| Mount Pulag | |
|---|---|
 Panoramic shot of Mount Pulag summit | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,928 m (9,606 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,928 m (9,606 ft)[1] Ranked 107th |
| Listing | World most prominent peaks 107th Island highest point 26th Philippines high peaks 3rd Philippines Ultra peaks 2nd Philippines Ribu peaks 2nd Luzon highest peak |
| Coordinates | 16°35′0.86″N120°53′0.93″E / 16.5835722°N 120.8835917°E /16.5835722; 120.8835917 |
| Geography | |
.svg)  Mount Pulag Location in Luzon Show map of Luzon.svg) Mount Pulag Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines | |
| Location | Luzon |
| Country | Philippines |
| Regions | Cordillera Administrative Region andCagayan Valley |
| Provinces | Benguet,Ifugao andNueva Vizcaya |
| Municipalities | Bokod,Kabayan,Kayapa andTinoc |
| Parent range | Cordillera Central |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Dormant volcano |
| Volcanic arc | Luzon Volcanic Arc |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | c. 2000 BC by the nativeIbalois. |
| Easiest route | Ambangeg Trail |
Mount Pulag (Filipino:Bundok Pulag;Ilocano:Bantay Pulag)[2] isLuzon's highest peak at 2,928 metres (9,606 ft) above sea level,third-highest mountain in the Philippines, and the26th-highest peak of an island on Earth.
It issecond-most prominent mountain in the Philippines. Located on the triple border of theprovinces ofBenguet,Ifugao, andNueva Vizcaya, the borders meet at the mountain's peak. Mount Pulag is third highest next toMount Apo andMount Dulang-dulang.[3]
Mount Pulag is famous for its "sea of clouds" and its exceptional view of theMilky Way Galaxy at dawn, which has attracted many tourists who wish to see the "other-worldly" scenery.
The entire mountain is believed to be the home to thetinmongao spirits and is the sacred resting ground of the souls of theIbaloi people and other ethnic peoples in the area.[4]
The Ibaloi people of Benguet mummify their dead and house them in caverns in the mountain. TheKabayan mummy burial caves, one of the main attraction of the site, are consideredPhilippine national cultural treasures under Presidential Decree No. 432.[5]
Mt. Pulag was proclaimed anational park through Presidential Proclamation No. 75 signed by PresidentCorazon Aquino on February 20, 1987, covering an area of 11,550 hectares (28,500 acres).[6] It is part of the Cordillera Biogeographic Zone and is a National Integrated Protected Areas Programme (NIPAP) site.[7]
The national park is inhabited by different ethnic groups such as the Ibalois,Kalanguya,Kankana-eys,Karao, andIfugaos.[8]
Mount Pulag stands at 2,928 metres (9,606 ft) high.[9] The peak of the mountain is located in the Municipality of Kabayan Province ofBenguet.
The climate at the summit of Mount Pulag issubpolar oceanic (KöppenCwc), bordering asubtropical highland (KöppenCwb) climate, as its summer mean temperatures only slightly exceed 10 degrees Celsius. Rainfall on the mountain averages 4,489 millimetres (176.7 in) yearly with August being the wettest month with an average rainfall of 1,135 millimetres (44.7 in).
Snow has not fallen on its top in at least the past 100 years, only hailstorms that look like snow. However, there have been mild flurries on the mountain, especially during December, January and February.[clarification needed] Frost is more common on the mountain due to the low temperature during those months.[10]
During the winter season, the temperature at the highest point of the mountain is known to dip into sub-freezing temperatures, making it the coldest place in the country.[11] The only recorded incidence of snow was in the late 1800s.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Mount Pulag | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) | 10.3 (50.5) | 12.3 (54.1) | 13.3 (55.9) | 13.3 (55.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 12.3 (54.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 12.3 (54.1) | 12.3 (54.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 9.3 (48.7) | 11.6 (52.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) | 6.8 (44.2) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.8 (49.6) | 10.3 (50.5) | 9.8 (49.6) | 10.3 (50.5) | 9.3 (48.7) | 9.8 (49.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 6.3 (43.3) | 8.6 (47.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 3.3 (37.9) | 4.3 (39.7) | 6.3 (43.3) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 5.3 (41.5) | 4.3 (39.7) | 3.3 (37.9) | 5.5 (41.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 38 (1.5) | 57 (2.2) | 77 (3.0) | 141 (5.6) | 390 (15.4) | 355 (14.0) | 426 (16.8) | 441 (17.4) | 426 (16.8) | 259 (10.2) | 97 (3.8) | 57 (2.2) | 2,764 (108.9) |
| Source: meteoblue.com[12] | |||||||||||||
Mount Pulag has a large diversity of flora and fauna, including many species that are endemic to the mountain.[13] Mount Pulag hosts 528 documented plant species. It is the natural habitat of the dwarf bamboo (Yushania niitakayamensis) and the Benguet pine (Pinus kesiya) that dominate the areas ofLuzon tropical pine forests found on the mountainsides. From the 1950s to the early 1970s the more accessible tracts of Benguet pine were felled.[14] ThePhilippine yew tree, which contains a compound associated with cancer treatment, is found on Mount Pulag.[15] Its bark is used by indigenous Ibaloi and Kalanguya communities to make tea.[16]
At lower elevations, Mount Pulag has a mossy forest full of ferns, lichens, and moss.[13]
Among its native wildlife are 33 bird species and several threatened mammals such as thePhilippine deer,giant bushy-tailed cloud rat (bowet) and the long-haired fruit bat.[7] Mount Pulag is the only place that hosts the four cloud rat species. It is one of the most biodiverse locations in the Philippines, with the newly found (since 1896) 185-gramsdwarf cloud rat,Carpomys melanurus, a rare breed (endemic to the Cordillera), and theKoch pitta bird among its endangered denizens.
In April 2022, PresidentRodrigo Duterte signed a law declaring Mount Pulag asa protected landscape under theNational Integrated Protected Areas System.[17]
As the highest mountain in Luzon, Mount Pulag attracts a lot of mountain climbers.[7] Highlights of the climb include themontane forests and the grassland summit with its "sea of clouds" phenomenon. There are four major trails up the summit: the Ambangeg, Akiki, and Tawangan trails fromBenguet and the Ambaguio trail fromNueva Vizcaya. These trails are managed by the Mount Pulag National Park, under theDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources.
On April 7, 2009, aPhilippine Air Force (PAF)Bell 412 of the250th Presidential Airlift Wing crashed at 6,900 feet (2,100 m) above sea level in the Kabayan-Pulag pass between Mount Mangingihi and Mount Pulag in thick low cloud and fog. The pilots and their passengers, who were presidential appointees, died in the crash.[18]
On January 20, 2018, the Mount Pulag National Park temporarily suspended trekking and hiking activities on Mount Pulag following a forest fire at a section of the mountain. According to an initial investigation, the fire started when abutane gas stove brought by a hiker allegedly exploded. Fire officers declared the fire extinguished later that day.[19][20] Lawsuits were afterwards filed against the perpetrators of the fire. Park rangers estimated it would take at least 6 months to 1 year before the area completely recovers.[21]
Mount Pulag travel guide from Wikivoyage| Cultural |
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| Natural | ||