Sapot
A suspended net with a full view.
Jtepace — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jtepace — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jtepace — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bien Orellana Bacarra Jr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jtepace — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jtepace — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Masungi Georeserve is a conservation area on limestone karst in the southern Sierra Madre, in Baras, Rizal. Sharp peaks rise among rainforest, linked by hanging bridges and rope nets, and it is one of the best-known hikes near Manila. Masungi Rock was proposed as a nature reserve in 1993. Private conservation work began in 2000, a foundation was set up to run it in 2015, and it opened to visitors around that time. It is a model of funding conservation through ecotourism and has won an international award from the IUCN for it. It holds about 400 species of plants and animals, among them cloud rats and the Philippine serpent eagle. You walk with a ranger on a set route among rock and trees. Best known are Sapot, the cobweb, a metal platform with wooden steps over netting and a full view of the mountains and Laguna de Bay; Paták, a hanging wooden shelter shaped like a droplet; and Duyan, a giant rope hammock. There is also Ruben's Cave with its stalactites, and the Tatay peak with a viewing deck. The reserve is 36.1 km in a straight line east of Manila. Entry is by advance booking only with full payment, and numbers are limited, so reserve well ahead. The route needs balance and climbing, and the main trail is for ages 13 and up. Wear suitable shoes and clothes that cover you, and leave no food or rubbish.
A suspended net with a full view.
A giant rope hammock over the karst.
A hanging droplet-shaped shelter.
Kilometre 47, Marilaque Highway, Baras, Rizal province
Yes, entry needs advance booking with full payment, and numbers are limited.
The main trail is for 13 and up, and the Legacy Trail is suggested from age 10.