The Mounts Palay-Palay–Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

encompassing the Palay-Palay Mountain Range in southwestern

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

island near

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It was established on 26 October 1976 as a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

and game refuge and

bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. Pattrice Jones, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary defines an animal sanctuary as "a safe-enough place or relationship within the cont ...

covering an initial area of . In 2007, the national park was designated as a protected landscape area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System through Proclamation No. 1315 signed by President

Gloria Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

. The park is the last remaining lowland rainforest in the province of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...

and is well known for

Mount Pico de Loro Mount Pico de Loro, also known as ''Mount Palay-Palay'', is a dormant volcano located on the border of Cavite and Batangas, in the island of Luzon, Philippines. It is the highest mountain in the province of Cavite, with an elevation of above se ...

, a popular destination for mountaineers and hikers from

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

Description

Mount Pico de Loro, Nasugbu, Philippines

The Palay-Palay protected landscape area is situated in the mountain range that forms the border between the densely populated provinces of Cavite and

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( tl, Lalawigan ng Batangas ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and L ...

in the

Calabarzon Calabarzon (), formally known as the Southern Tagalog Mainland, is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IV-A. The region comprises five provinces: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, and Rizal; and one highly urba ...

region. It contains parts of the municipalities of

Maragondon Maragondon, officially the Municipality of Maragondon ( tgl, Bayan ng Maragondon), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,687 people. The town is famous for its ...

and

Ternate Ternate is a city in the Indonesian province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands. It was the ''de facto'' provincial capital of North Maluku before Sofifi on the nearby coast of Halmahera became the capital in 2010. It is off the ...

in Cavite and

Nasugbu Nasugbu, officially the Municipality of Nasugbu ( tgl, Bayan ng Nasugbu), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 136,524 people. Several bus services provide ...

in Batangas and is spread over four

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...

s, namely Sapang, Pinagsanhan, Patungan and Papaya, and seven

sitio A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popu ...

s, namely Malauyas, Caynipa, Caytako, Cacabay, Magabe, Murangdalig and Hamilo. It is bounded on the north by the coves and beaches of Ternate including Caylabne Bay and Puerto Azul, on the south by the rolling hills and farmlands of Nasugbu, on the west by Limbones Cove, and on the east by the rolling plateau of Maragondon. The mountain range consists of two prominent extinct volcanoes, namely Mount Palay-Palay at high and Mount Mataas-na-Gulod, high. Mount Palay-Palay, located in the park's northern portion, covers sixty percent of the protected area. A major attraction in the park is

at the southern portion which was named for the towering formation at its summit which resembles a parrot's beak. It is also the highest mountain in Cavite at where hikers are rewarded with scenic views of the

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between t ...

and its islands and

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

, as well as the coves and beaches of Nasugbu including Mounts Batulao and Carilao (Talamitam). Other notable peaks in the mountain range include Mount Marami, Mount Buntis and Mount Nagpatong where the Filipino revolutionary

Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...

was executed in 1897, and Mounts Kalanggaman and Dos Picos at the center of the protected landscape. Mataas na Gulod - Palay Palay Protected Landscape Relief Map

Mataas na Gulod - Palay Palay Protected Landscape Relief Map

Bird sanctuary

The protected landscape is an important bird area having been initially proclaimed a game refuge and bird sanctuary. It is home to a diverse number of bird species such as the

Philippine eagle-owl The Philippine eagle-owl (''Ketupa philippensis'') is a vulnerable species of owl belonging to the family (biology), family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar ( ...

Philippine falconet The Philippine falconet (''Microhierax erythrogenys'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae, genus ''Microhierax''. It is endemic to the lowland forests of Philippines, and can often be seen near open forest edges hunting flying i ...

Philippine hawk-cuckoo The Philippine hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx pectoralis'') is a bird belonging to the cuckoo family. It is found only in the Philippines. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (''H. fugax'') but is now commonly treated ...

, Philippine drongo-cuckoo,

Philippine hawk-owl The Philippine hawk-owl is a species complex of owls in the family Strigidae. They are all endemic to the Philippines. Description The Philippine hawk-owls are earless. The males and females look much alike. They differ in size and pattern on th ...

ashy thrush The ashy thrush (''Geokichla cinerea''), also known as the ashy ground-thrush, is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to the Philippines in Luzon and Mindoro. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and or t ...

brahminy kite The brahminy kite (''Haliastur indus''), formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harrie ...

crested serpent eagle The crested serpent eagle (''Spilornis cheela'') is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are considera ...

Philippine fairy-bluebird The Philippine fairy-bluebird (''Irena cyanogastra'') is a species of bird in the family Irenidae. It is endemic to the Philippines being found in the islands of Luzon, Mindanao, Samar and Bohol. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowl ...

Philippine trogon The Philippine trogon (''Harpactes ardens'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Description The males head and throat is black and its face is blue. The neck and mantle are brown, rump light br ...

, black-chinned fruit dove, island swiftlet,

Philippine bulbul The Philippine bulbul (''Hypsipetes philippinus'') is a songbird species in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mois ...

, Pacific swallow,

Luzon hornbill The Luzon hornbill (''Penelopides manillae''), sometimes called Luzon tarictic hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is endemic to forests on Luzon and nearby islands in the northern Philippines. As is the case with ...

and Philippine pygmy woodpecker.

Accessibility

The park is located just southwest of Manila and some from the mountain resort city of

Tagaytay Tagaytay, officially the City of Tagaytay ( fil, Lungsod ng Tagaytay), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people. It is one of the country's most po ...

. It is easily accessible via the new Ternate–Nasugbu mountain road completed in July 2013 which runs through the northwestern portion of the protected landscape from the western terminus of

Governor's Drive The Juanito R. Remulla Sr. Road, formerly and still commonly referred to as Governor's Drive, is a two-to-nine lane, network of primary, secondary and tertiary highways and bridges traversing through the central cities and municipalities of t ...

in downtown Ternate to the seaside resorts of Nasugbu. It is also accessible by ferry boat from the Mall of Asia Pier in Bay City, Metro Manila. The Hamilo Ferry Terminal is at Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu, about from Palay-Palay. Anino River

A trail traversing the mountains of the protected landscape has been mapped and established by a five-man expedition team in 2014, to which the trail starts at Barangay Ramirez of

Magallanes, Cavite Magallanes, officially the Municipality of Magallanes ( tgl, Bayan ng Magallanes), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,851 people. The municipality is n ...

passing through Mataas na Gulod, Dos Picos, Kalanggaman, and ends at Mount Palay-Palay towards the exit at Barangay Papaya in

Nasugbu, Batangas Nasugbu, officially the Municipality of Nasugbu ( tgl, Bayan ng Nasugbu), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popul ...

. The trail passes through ''Anino River'', a high-elevation river between the mountains of Dos Picos, Kalanggaman and Mataas na Gulod.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mounts Palay-Palay-Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape Protected landscapes of the Philippines Birdwatching sites in the Philippines Geography of Cavite Tourist attractions in Cavite Geography of Batangas Tourist attractions in Batangas Protected areas established in 1976 1976 establishments in the Philippines