Lake Nailig is part of Mount Talinis and can be reached by hiking from Bidjao in Dauin. The start is about a 30 minute drive from Dumaguete on the Dauin to Magsaysay road, about 10km from the National Highway. There is a parking area with great views of Dumaguete, Cebu, Siquijor and on a good day, Bohol. Registration for the hike takes place at the end of the parking area and a guide is required which currently costs P750 per person per day and the maximum ratio of hikers to guide is 7:1. If you require a porter the fee is also P750 per day. You can buy snacks and drinks here before and after your hike.
The trail to Lake Nailig is about 5km with a vertical climb of just under 1,000m. It is steep and challenging in places so you need to be fairly fit. I recommend that you should wear climbing shoes and take some waterproof clothing as it frequently rains in the mountain even during the dry season. We used our waterproof covers for our bags as they would have gotten very wet otherwise. Our trip was in October and the weather was cloudy with some rain. The trail is much drier in the summer period of March to May.
A lot of the trail is in the forest so shaded by trees but there are some places where you will get beautiful views. We are fairly slow and our ascent took 6 and a half hours including breaks while our descent took just under 5 hours.
Lake Yagumyum is about half way to the summit and is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy nature. The lake water is cool and fresh and there is a place where you can rest and have some lunch. Just remember to pick your garbage and bring it with you!
The trail involves more climbing after Lake Yagumyum, mostly over or under roots. Some of the trail is steep but some is mostly level when traversing across ridges. This part of the trek was wetter, muddier and more slippery than the lower half of the trail. During the summer months of March to May it is much drier and easier to hike.
The campsite is quite a bit cooler than sea level so warm clothes, sleeping bag and tent are advisable. I would also recommend taking extra spare dry clothes, plenty of spare socks and some comfortable footwear for the campsite as our gear didn’t dry out.
It is a great place for taking photos or videos as the conditions vary from minute to minute. The low clouds rolled in as it looked misty and added drama to the photos.
I would recommend it to fit nature lovers as I really enjoyed the hike and camping Camping with hikers is normally a lot of fun!!! If you are not an experienced hiker then I would recommend the period of March to May since the conditions are much easier.
For more information please go to my my YouTube video https://youtu.be/9AXpsDslB1Q
JackBelle’s Photography 