Beyond Majestic: Lake Holon of Mt. Parker T'Boli South Cotabato

Wrote by Diaries of A Financial Traveler 22:50:00 3 Comments

First part of my 7-day Mindanao backpacking in SOCCKSARGEN region.
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Lake Holon is nestled at the crater of an inactive stratovolcano Mt. Parker locally known as Mt. Melibengoy in T'Boli South Cotabato in Mindanao. Mt. Parker has an elevation of 1,824 MASL while Lake Holon's elevation is about 1,600 MASL and has an area of 304 hectares and was also hailed as the cleanest lake of Region XII.

Going atop doesn't require any advance mountaineering skills. It is actually good for newbies/beginners. It has two trails: Salacafe trail which is beginner friendly and Kule trail which is a little hard but offers much greater view than Salacafe trail. So I highly suggest ascending in Kule Trail then descend to Salacafe trail.

Btw, I'm with my mountaineer friends from Luzon. Sir JM and Sir Roel together with his sister Mam Let. Mam Let had a hard time trekking since it was her first time but she still managed to do it. Her exhaustion have faded when we reached Nabanghan Viewdeck. She was amazed by the beauty that is in front of her, and so are we.

Without doubt, I can say that this is the most beautiful place I've ever been. The view from Nabanghan viewdeck was beyond majestic. It's so perfect that it looks like a painting. Indeed, a surreal beauty.

Note: Nabanghan Viewdeck is only passable via Kule Trail. You won't see the 360 view of Lake Holon in Salacafe Trail.

After our picture taking at Nabanghan Viewdeck, we descended and got closer to the crystal clear waters of Lake Holon. Since it is a lake, you can visibly see the tilapias! We have to cross the lake to reach the campsite by riding a boat which costs Php 50 per head.

Upon reaching the campsite, I was amused to see that there is a cottage, a restroom, a place for bonfire and cooking.

We pitched our tents beside the lake then cooked food for our dinner. We didn't have alcohol for socials. I believe that this was my first camping experience with no alchohol! So it was pure sharing of stories, reminiscing our previous climbs together like our Pentalogy Climb, Mt. Sicapoo etc.

In the morning, we rented a kayak for Php 100 each and paddled our way to the heart of the lake. I thought it was easy but its not, maybe paddling is not my thing but I enjoyed circling around.

At 8am, we descended to Salacafe trail and reached the flat grounds at 11am. We rode a habal habal and proceeded to our next adventure which is Bakngeb River Cave adventure!
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How to get there? (with expenses)
1. From General Santos City, ride a bus in Bullaong Terminal going to Marbel/ Koronadal. Tell your konduktor, to drop you off at Husky Van Terminal.
Fare: Php 85
Travel time: 45 mins to 1 hr
2. At the Van terminal, look for a van with signage "Direct T'Boli" and tell your driver to drop you at Tourism office near the Elementary School.
Fare: Php 60
Travel time: 30 mins-45 mins
3. Register at the Tourism Office and arrange for habal habal going to Jump Off either Salacafe trail or Kule Trail.
Registration: Php 20.
Note: Starting November 1,2016 Registration will be Php 150.
Fare: Php 450 per motor.
Travel Time
Salacafe Trail: 1 1/2 hours
Kule Trail: 2 hours
4. At Kule, register again with the T'bolis and they will arrange for your guide.
Registration: Php 10
Guide Fee: Php 600
Boat Fee: Php 50
Kayak Rent: Php 100
5. How much time to get at the top?
Salacafe Trail: 2-3 hours
Kule Trail: 3-4 hours

Sample Itinerary.
DAY 1
05:30 Wake up. Breakfast and prepare.
06:00 ETD to Marbel. At Bullaong Terminal. Take bus/van going to Marbel/Koronadal
07:00 ETA Marbel. Bought food as packed lunch at nearby Jolibee. Take Van bound to T'Boli.
08:30 DENR/ Tourism Office. Register and secure Habal Habal.
09:00 ETD to Jump Off (Kule Trail)
11:00 ETA T'boli house Jump Off. Register Again. Secure guide.
12:00 Rest. Early lunch at T'boli house. Packed Lunch
13:00 Start Trek
15:30 Viewdeck (Perfect view of Lake Holon)
16:00 Arrival at Lake Holon. Campsite. Pitch tent. Free time.
18:00 Prepare dinner. Socials.
20:00 Lights Off.

Day 2
05:00 Wake Up. Prepare breakfast
06:00 Go kayaking!
08:00 Start descend traverse to Salacafe Trail.
11:00 Arrival at Brgy. Salacafe. Ride habal habal to Bakngeb River Cave.

More pictures:

While waiting for our guide at the house of T'boli. I rented a costume for Php 50 and dance their tribe dance which is called "Kadal Tahu" together with Ms. Joan, a legit T'Boli.