My visit to Pamulaklakin trail in Subic bay
Hi everyone,
For those interested in nature and a good
trail, here is one trek that you should not miss. I made an unplanned trip to
SBMA Subic and had a morning to spare. Tried the Pamulaklakin forest trek which
I had heard so much from my students of - highly recommended for nature lovers.
The trail / nature trek –
Lasts 3 hours. You can also do a overnight
stay in the forest – In both of these , there is a personal Aeta guide who
stays with you throughout. Aetas are the original tribal inhabitants of Philippines,
and I was impressed by the knowledge of these guides.
Cost –
Pamulaklakin has 4 tours -
• Sightseeing = 50 pesos - self guided, where
you go just upto the river
• A mini jungle tour - also 50 pesos - in
which a native guide takes you around for 30 minutes
• 3 hour detailed Ecology tour - 250 pesos -
which is what we took - where an Aeta guide takes you into the forest, and
shows you lots of interesting things.
• An overnight jungle tour (500 pesos) wherein
a local Aeta guide takes you deep into the forest, and you camp overnight!
What does the trek consist of –
Walking through dense rain forest. Initially
there is a proper mud path. Then, it gets narrow. In some parts, the guide cuts
off bamboo / branches on your way and makes a path!
Important - Dress code -
Remember to dress in cottons, and cover your
body fully – shorts and t-shirts are a bad idea. Wear walking shoes and
preferably long socks. Bring a hat / cap and sun glasses. And you will enjoy
this trek.
Difficult? Easy?
It is not very difficult to do this trek for a
normally healthy person. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being a walk on the beach and
5 being difficult, I would rank this as 2.5. The guide can go slowly if you ask
him to. (I did!)
What you will see and hear –
Lots of birds, monkeys, butterflies, trees
with medicinal and survival value. The Pamulaklakin river flows by and you can
take a dip in it’s chilly waters / drink from it’s crystal clear stream. Photos
of the river here - http://tinyurl.com/bz6k4t5
We also met the local tribal chief – dressed
in traditional clothes.
Interesting activities –
The guide showed us how branches and twigs
could be used as sources of water (photo of us “drinking” from a branch of
okpoy here - http://tinyurl.com/bz6k4t5), how to find food in the jungle
(pugahan shoots), local medicinal plants like the Dereta tree which is used by
the tribals for treating malaria, another whose bark is used as shampoo (yep –
he showed us later!), rubber tree (we smelt it’s aromatic sap), balete tree,
useful plants like Kupang, kamagoong, etc. He also showed us how they make fire
out of bamboo! There was loads more – I have posted their details on my blog
here -http://expattraveller.blogspot.com
Birds and sounds -
Here is a list of the birds we heard.... I am
sure there are lots more,but I don't know much about birds, though I like them.
(Note : These are local names that Aetas use,
as told to us by our guide. Do tell me if you know the official names of these
birds)
• Kingfisher (we saw this too)
• Batu batu bird
• Jungle pigeon
• Carpenter bird
• Sabokot - this big black bird was patiently
perched on a branch, and preened itself for a long time while we watched it
from a distance
• Not really a bird, but we heard the
"Toku Toku" often! For those wondering what toku toku is,it is a
lizard, called so because of the sound it makes... tokku tokku...!
I am NOT an avid birder, so if you feel I must
be corrected, please go ahead and let me know.
I used this birding 2 asia website to update
my own information - it is also a good place to listen to bird calls of Subic forests.
How to reach Pamulaklakin trail?
From Manila....
Take a Victory liner or Saulog transit bus to Olongapo.
(3-4 hours, 250 pesos air con) If coming via SCTEX you can disembark at "Ayala Harbor
point mall" in SBMA - and take a taxi to Pamulaklakin from there
Once at Olongapo/ SBMA, take a taxi to
"Pamulaklakin trail - Binictican" - It takes just 10-15 minutes, and
the drive is enjoyable - through lush green forests with predominantly acacia
trees (you will see some monkeys en route). Cost = 300 pesos (Yes - your 3 hour
bus trip from Manila to Olongapo is cheaper than this 15
minute taxi drive!)
Winstar taxi -
• 047 - 252-7490 / 047 - 252 - 7409
Mega Taxi -
• 0919 384 5156 / 0922 894 2764
Alternatively, you can take a winstar shuttle
bus from Park and Shop (10 pesos). Park n Shop is a popular point in SBMA where
shuttle and other buses leave.
From Baguio
–
Take a Victory liner air conditioned bus from Baguio
Victory liner bus terminus (450 pesos, 8 hours). There is a bus every hour.
Last bus leaves at 4:45 pm, hence it is a better idea to leave Baguio
in the morning, reach Subic bay in the
evening, stay overnight, and go for the trek next morning.
From Angeles / Dau –
Take a Saulog Transit or Victory liner bus.
One hour if going through SC Tex, 2-3 hours if not going through SC Tex. (SCTEX
is the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway – the buses do not have any halts en
route)
How to return –
• Returning from Pamulaklakin is also easy.
You can either take a shuttle bus (van - but read the cautionary note) or taxi.
1) Wait for a Winstar shuttle bus (but be wary
- they have a poor frequency of between 30 minutes to one hour)
2) Call for a taxi, to take you to your destination.
(The trail authorities will call the taxi for you. Else here are the telephone
numbers for taxi companies in SBMA - Subic bay metropolitan authority (the name
given to the former Subic navy base, and commonly called Subic bay many people
– though actually, Subic is a non touristy village 30 minutes away)
Final opinion -
After 3 hours, I came out with a new respect
for the Aetas, and found them far more advanced than so called modern civilised
people. They have found fantastic use of the forest for their day to day needs,
as well as to cure illnesses. I think we could learn a lesson or two from them
Further reading on Pamulaklakin Forest
-
I have also posted links to other blogs and
websites that I found useful for treks in Philippines
