CLIMBING LAKE HOLON :  A TRAVEL GUIDE

Everything seems as black as the shadows until I looked up and saw an incredible labyrinth of stars billowing across the sky. The lapping waters and the sounds of the winds brushing through the leaves of the trees echoed in the evening light.  Rugged cliffs rise above Lake Holon (Lake Maughan) wrapping our weary bodies and fragile soul in the cold night.

They say dreams change, and so do people. Over the past few months, my kind of travel has somehow transformed, but our climb to Mt. Melibingoy (Mt.Parker) awakened a character in me that has been forgotten for too long. While I no longer see the difference between a tourist and a traveler (and I enjoy visiting touristy places recently), I realized, I’m still blissfully smitten by dirt tracks and places nearly visible on tourist maps.

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Take for example South Cotabato, a province that rarely sees tourists but offers something surreal to those who are willing to uncover its under-the-radar bounties. We arrived in the municipality of T’boli, unlike her more famous sister –Lake Sebu, T’boli has never enjoyed the limelight before, yet it is arguably more attractive. T’boli is an unassuming municipality of South Cotabato comprised of over two dozen villages.

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Today, aside from flaunting its cultural assets, T’boli is striving to promote some of its dazzling natural attractions like Mt.Melibingoy (Mt,Parker) and its gorgeous crater lake.

Into the Wild

Mt.Parker (Mt.Melibingoy) soars over 5,000 feet in T’boli, South Cotabato, it is a sacred place for the T’boli people.  This mighty peak has suffered from its blemished image for the past few years because of news of armed groups inhabiting the area; thankfully today, it is slowly regaining its shimmer.

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Mt.Parker is relatively safe to climb, but I highly recommended that you drop by at the Tourism Office located at the town proper before you start your ascent for some briefing.

 

The road to Salacafe, the jump off point to Mt.Parker and Lake Holon (Lake Maughan) may feel more of an adventure than you bargained for. Intrepid travelers may find the hellish road reachable by skylab (motorcycle) as an ideal candidate for the best travel adventure in the country which could rival the path I took to reach Igcabugao in Iloilo a few years back.

 

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Makes you wonder how hard it is for the locals to trudge a road like that everyday. I hope the farm to market roads in the country like this gets some tender loving care for the benefit of the locals and their community.

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Half-way to the summit of Mt.Parker, about an hour and a half trek, we reached a modest T’boli community dozing in the midst of the misty massif.

It is a land where nature rules over man…

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where lovely flowers grow in the wild…

 

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where domesticated animals roam freely… where innocent children playfully follows you…and where genuine smiles keep you warm.

 

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At Mr. Parker, times move at crawl and days pass by lazily, but staying a bit longer here could make returning home quite harder.

 

 

Going past the T’boli community, the uncharted trail is once again clad by verdant tropical forest and framed by rugged promontories leaning into the Ga-o River.  Everybody had passed me by, but I don’t mind, as I prefer soaking in the powerful gift of nature.

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Glints of sunlight barely penetrate the towering age-old trees and gigantic ferns that stretch endlessly through all directions. I was dwarfed by colossal columns of wood soaring to a leaf canopy beyond sight. Mosses, grasses and lichens burst out from the forest floor.
I reckon even the lone hiker can find company in the rapturous cooing of bird calls and gliding resident bees and butterflies.

 

A Mirror of the Sky 

 

After over three hours of arduous hike, just when we thought we’ve reached the summit, we were corporeally challenged by a steep and slippery descent all the way to our elusive destination. 

Based on anecdotes, Lake Holon was an outcome of the devastating havoc of Mt.Parker  (Mt. Melibingoy) in 1641.  The mirror-like lake prides itself for being recognized as the Cleanest Inland Body of Water in the Philippines for two consecutive years (2003-2004).

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Adding up to its mystique is the sheer mountainside plummeting into the placid lake and verdant wilderness that frame its shoreline. Lake Holon (Lake Maughan) promises a postcard perfect panorama like nowhere else.

Upon our arrival in the late afternoon, white fog blankets the peak of the massif creating a refreshingly cool atmosphere. Swimming in its refreshingly cold water is ideal after an arduous hike.

Early in the morning, it turns into a dreamy place where the evergreen jungles, low bushes, the pillow-plump clouds hovering overhead and the blue skies are reflected by its clear emerald green waters.  It’s the time of the day when you’ll spot traditional dugout canoe cruise over the lake and the locals catch tilapia in an old-fashioned way. It’s touching to see how the locals here live simply, how they can get by even with little possessions, yet they seem so happy and satisfied.

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The stillness of Lake Holon and the immensity of nowhereness are mesmeric, as if it’s seducing me to stay a bit longer. I felt my spirit soar while spending some time in the midst of Mt.Parker, hugged by thick green coats of trees and the echoing bird calls.

May the wild animals and lofty groves forever own this land. May the people here feel the beguiling aura of the lake and relish its solitude in perpetuity.

For the last time I peeked through the velvet-black skies hemmed in by unfamiliar star patterns; I could feel the cold breeze kissing my face. In the heart of the untamed with the company of new-found friends and perfect strangers, I found abundance of life and dreams.

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It was a moment I had no desire to end soon.

 

How to get to Lake Holon/Mt.Melibingoy in T’boli, South Cotabato from General Santos

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Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific flies to General Santos City from Manila. At the Bus Terminal in GenSan, board a bus bound for Koronadal/Marbel. From Marbel , there are vans en route to T’boli with signboards “Direct T’boli”. Travel time is approximately 45 mins to 1 hour.

At T’boli Town, register at the Municipal Tourism Office of T’boli to get local guides. From there, you have to charter skylab (motorbike) to Barangay Salacafe, the jumping off to Mt.Melibingoy. Fare is Php 100 per person, minumum of two persons. You may also ask for porters before you proceed with the trek, ask how much is the fee before proceeding. The hike is about 3-4 hours to Lake Holon.

How to get to Lake Holon/ Mt.Melibingoy in T’boli, South Cotabato from Davao

 

At Davao Ecoland Terminal,take a bus en route to Koronadal/Marbel that passes by General Santos. Trip will take around 4-5 hours. Alternatively, you may just take a bus to General Santos and transfer to a bus bound for Marbel. At Marbel, ride a van with a sign board”Direct T’boli”. Trip is about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

At T’boli Town, register at the Municipal Tourism Office of T’boli to get local guides. From there, you have to charter skylab (motorbike) to Barangay Salacafe, the jumping off to Mt.Melibingoy. Fare is Php 100 per person, minumum of two persons. You may also ask for porters before you proceed with the trek, ask how much is the fee before proceeding. The hike is about 3-4 hours to Lake Holon.

Contact Persons (T’boli Tourism Officers)

Bary Lugan – 0906 794 3210 / 0983 237 1014
Ronilo “Ronie” Magsael – 0905 645 4662
Alexander “Alex” Montallana – 0935 420 6981

 


*Disclosure: Our trip to Lake Holon back in 2012 was made possible by Allah Valley Landscape Development Alliance.


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