Mount Banahaw (; also spelled as Banahao and Banájao) is an

active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

complex volcano A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano or a volcanic complex, is a mixed landform consisting of related volcanic centers and their associated lava flows and pyroclastic rock. They may form due to changes in eruptive habit or in t ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

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 ...

. The three-peaked

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

is located at the boundary of Laguna and

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...

provinces. It is the highest mountain in both provinces and

Calabarzon Calabarzon (), formally known as the Southern Tagalog Mainland, is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IV-A. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urba ...

region, dominating the landscape for miles around. The mountain is considered by many as a holy mountain, thus a ''bundok

dambana Indigenous Philippine shrines and sacred grounds are places regarded as holy within the indigenous Philippine folk religions. These places usually serve as grounds for communication with the spirit world, especially to the deities and ancestra ...

'', and is popular among

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

s along with mountain climbers. It is located in a protected area known as Mounts Banahaw–San Cristobal Protected Landscape covering of land.

Physical characteristics

The

andesitic Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomin ...

Banahaw volcanic complex is composed of several

stratovolcanoes A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...

with Mount Banahaw, the largest with a maximum elevation of

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

. The summit is topped by a and deep crater that is breached on the southern rim believed to have been caused by the 1730 eruption. Prior to 1730, a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

occupied the summit crater of Mount Banahaw. The resulting flood destroyed the town of

Sariaya, Quezon Sariaya, officially the Municipality of Sariaya ( tgl, Bayan ng Sariaya), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 161,868 people. As the only Mount Banahaw to ...

located below the mountain. Mount Banahaw Relief Map, SRTM-1

* Other peaks: :*

Mount San Cristobal Mount San Cristobal is a potentially active stratovolcano at the boundary of the provinces of Laguna and Quezon on the island of Luzon, Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of above mean sea level and is one of the volcanic featu ...

(on the western slope) :*Mount Banahaw de Lucban (at northeastern slope) :*Buho Masalukot Domes (at southwestern slope) :* Mount Mayabobo * Maars: Lake Dagatan/Gunao Lake and Lake Ticob * Thermal Areas: :*Tiaong-San Pablo hot/warm springs :*Bakia warm/cold springs :*Sampaloc warm springs :*Mainit hot/warm springs :*Cagsiay hot/warm springs

Importance to locals

Philippine Island - Luzon Island - NARA - 68156959

Banahaw is a custom

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site for locals, believed by many as a holy mountain, a spiritually-charged location. The mountain and its environs are considered sacred by local residents; the water from its

sacred spring A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...

s are deemed "holy water" for allegedly having beneficial qualities, issuing forth from locations called ''"puestos"'' or "holy sites". These sites are unique natural features composed not only of springs, but also

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s, streams and boulders; with names with biblical

allusion Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...

s, and shrines erected in, on or around them. These locations were allegedly revealed to a man named Agripino Lontoc by the ''"Santong Boses"'' or the "Holy Voices", which also gave the names to these places way back during the Spanish colonial era. Another one of these mountains is the adjacent Mount Banahaw de Lucbán."Mount Banahaw"
Malapascua. Retrieved on September 25, 2011. Banahaw is also a part of the Makiling-Banahaw Watershed, a reservation of the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) providing steam for power generation, as well as water source for domestic and industrial uses.

Hiking activity on Banahaw

The mountain is popular not only with

s but also among mountain climbers being the closest over mountain from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Before 2004,

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

activity peaks during

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

each year, with climbers numbering to the thousands. At least four trails exist from Dolores,

Sariaya Sariaya, officially the Municipality of Sariaya ( tgl, Bayan ng Sariaya), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 161,868 people. As the only Mount Banahaw town i ...

, and other towns of Quezon located on its foothills. The most frequently used trails are the ''Cristalino'' and ''Tatlong Tangke'', taking an average of 9 and 5 hours, respectively. These two trails originate from

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 ...

Kinabuhayan in Dolores, and meet near the summit, which is actually the rim of the Banahaw

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 ...

. On the summit are viewpoints, labeled as ''Durungawan'' I, II, and III, which are the usual destination for pilgrims and hikers. Other points of interest include the ''"Kuweba ng Diyos Ama"'' ( Tagalog: Cave of God the Father) and the spring at Brgy. Kinabuhayan, said to have curative powers.

Pollution

Due to incessant climbing activity the mountain trails have become littered with trash. In March 2004, the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources The Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( fil, Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Yaman, DENR or KKLY) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for governing and supervising the exploration, developmen ...

ordered a 5-year suspension of hiking activity in the mountains, covering the Dolores and Sariaya trails. Reopening was delayed was then scheduled to March 2012, but was further extended to February 2015. Some sections of the mountain were reopened to hikers in 2019, and the mountain observed seasonal openings due to the mountain's religious significance, but most sections of the mountain still remain closed.

Endemic fauna

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Mount Banahaw include '' Platymantis banahao'', '' Platymantis indeprensus'', ''

Platymantis montanus ''Platymantis montanus'' is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to southwestern Luzon, the Philippines, and is known from its type locality, Mount Banahaw, and from Mount Apoy. Description Adult males measure and ...

'', '' Platymantis naomii'', and '' Platymantis pseudodorsalis''.

References

External links

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Mt Banahaw page

"Mount Banahao, Philippines" on Peakbagger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banahaw Mountains of the Philippines Volcanoes of Luzon Complex volcanoes Active volcanoes of the Philippines Sacred mountains Landforms of Quezon Landforms of Laguna (province) Stratovolcanoes of the Philippines