Mt. Labo Summit

Mount Labo is the highest mountain in the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. Jump off to Mount Labo is in Brgy. San Isidro, San Lorenzo Ruiz, Camarines Norte, located just south west of Daet.

Mount Labo has an elevation of 1544 meters. The mountain is located in the boundary of three provinces namely Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Quezon. This mountain is known to be a potentially active volcano and had erupted 27,000 years ago. This untouched mountain had been the object of an extensive geothermal exploration program in the past. There were traces of pavement for truck in the trail that hinted that there were attempts of exploration activity sometimes ago.

The trail going to the camp site is long and it took us 6 hours to reach it. It is an easy trail going to the camp site I must say but it is very long. There were many unique flowers and wild berries that can be found just along the trail.

The trail has a lot of water sources and three river crossings. The water from the river is good for drinking. There is a strict rule that no one can take a bath using a soap in the river to maintain its potability.

A side trip to Angelina Falls is one of the main activities that can be done. It is a 30 minutes walk from the camp site.

The trail to Angelina Falls is hard because it is a steep descent and a steep ascent going back to the camp site. Taking a bath in the Angelina falls is very refreshing after a tiring walk. The falls provide a cold water that can cool down your warmed and exhausted body.

The second day of the hike is meant for reaching the summit of Mt. Labo. We woke up at 3 AM and started climbing the highest peak in Camarines Norte. The trail is a long trail and all assault. Before we reached the summit, we passed through a mossy forest.

We were able to reach the summit at 7:00 am. Along the trail there are floras that are endemic in this mountain such as the pitcher plants.

Good thing about our hike was that the view above was clear, we had the 360 degree view of the three provinces.

According to some previous hikers, there were times they were able to see the majestic Mayon Volcano from above if there is clearing or clear sky. But in our case, we did not see the Mayon Volcano because some clouds blocked our view.

It was a very memorable hike because it was my first time to experience being infested with blood leeches. There were many leeches in the trail so better to wear long sleeves and long pants. Aside from this blood sucking creature, there were plenty fire ants in the trail and its bite causes an excruciating pain for 2 minutes. To avoid being bitten by this ants, just walk fast.

Overall, the hike was very tiring because of the long walk. However the view is magnificent.