword. The peak is also locally known as ''Bundok Susong Dalaga'' (Maiden's breast mountain), due to its conical shape.][
]
Geography
The peak falls under the jurisdiction of the towns of Binangonan and Cardona, which divide the island almost into two halves, the west (Binangonan) and east (Cardona). In the middle of the long Talim Island island is a volcanic ridge with Mount Tagapo, its highest peak. The island forms the southwestern rim of the Laguna Caldera
Laguna Caldera is a potentially active volcanic caldera and a geographical depression in Rizal, Philippines. It is broadly elliptical in shape, with dimensions of 20 by 10 km. It has a summit elevation of 743 m or 2,438 feet. The caldera forms ...
, a large caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...
that occupies the middle section of Laguna de Bay. Mount Sembrano
Mount Sembrano is a volcano located between Rizal and Laguna of the Calabarzon region in the Philippines. Mt. Sembrano is situated about east by road from the capital city of Manila.
Geography
Mount Sembrano lies between the boundaries of th ...
range, across the lake on the Jalajala Peninsula, forms the eastern and the highest peak of the caldera.[
Mount Tagapo lies at the latitudinal center of Talim Island at the point, about a third of the island from its southern tip, where a shorter ridge ]long
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
intersects the island on its eastern side forming a T-junction. Southeast and west of Mount Tagapo peak are craters formed after the formation of the caldera.["Laguna Caldera (Background tab)"]
Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved on 2014-08-16.
Climbing the mountain
Mount Tagapo is a worthwhile destination among local climbers as it is not tall mountain to climb, and climbers are rewarded by the one-of-a-kind panoramic views because of its location at the center of the large Laguna de Bay. The hike to Mount Tagapo starts with a ferry boat ride from the Port of Binangonan. The boat trip could take a while as boats do not leave unless they are full and stop at every barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
ports of Talim Island till it encircles the island before returning to Binangonan Port.
The peak can be reached in 1.5 to 2 hours and can be ascended from either the Binangonan or Cardona side of the mountain, depending on the difficulty desired. The trail on western side of the mountain is an easy to moderate hike starting in Barangay Janosa in Binangonan. Climbers register and pay the fee at the barangay hall where guides are also available for hire. A steeper, more difficult hike to the top is available if coming from the eastern side of the mountain starting at Barangay Lambac in Cardona, where guides can be hired as well at the barangay hall. It is also possible to traverse the mountain from one town to the other, but guides are only available uphill as they have to return to their hometowns afterwards.[Cef (2014-01-23)]
"Mt. Tagapo Traverse Dayhike in Talim Island, Cardona-Binangonal, Rizal"
Cef's Nature Adventure. Retrieved on 2014-08-16.
File:Mt. Tagapo mountaineers.jpg, Mountaineers trekking through the forest near the beginning of the hike
File:Mt. Tagapo trail.jpg, Trail with the bamboo forest ahead
File:Mt. Tagapo peak.jpg, The tall cogon grass field near Mt. Tagapo's peak with the trail visible on the right slope
File:Mt. Tagapo view.jpg, The cloud-covered Mount Banahaw as seen from the top of Mt. Tagapo
The climb to the top can be very hot during summer as there is no shade on the upper slope. The initial part starts with a trek through forests of trees and bamboos
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
. Villagers make their livelihood by manufacturing bamboo products. Near the middle of the hike, the trail changes into a field of tall cogon grass
''Imperata cylindrica'' (commonly known as cogongrass or kunai grass ) is a species of perennial rhizomatous grass native to tropical and subtropical Asia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, Africa, and southern Europe. It has also been intro ...
, which could grow up to . Their leaves can be very sharp and could cut skin or poke someone's eyes especially on windy days.[
Upon reaching the barren top, a 360-degree view of the entire Laguna Lake and its coastal towns can be beheld, including the skylines of ]Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...
to the northwest. Mountains visible include nearby Mount Sembrano
Mount Sembrano is a volcano located between Rizal and Laguna of the Calabarzon region in the Philippines. Mt. Sembrano is situated about east by road from the capital city of Manila.
Geography
Mount Sembrano lies between the boundaries of th ...
to volcanic mountains like the three peaks of Mount Banahaw volcano complex (from left to right, Mounts Banahaw de Lucban, Banahaw and San Cristobal) in the southward direction with Mounts Atimbia and Kalisungan (aka Mount Nagcarlan) before the complex; to the southwest, Mount Makiling with the farther Mount Macolod and Mount Sungay to its right; to the far north, Mt. Arayat on a very clear day; and eastward are the nameless mountains of the Sierra Madre mountain range.[
]
References
External links
*{{commons category-inline
Landforms of Rizal
Tagapo