JOLO, Sulu – What an amazing experience climbing Sulu’s highest peak! first time i saw budumantangis Back in 2006, we were on that unforgettable road to Tawi-Tawi and I ended up hiking up Bud Bongao; I’d actually love to have the chance to go to Sulu, Climbing Tumantangis was considered unthinkable at the time and remained so for a long time! That’s why I was so grateful when Sulu adventurer Najib Julkipli agreed to organize a hike in the Sulu Mountains. My friends Christine Fernandez and Christian Santos and I rushed there immediately. From Manila we took a flight to Zamboanga and then another flight from Zamboanga to Solo: an experience in itself! When we arrived, Najib was already waiting for us at the airport and we met up with the rest of the climbing team at Shara’s, Jolo’s famous cafe. Together we took a van to the Bud Tumantangis trailhead in Indanan, Sulu.
We started hiking at 1045H. After entering a wooded area with some houses, the rest of the trail is pleasantly forested all the way to the top. Decades of conflict have saved the mountain from unsustainable development. Since we were a large group, we took it at a very relaxed pace, but even so, we reached the top of the mountain at 1305H, where there was a “helipad” (see the last photo of this post) that doubled as a campsite, which showed us The summit is only minutes away. The highest peak is 811 meters.
There is a military post at the top of the mountain with views of the nearby mountains, including Bud Dajo (E) with its unique crater rim and very prominent Bud Sinuman (S); seeing it was especially exciting for us given that we were also planning a hike the next day. There used to be a large tarp marking the top of the mountain, but by the time we got there it had been torn; it didn’t matter as we were so happy to have finally made it to the top of this veritable mountain!
Thanks to everyone who hiked with us! We are especially grateful to Najib for making this adventure happen, and to everyone we met in Sulu who welcomed us to their province and convinced me that it had a bright, peaceful future—not only in In terms of ecotourism, but also in terms of overall development.
Postscript: On the way back to Zamboanga, taking the slow ferry this time, we
