The newest hiking site which was opened in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur on
August 31, 2024 is Mt. Buribid Peak, located in the more famous Mt. Sibulan before
and now officially called the Buribid Mountain Range with more or less four
peaks and stretches all the way to Binaton, Digos City – the last peak being Mt.
Tambudlot of Digos. The bigger portion, though, of the mountain belongs to Sta.
Cruz that covers barangay Sibulan, Tibolo, Jose Rizal and Sinoron. The first
peak which is part of sitio Dariango in Sibulan, is the one considered for
ecotourism activity based on the Memorandum of Agreement forged by the Sibulan
Tribal Council, the Barangay Council, Municipal Tribal Council and the Indigenous
Peoples Organization of the Unified Bagobo-Tagabawa Ancestral Domain.
Mt. Buribid is a dense forest of dipterocarp species, with bryophytes and
other plant species available. Trekking distance is 6.5 kilometers from Sibulan
Barangay Hall and elevation at the summit is 1,410 meters above sea level,
making it the tallest minor hiking site in Sta. Cruz. The southern slope of
Buribid Peak is consist of beautiful sceneries of Bamboo Peak, Langit-langit
Peak, the enchanting Mt. Libodon and Mt. Dinor of Sinoron. The head waters of
Biga Falls is also located here. Other good sceneries which can be seen and
experience along the trail to Buribid Peak are Panulidan Waterfalls, Sibulan River,
Century-old Balite Tree and Century-old Lauan Tree.
Datu Gideon Tolentino, the tribal chieftain of Sibulan Cluster 1, is
consistent in saying that the intention of opening Mt. Buribid for trekking is
a mechanism for them to sustainably manage this portion of their ancestral
land, noting that it may not be the best remedy for conservation but is
definitely the only way. Following a very successful ecotourism project in
their other area Tomari Waterfalls, Datu Gideon believes now is the best time
for them to sweep opportunities of protecting the mountain through
community-based, diversity-friendly tourism activity so that the member of its tribal
community will also be provided with additional income. For now there are
around 25 new mountain guides trained to propel trekking activity in Buribid
Peak.
Camping will be strictly prohibited in the summit of Mt. Buribid, but
the area of Datu Gideon in sitio Dariango serves as basecamp for guests who opt
for Day Zero camping. Day hike is a cool option but it should be started very
early like 5:00 to 6:00 in the morning to complete the trek earlier. It is
mandatory to hire a local guide with service fee that starts at 1,000 pesos per
group. A 50-peso registration fee will also be collected by the tribal council
through its partner Indigenous Peoples Organization, the Sibulan Tribal Farmers
Association.
The last water source available is at kilometer 4.2 (840 MASL) but not
really reliable as it might be sometimes unavailable. The basecamp in Dariango
is the best place to refill water and buy essential stuff before start
trekking. The rest of the trail going up are pure farm lands and forest and for
now no community providing services such as sari-sari stores and stopovers.
For inquiries and
further details about trekking in Mt. Buribid, please contact Datu Gideon https://www.facebook.com/datujun.tolentino
or Mr. Joel Owe https://www.facebook.com/owe.joel
with mobile number 09076932939. Again, the barangay hall of Sibulan (310
MASL) serves as the official registration site while the basecamp in sitio
Dariango (540 MASL) is a monitoring station where permits will be checked.
