Chasing Nipple in Mt. Napulak

In my 4-day stint in Iloilo I learned that there is a good mountain in adjacent town Igbaras, prompting me to escape for at least 3 hours in the convention of Environmental Planners to take a quick day hike in this mountain famous for its nipple-like summit on November 9, 2018. It is called Mt. Napulak, located in barangays Bagay and Tigbanaba. I took the Bagay back trail along with a guide Boyet (09269482073) who is also a Barangay Kagawad in Bagay and is a really good guide if one wants accurate information about the mountain.

  

Mt. Napulak is a prevailing hiking destination in Igbaras. The summit elevation based on my GPS equipment is 1,230 masl from the highest point of the nipple rock, although there are different measurements recorded in different platforms especially blogs and related social media posts. The official height though as reflected in the local tourism office flyers is 1,200 masl. The jump off point in Bagay measures 376 masl in a community of more or less 1,200 people.

We took off around 5:30 AM at a trail made up of rice fields and coconut farms where adjacent mountain ranges of Igbaras can also be seen from all corners. The route accounts for approximately seven kilometres from Bagay to the summit. There are portions where the trail is a water way, perhaps as support system of the rice farms in Bagay. As we enter the forested area I noticed several bird species but could not identify them as the sounds were not familiar to me except for some common birds like the Philippine Pied Fantail and some thrushes. Other wildlife I observed were a green viper, some colourful butterflies and rafflesia not blooming yet.  

The summit of Mt. Napulak offers a clear 360-degree view of the entire provinces of Iloilo and Antique. The nipple rock, which is a highlight of this mountain, is a more difficult point to climb but with a wooden stair put up by the guides anybody can just visit the nipple tip to appreciate the beautiful view of the mountain ranges all around. Of all the nipples I know this is the only nipple I hated, hehe.

After 20 minutes of staying in the summit of Mt. Napulak we descended to the same trail and reached the trail head by 9:30 in the morning. I then visited the Igbaras Tourism Office to register, paying 25 pesos as Environmental Fee. My climb lasted for only four hours back and forth and by 11:30 I was back in the convention venue.

The guide fee is 750 pesos but I added 500 pesos as donation to enhance the stairway of the nipple rock summit. It was actually a good day hike given with a hectic convention schedule in Iloilo City. To be honest, this is the very first mountain I climbed in the Visayas.