Mount Maculot is a mountain located in the town of Cuenca in Batangas province. This mountain is popular among mountain climbers and campers as it offers a majestic view of the historic Taal Volcano and Taal Lake.
The mountain is about 947 m (3,107 ft) tall and is also located adjacent to Taal Lake. Mount Maculot and its 700-metre (2,300 ft) high volcanic rock wall called The Rockies is said to be part of Taal Caldera’s crater rim.
Although less than 1,000 MASL, Mt. Maculot can actually be seen from Puerto Galera and parts of Northern Mindoro.
Batangas folks said that curly-haired aborigines (Aetas) once lived in this mountain, hence it was named Maculot from “kulot”, meaning curly.
There are only a few cases of hiking-related accidents in Mt. Maculot. One, involving a girl climber, was a case of falling from the Rockies in the 1990s.
So here are 5 reasons to love Mt. Maculot:
1. Stores. There are at least 5 community stores strategically located all along from ascend to descend: from Rockies, Summit, to Grotto. Each are selling fresh and cold buco juice and other snackies.
2. Dog. Yep you heard it right! There’s a white good boi up there who will welcome you with wagging tail when you reach the rockies. Too bad, you might not want to hug him because of his smell because he’s been up there for a long time, locals said. Aw aw.
3. Rockies. Unlike other mountains, Mt. Maculot have a pre-summit area called rockies. In fact, most tourists, including celebrities, climb to experience only the breath-taking view of the rockies.
4. Lake. And volcano. Tall Lake and Taal Volcano. Need I say more?
5. Grotto. After your ascend to the summit, going down is not as boring as other mountains as you pass by a grotto and 10 stations of the cross. God bless you!
Until then…
Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete. – Chanda Kochhar
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