Kitanglad and Kalatungan Mountain Ranges

I summitted Mt. Kitanglad in August 2024, after hiking more than 8 hours of steep, muddy, rocky, slippery terrain. It is the fourth highest mountain in the country, and graded 6/9 in terms of trail difficulty.  

It is nominated as a mixed site, to recognize the cultural heritage values of the indigenous cultural communities (ICC) living the mountain range. Few wooden altars can be noticed along the trail - a place of prayer for ancestors and mountain spirits; most are hidden from hikers and only the ICCs know where they are. 

Before starting the climb, hikers must participate in a traditional ritual facilitated by Talaandig datus. These include offering of native chickens, shots of locally brewed alcohol, blessing, protection from harm and prayer for good weather. Based on anecdotal accounts, the tribe leaders of the Kitanglad and Kalatungan mountains (and hike operators/guides) continue to discuss, maybe negotiate, the execution of these pre-hike rituals, i.e., who must perform them, how fees are equitably shared, which hike trails to open, etc. From an outsider's point of view, these negotiations are minor irritants, but they are actually key to long-term management of the heritage site.

I listed the Kitanglad Range under my proposed WHS years ago, and to my surprise, it has now come up on the tentative list. I visited back in February 2019 through Dahilayan Adventure Park, Manolo Fortich; this is a few hours from Cagayan de Oro City. The adventure park is located just inside of the Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park with wonderful views of the mountain range. This is probably the easiest way to visit this site, along with driving the nearby countryside roads that also reach the edge of the natural park (which we also did). However, the best way to experience it would be to climb Mt. Dulang-dulang (2941masl., 2nd highest in the country) and/or Mt. Kitanglad (2899masl., 4th highest), or Mt Kalatungan (2860masl., 5th highest) in the neighboring Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park, with various agencies offering guided climbs. Hopefully, I can add an update when I get around to doing those climbs. 

This is mostly a natural site focused on exceptional biodiversity, endemism, ecologic processes and health, and scenery. I cannot yet comment much on anything but the scenery, but I can say the scenery alone had a profound effect on me at the time. It's the type of scenery that makes you fall in love with the mountains, with nature, as cheesy as that may seem. Don't knock 'em 'til you see 'em; these mountains are simply majestic. When it comes to the cultural aspect, I can see how this proposal is a bit …