Mt. Asog or Mt. Iriga, Iriga City, Camarines Sur

Dec 28, 2013.

An old dormant stratovolcano located at Bicol lies a prominent mountain known to mountaineer as Mt.Asog but to local it is Mt.Iriga straddling into multiple towns of Camarines Sur in particular Iriga and Buhi. According to some article, underneath its crater lies 4 fault line and may erupt anytime without warning but as to date the mountain remain calm. My difficulty rating for this mountain is 4/9 similar to Mt.Cristobal. The summit crater rim is very astonishing as it will offer the hiker if weather is fine; you can see the old crater at the caldera and the Pili peak.

Itinerary:

Dayhike:
Day 0-

9pm – ETD Manila (alight bus)
Day 1
8AM – ETA Naga Central Bus Terminal(eat breakfast)
8:30AM – Heads to Jesse Robredo Coliseum (alight van)
9AM – ETD Naga
10AM – ETA Iriga City (take trike at Sitio Ilian)
10:10AM- ETA Sitio Ilian (112MASL), Arrange guide
11AM – Start Trek
12:30PM – Stop-over (kubo-kubo) 690 MASL
1:50PM – 3rd peak the highest peak on the side of Iriga
2:30PM – Start Descend
4PM – ETA Jump off (tidy up)
4:30PM – ETD Sitio Ilian
4:50PM – Iriga Bus Grand Terminal to lead you at Naga or optional rent tricyle 100 pesos and take you at Nabua Crossing then from here alight on your preferred destination
For overnight, you may camp at Hut but it is not actually not but small resting area 690MASL and proceed by morning.

Expense:

  • Bus – one way to Naga from manila (650-850 pesos)- 10-12hrs travel
  • Van – Naga to iriga (57pesos)- 45minutes to 1 hr
  • Tricycle- San Nicolas to Sitio Ilian – 50 pesos service
  • Tricycle – Sitio Ilian to Iriga Bus terminal – 40 pesos
  • Iriga to Nabua Crossing – Tricycle service 100 pesos or take jeep to Nabua pay minimum of 8 pesos but you have to wait until the jeep is full load of passenger

Getting Here
1. From Manila, take any bus going to Naga, Tabaco, Legazpi, Masbate or Sorsogon, all of them will have an stop over at Naga Central Bus Terminal (NCBT), you may take breakfast in any stall there. The cost for transportation one-way varies from 650-850 to Naga depending on the bus you choose to ride.
2. Just walk toward the left side of NCBT, in front of it is Jesse Robredo Coliseum. There is queue of van that will lead you into Iriga City.The van fare is 57 pesos each. Tell the driver to drop you at Brgy. San Nicolas
3. From San Nicolas, take tricycle and ask them to drop you at Sitio Ilian at the end of cemented road. You may pay minimum price of 10 pesos in tricycle or service of 50 pesos. Your landmark is the small hill with written Iriga City. The driver knew the old detachment of CAFGU at Sitio Ilian

Image

Trail Features
Jump off
Asog jump off
The first part of the trail is open grassland where the cow graze which will take 30minute-1hr trek time. The trail is gradual but purely ascend.

The 2nd part is coconut plantation afterwards emerging into woodland. As you get higher, you will encounter an small hut at 690MASL where you can spend time to take a rest. Depending on the strength of hiker, it will take 1-3hrs from the jump off to get here. The town of Camarines Sur in visible here in particular Iriga City, view of Lake Bato and Baao.

HalfwayImage

From hereon, this will be your final preparation to have an steep assault at the Summit Ridge. We leggings, gloves and rash guard to protect you from the sharp blade of cogon grass. Use the cogon grass as well to uplift yourself.  The trail is very similar to steep descend in Mt.Cristobal Traverse. You will pass 3 peaks just to reach the highest point in Iriga side. Beneath the summit, there is small campsite that can only accommodate 2 tents side by side.

Summit
We are very unlucky to see the old crater of Mt.Iriga because of bad weather condition.ImageAsog summit

It took us 2 hrs and 10minutes to descend to catch up the trip in Iriga Bus Terminal.

Tips:

  • Look for Kuya Ponciano also known as Fred in Sitio Ilian
  • signal is presence throughout the trail
  • wear gloves as the trail leading up to summit ridge is full of overgrowth talahib plants that may cause you cut and wound
  • Use sunblock
  • There is no water source
  • Guide is optional but warn you that there are forks on the first part (we negotiate 800 for a dayhike)
  • No limatik presence
  • Observe IT if you have trip in Naga because more often there are no night trip in Iriga Bus terminal

Notes:

You may combine 5 mountains (asog, masaraga, mayon, malinao, isarog and bulusan) all in dayhike as long as you are physically fit and motivated. All of them are hikeable without hassle except that in Mt. Isarog, Mayon Volcano and Bulusan Volcano wherein you are required to secure the permit prior to climbing this mountain.

Other related hiking destination at Bicol
Camarines Sur
1. Mt. Isarog – 2nd highest of Bicol
2. Mt. Asog

Albay
3. Mt.Masaraga Dayhike
4. Mt. Malinao Dayhike
5. Mt. Mayon Volcano – highest of Bicol

Sorsogon
6. Mt Bulusan or Bulusan Volcano