There are 3142 named mountains in the Philippines. The highest and most prominent mountain is Mount Apo. The following is a partial list of the mountains in the Philippines. Several of them are volcanoes, formed by the subduction of the tectonic plates that surround the archipelago.
All the Philippine islands are of volcanic origin and, as a result, the country is very mountainous. The northern part of the island of Luzon is extremely rugged. Luzon's highest peak, Mount Pulog, rises to 9,626 feet (2,934 m). The island has three mountain ranges that run roughly parallel in a north-south direction.
A mountain range in the east, the Sierra Madre, runs so close to the eastern coast of the island that there are almost no coastal lowlands. The Cagayan River valley separates this eastern mountain range from a large mountain complex to the west, the Cordillera Central. To the west, the Zambales Mountains extend to the south and end at Manila Bay. Southeastern Luzon consists of a large convoluted peninsula that is a mountainous and volcanic area, containing the 7,941 foot (2,420 m) active Mount Mayon volcano.
The mountainous province of Sagada is a perfect destination for hiking in the Philippines. Although it's far from the city, many travelers still go there just to experience hiking in Sagada. There is an area of mountainous plateau that is known as Marlboro Country, as it is home to several wild horses. The best time to go is early in the morning or around dusk.
The hike crosses a dense forest with huge tree-sized ferns and ends in a flat landscape with shrubs and mountain flowers, from where you can get good views of the surrounding valleys. The walk to Sagada lasts between 2 and 3 hours in total. For the most part, the country's mountainous terrain causes drainage systems characterized by short, turbulent streams. The Cagayan River emerges from the mountain range, which crosses the Cagayan Valley, gathering the waters of small streams, springs, rivers and other tributaries, until it grows in width, depth and strength, becoming the wide and powerful torrent known as the longest river in the Philippines.
The Diwata Mountains are one of the least known mountain ranges in the Philippines; not much of it has been recorded, except that the mountain range is densely covered with forest and is home to a large number of endemic species of flowers and fauna. But a more notable peak in the Diwata mountain range is Mount Diwata, which is located in the southern part of the mountain range. From Luzon to Mindanao, all mountaineers will be amazed by the abundance of easy and challenging peaks to reach. Because of their fervent love for their land and freedom, and their skill in mountain warfare, the Igorots are one of only two villages in the Philippines that were never colonized by the Spanish (the others are the Moors of Mindanao).
It encompasses several peaks of such heights that they easily deserve to be included among the highest mountains in the country. Unfortunately, mining and quarrying have devastated sections of the mountain range and surrounding land, leaving several mountains scarred, almost level and devoid of their former green cover; rivers and waterways were drowned and poisoned; and the former fertile farmland has ceased to be arable. Other notable mountains in the Zambales mountain range are Mount Natib and Mount Mariveles, in southern Bataan, which together represent about four-fifths of the province's total land area. In addition to being among the highest, Mount Pulag, called the Park of the Gods, is also one of the most famous mountains in the country, highly sought after by both novice climbers and veterans alike.
At the top of the mountain there are communication towers and several barracks equipped with electricity. The entire Kitanglad Range is a protected area known as the Mount Kitanglad Range Nature Park. Mining companies, mostly foreign-owned, that are plundering forests, razing mountains, excavating land, poisoning rivers and expelling Igorots from their ancestral homes, have been immensely enriched in the Cordilleras, but have paid very little in compensation. On its slopes there are Sumatran pine forests (Pinus merkusii), which in Zambal, the local language, is known as Tapolaw, hence the name of the mountain.
With a height of 811 meters above sea level, the mountain is a pictorial illustration of beautiful landscapes and gently undulating slopes. At 1,090 meters above sea level, the mountain, which is actually an inactive volcano, contains a famous legend about a guardian and mythological inhabitant named Maria Makiling (hence its name). . .
