If you’ve seen Ambuklao Dam, you’ll say it’s such a beautiful picture.  Then again, there are so many vantage points to appreciate Ambuklao. It can be from the view deck, from the road or from the trails.  The trail is a bit raw and some stretches are a bit scary but once you reach the lake portion of the Dam, you’ll definitely be impressed.

#TaleOfTheTrail

I’ve always wanted to see the trails of Ambuklao.  The lake view of Ambuklao is just an amazing picture that I just wanted to see up close.  From Baguio, we went to Bokod, Benguet and the journey to Bokod was just amazing.  The road had the rich view of the Cordillera mountains.  The forest and mountain reserve of Cordillera is so huge that it could take you years even decades just exploring them.  We were rewarded by a majestic view of sunrise along the way too.

There’s so many ways to appreciate the view of the dam. There’s the Ambuklao lake which is several kilometers long. There’s the overflow area opposite of the lake, which was a bit dry owing to the summer months. After visiting the main dam area, we went to the view deck nearby to take a different vantage point of the lake.

It’s not just that Dam that amazes you but also the surrounding mountain ranges. Bokod, Benguet has a very huge forest reserve and it’s really something worth exploring. Coming from the view deck, we then went to Lolo Cancio’s, which had a really magnificent view of the lake and the mountains. It’s just so calming having such a serene view while having breakfast.

The Map and Elevation

The trail starts at Jangjang’s Eatery. At the back of the eatery is Jangjang’s hanging bridge which is the access to the trail at the opposite side of the lake. The hanging bridge is about 300 meters. After crossing the bridge turn left and follow the trail by the side of the lake. After 1 kilometer, you get to exit to the lake area and enter the next trail. The trail is rolling and heads deeper into the lake. The trail goes around the perimeter of the lake and after exploring the lake area, just head back to Jangjang’s hanging bridge.

Trekking the Ambuklao Trail

The plan was to do a 3 hours out and back trail as we would be visiting the Sulfur Spring after. We started at Jangjang’s Eatery, which is also a popular stopover for those going to Mount Pulag because of the Hanging Bridge at the back of the Eatery.  Crossing the hanging bridge was a real challenge since the bridge was shaky and its about 300 meters. The faster you move, the shakier it gets. It took us a few minutes to cross the bridge. The bottom of the bridge were rocky and sandy surfaces.

We just followed the lower trail beside the residential area.  The key was to follow the lake.  After the strip of houses, we were now on single track dirt roads. The trails are run-able. It’s a bit shaded at this part with several trees. It was nice that the area was shaded as the Bokod’s weather was really hot at that time.

The trails had a rolling terrain with a few technical stretches as well. We took our time in the trails since we were new to the trail. It was also great to slow down and appreciate the scenery. They also have make shift wooden bridges along the trail.

As we got deeper into the trail, it’s more barren and open. There are several trail alternatives and it’s always safe to take the lower trails, parallel to the lake. The trail exits to a barren rocky and sandy area with a few short river crossings.

We went back to the trail entering one of the gates, which was the start of the next set of trails.  There are stretches were you have to pass some twigs, stems and shoots.  The trail are a bit soft and dry because of the warm weather.

The trail area had several steep drops and it didn’t help that the soil was dry, soft and slippery. There were limited objects to hang on too when you lose your balance. The soil also cracks at some point because of the dryness.  We went at a slow pace, which at times had us either crawling down or being on all fours.  He’s such a trooper though as he was still game to continue the trail.

We were running on the single track trails, which had tilted surfaces. One misstep and you’ll definitely fall. It’s really important to plan your steps and have a presence of mind. There were several dangerous paths. Some of the areas was tilted and since some of the soil cracks it’s really hard to establish balance.

While the lake gets closer, the trails gets even more challenging. One of the challenge was soft soiled surfaces that is tilted. I had to rely on the grip of my shoes, walk slowly and take shorter steps. Just in case I slipped, I would make sure that I reacted immediately to keep my balance.

The next challenging part was about 10 meters worth of cracked soil just beside a ridge. How exciting, right? I noticed that there was a foot prints embedded along the cracked soil, which meant that someone was already able to pass that stretch. I followed the pattern of foot prints and it safely led me to the wooden bridge at the other side of the trail. There’s probably 3 to 4 trail areas similar to this and I also learned to step sideways using the rubber grip of my shoes for better hold.

Anything that difficult to trek should result to something beautiful and… It did!!! The view of the lake was really splendid up close. It’s a different perspective from seeing it from the view deck from the dam. The lake is huge and it may take several kilometers to navigate the lake fully.

I was trekking by the lakeside. Compared to the trails going here, the trails at this area are more defined and more solid. Of course, if you fall at the lake. It’s definitely gonna test your swimming skills. There are a lot of ’tilapia’ in the lake too. Since we had three hours to trek, I took a u-turn after reaching 1:30 in my watch.

It was time to head back. It was tough going back as you were doing the hardest part of the trail all over again.  I had to crawl to some dangerous surfaces and be alert enough to react on the changing surfaces.  When a soft surface breaks, I need to be alert and take the next stride to safety. It was a combination of good traction on my soles, good grip on the side of my shoes and presence of mind along the trail to survive this part.

We were doing the trails heading back, which meant he steep drops we did earlier were now long uphill crawls. I had to go on all fours relying on the traction of my shoes and added balance in the crawling positing. We had to do that several times until we were back to the easier trails.

We took the last kilometer back on more solid trails. It was a fun, exciting and heart-beat stopping experience. Of course, we had to endure another round at the hanging bridge to finish within 3 hours.

After the trail, we headed to Daclan where Badekbek’s sulfur spring is located. It was 30 minutes coming from Jangjang’s eatery. Check the video above and it’s gonna amaze you.  The sulfur was really boiling and it’s truly one of nature’s wonder. You’ll just have to make do with the foul smell though.