LOCATION: Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya Provinces
ELEVATION: 2,090 meters above sea level
LEVEL: Major Climb, Level III, Strenuous
JUMP-OFF POINT: Itogon, Benguet and Kayapa Nueva Vizcaya

Mt. Ugu is one of the major peaks in the mountainous Benguet and Nueva Vizacaya provinces. The site was discovered as a new hiking destination last 1987 when a PAL plane crashed on one of its slopes. Mountaineers who volunteered on the ensuing rescue operations was awed by the adventure experience of exploring this mountain making it a part of their succeeding explorations. Then for a long time, it was a place known only to a handful until the time when the other mountaineering groups started to re-discover the place.

Mt. Ugu is another proof that the Cordilleras is one of the richest hiking destinations in the country. It is a cross-country hike traversing several territories cutting across the provinces of Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya. It is a part of the "Cordillera Way" which is a series of trails crisscrossing the Cordillera Mountains. In fact you can create other exploration trips within this destination like a Mt. Napulauan-Ugu or a Mt. Ugu-Pulag hikes. The Mt. Ugu hike itself is already visually rewarding and physically challenging enough for you to reconsider the other routes. Nestled between the vast mountain lies the 2,090 high summit of Mt. Ugu. From the summit, you can catch a panoramic view of Mt.Pulag on the North and the Nueva Vizcaya Mountains on the South. It’s not only the experience of the Cordillera wilderness that is rewarding but as well as the cultural experience of interacting and passing by the remote villages of Itogon and Kayapa. Definitely Mt. Ugu is a better alternative to Mt. Pulag especially if you want to get away from the "beaten tracks".


ITINERARY:

DAY 1
7:00 A.M - AT Baguio, Prayer/Kick-off/ETD for Tinongdan.
8:00 A.M - ETA @ Tinongdan Brgy Hall/Briefing @ Tinongdan Barangay Hall
9:00 A.M - ETD from Tinongdan to Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Boundary via Bua, Itogon –Binga and Ambuklao Dams
12:00 NN. - ETA @ Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Boundary (Barangay Pangawan)
- Start trek
- Lunch en route
5:00 P.M. - ETA @ Domolpos Campsite/Set camp
7:00 P.M. - Dinner/Social Night/interaction with community
10:00 P.M. - Lights out

DAY 2
5:00 A.M. - Wake up call/Bath/Breakfast
7:00 A.M. - Break camp/clean-up
8:00 A.M. - Warm up exercise/Prayer
- Summit assault
11:00 A.M. - ETA @ Summit/Tri-boundary viewing/Summit lunch/Group picture taking
1:00 P.M - ETD for Ambasa via Marikit
- View Mt. Marikit’s Rock formations (limestones)
Before reaching camp 2, there is an option for interested participants to visit the Ambasa cave – a small cave just below Mt. Marikit.
5:00 P.M. - ETA @ 2nd campsite (Ambasa)/Set Up camp/Sunset viewing
7:00 P.M. - Dinner/Socials – dynamic activities
10:00 P.M. - Lights out

DAY 3
5:00 A.M. - Wake up call/Sunrise viewing/Breakfast/Break Camp/Warm up exercise
7:30 A.M. - Holy Mass (Palm Sunday) @ Campsite – Sitio Ambasa
9:00 A.M. - ETD for Cayoco, Tinongdan then proceed to Barangay Hall @ Keweng crossing the 90.8 Cayoco foot bridge.
- Lunch en route
Trekkers have the option to bathe @ Sabdang Creek aka Shanum Creek
3:00 P.M. - ETA @ Tinongdan
5:30 P.M. - ETD for Baguio City