Pampanga - Mt. Arayat (Magalang-Arayat Traverse)

Mt. Arayat (Artrav)

Entry: Brgy. Ayala, Magalang, Pampanga
Exit: Arayat National Park, Brgy. Bano de San Juan, Arayat, Pampanga
1,030 MASL
Difficulty: Major 5/9
Trail Class: 1-4
Trekking time: 7-8 hours

 Traversing Pampanga's Mt. Arayat is one of the most challenging dayhike in Central Luzon. This is due annoying abundance of mosquitoes & flies, the aridness of Magalang trail that can be felt during a sunny day, length of  the trek, and the confusing part can lead you to a dangerous trail. Yours truly have experienced being lost for 2 hours and have encountered falling  rocks half a size of an average adult. Nevertheless, this is just a one point lost and one thing to prevent this is by "looking around". The trail signs should be consistent, and once you noticed it's absence, better have a little back track.

It is a more advisable to take the Magalang trail as an entry point, since it is easier to descend from military camp to White rock and from White rock to South Peak, but if you are looking for challenge, go ahead nobody's gonna stop you(^^,).

The Magalang trail begins with a station of the cross, and it could be your first guide. Although, there is a forks that leads to another station, that might bring you to a wrong path. This means you'll need a  next guide, it can be the electric post. It leads up until the "view deck" where a some military personnel stays. A long path, well exposed to the sun, and mosquito infested trail will face you, if you follow same. From the view deck, it will be a steep descent, and it could be very slippery during rainy weather. Although, there are a lot of trees that can be your support. Then, it's ridge line, where the presence of trail signs should begin. You will be a little off the ridge and continuing will be the tricky part. You may overlook the next trail sign if you keep your heads down, as you have to climb the rocks to continue, or it will lead you to the sides of the rocks where yours truly got lost. Then, you're back to the long ridge line up to the White Rocks. In the White Rocks,  you can have views if you climb the rocks on both sides. Continuing, you'll have to descend all the way down to reach the next trail. Vines are tied up at a small tree, so you can rapel. The trail now to the South Peak. There is not much of view there, as compared to the next peak that you can reach if you keep pushing, the North Peak. From there, it is just some minutes from the campsite which connects the two trails, Magalang and Arayat. Now, it's a long way down via Arayat trail.

TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS

You may take buses bound to north esp. bound to Tarlac as they pass through SM San Fernando where you can take either jeepneys or tricycle to Magalang town proper. From Magalang town proper, take tricycle to Brgy. Ayala.

SUGGESTED ITINERARY

03:00 Take bus to Tarlac
04:30 ETA SM San Fernando, jeeps could not be available yet at that time so take tricycle
05:30 ETA Magalang Town Proper, take breakfast
06:30 Head to Brgy. Ayala
07:00 ETA Jumpoff, start trek
10:00 ETA viewdeck
11:00 ETA Whiterock
12:00 ETA Southpeak, take lunch
13:00 Resume trek
13:30 ETA Northpeak
17:00 ETA Brgy. Bano, head to Arayat National Park, Wash out
18:00 Head to SM San Fernando
18:30 ETA SM San Fernando, take early dinner
19:30 Head Home

*Take note that the suggestion is a dayhike, it could be hard to bring large packs at the traverse in descending the white rock plus the mosquitoes. But again, the 2 day IT is not impossible.