Mount Pulag, Mountain summit in Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines
Mount Pulag reaches 2,922 meters (9,587 feet) and sits within a national park where the landscape shifts between grasslands, mossy forest and pine stands. Vegetation changes with elevation, so hikers pass through several climate zones before reaching the open summit area.
The Philippine government created the national park in 1987 to protect over 11,500 hectares of mountain ecosystems. This move also secured the indigenous territories of Cordillera peoples who have inhabited and used the summit for generations.
The Ibaloi, an indigenous people of the Cordillera, consider this mountain a sacred place and traditional home of ancestral spirits. Visitors sometimes meet local guides who share stories about old rituals and spiritual practices that continue in ceremonies today.
Hikers must obtain a permit from the park office and stay on marked routes such as Ambangeg for beginners or Akiki for experienced climbers. Warm clothing is necessary because temperatures drop sharply at the summit, especially during early morning hours and cooler months.
Frost forms regularly on the summit during winter months, a rare phenomenon in the Philippines where temperatures fall below zero degrees Celsius. These icy conditions create an unusual landscape with frost covering grasses and rocks, surprising visitors from warmer regions of the country.
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