-->

Theme Layout

Boxed or Wide or Framed

Theme Translation

Display Featured Slider

Yes

Featured Slider Styles

Display Grid Slider

Grid Slider Styles

Display Trending Posts

Yes

Display Author Bio

Display Instagram Footer

No

Dark or Light Style

Dark

About Me

My photo
This blog is an amateur photographer's attempt to show how beautiful the world really is. He is drawn to the colors of nature like a moth to a candle light. What are showcased here are nature's grand display of colors at sunrise and sunset, beautiful beaches and off-the-beaten track locations in his beloved Philippines, waterfalls and some of nature's great sculptures, architectural gems, and other views from around SE Asia that he was fortunate to see at one point.

Blog Archive

Powered by Blogger.

August 8, 2010

coron: mt. tapyas at sunset


Coron: Tapyas Sunset Viewpoint
as the sun goes down

When you are in the town of Coron in Busuanga, climbing Mt. Tapyas' 718 steps is a must. At the summit, one is treated to a breathtaking view of the nearby Coron Higantes island and the rest of the islands in the Calamianes group.
I mustered what strength I have left after a day of island hopping and headed up to Mt. Tapyas late in the afternoon. The chance to see the sunset from 210 meters above sea is too good to pass up. My wife and her friends decided to come with me after some convincing: either we climb Mt. Tapyas now or we do it at 4am the next day.

Coron: Tapyas Steps
Tapyas stairs

The start of the climb is a short tricycle ride away from Coron's public market. At the base of the mountain, we were met by a group of children hawking bottled drinks. They have this habit of following hikers up the mountain, waiting for you finally give in to your thirst and buy drinks from them. Mt. Tapyas is practically barren and the cemented stairs going up is without any cover, save for a few rest stops along the way.

Coron: Tapyas Boy
Emil

We met two interesting characters: Emil and Joaquin. These two young boys (about 10 years old) seem to know exactly how many steps one has already taken and would sometimes offer encouragement to some of the struggling hikers. "327 more steps Ma'am, you are almost there ... would you like some mineral water?", one of them would quip. They also had no trouble operating DSLRs when hikers would request them to take posterity shots.

Coron: Higantes from Afar
Higantes from afar

At the summit, all sweaty and panting, one gets rewarded with the great vista. The top of Mt. Tapyas is also marked with a large metal cross lit-up with light bulbs at night. There are several small gazebos just below the summit on the western slope, perfect for viewing the sunset.

Coron: Tapyas Last Light
 sunset gazebo

I headed to one of these gazebos and waited for the sunset. I had great luck with the light the previous day, and was hoping for another great display this afternoon. Emil and Joaquin had taken a special interest in our group and followed us around, looking after our stuff while we busied ourselves with our cameras.

Coron: Islands in Sunset
fading light

We were lucky to see yet another great display of nature's colors. While most would go down after sunset, we stayed a bit more, trying to enjoy every last bit of color. It was already dark when we decided to head down.

I was hoping to see the lighted cross after dark but unfortunately there was a power outage. We made the trip down in the dark, our path illuminated by our cellphone's faint light.

Other views of the world in That's My World.

Tip: After a trip up to Mt. Tapyas, go to the nearby Maquinit hot springs to soothe those tired muscles. You can rent a tricycle at the base of the mountain to take you to the hot springs.
QuickEdit
Lantaw
15 Comments
Share This Post :

You Might Also Like

15 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Superb, breathtaking captures as always! The incredible colors never cease to amaze me -- as does your incredible talent as a photographer! Thanks for sharing the beauty! Have a great week!

Sylvia

Jim said...

Wonderful photos.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Jenn said...

Worth the 718 steps, I say. Can't remember if I ever climbed Mt Tapyas, probably did but definitely not during sunset :-( Although I surely remember kayaking to Maquinit hot springs coz, I will never forget how tired I was. And you can hire a tricycle to take you?? Nyek! I must say though, the hotspring was indeed perfect for my aching body, but then I had to kayak back to town.

witsandnuts said...

Ang ganda! Fiery shots.

Al said...

Wow, that is spectacular. Definitely worth the climb.

journeyingjames said...

love your shots and the changing of color shades as the sun sets! na-miss ko tuloy yung coron

Oman said...

master shots, definitely a place i would like to explore in the future :)

thepinaysolobackpacker said...

as always, the surreal sunset shots! thi series is a testament to Ansel Adam's quote, " you don't take a photograph, you make them."

It's a shame,I've never been to Coron! The photos you share in FB makes me wanna hop in a plane to Coron now! Thnx for sharing this! :)

Keep the photos coming!

bertN said...

Your photos are a delight to see.

A.M.I.N.A said...

Very beautiful!

Christian said...

We'd be going here on the 20th too!

Keep on posting man!

- Christian
http://lakad-pilipinas.blogspot.com

bheng said...

i've been to coron town recently and had the chance to climb mt tapyas. however, i don't remember seeing a gazebo. Either it wasn't there anymore or i was just busy, focusing my attention on reaching the cross on top. Haha.

Lantaw said...

@bheng, the gazebo is on the other side of the cross

mac said...

ang ganda pala ng view dito sir! sayang nde kami umakyat... =/

charisse said...

Nice shots! I went to Coron and climbed Mt. Tapyas too in broad daylight, too bad I don't get to see the sunset.Tried the hotspring too :) Have you been to Sagada?

Post a Comment

[name=lantaw] [img=https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8237/8458831412_c95b7dbbae_t.jpg] [description=Loves to shoot nature's grand display of colors at sunrise and sunset, beautiful beaches and off-the-beaten track locations in his beloved Philippines, waterfalls and other natural wonders] (facebook=https://www.facebook.com/lantawphotos) (twitter=https://twitter.com/lantawphotos) (instagram=https://www.instagram.com/lantaw/)