Mount Makiling, south of Metro Manila, is regarded as the mother of mountains in the Philippines. They often say that its biological diversity exceeds that of the US and Canada when combined. It was named after a
diwata (deity?) whom everyone refers to as
Mariang Makiling.
When traversing from Sto Tomas, Batangas to Los Baños, Laguna, the trail gives a sample of what you normally experience when hiking mountains. Steep assaults, a bit of rock climbing and bouldering, rappelling, slippery and muddy trailing, extended walk and even the presence of
limatik (leech) may be experienced.
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| The beautiful flower of wild strawberry. |
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| The fruits of a fig plant. |
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| Pitcher plant. |
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| A beautiful orchid. |
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| The inflorescence of pitcher plant. |
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| The unique colour of this fern creates an eye-catching scene with the edible Helmintostachys zeylanica in the background. |
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| Amazing colour! |
