The first time I came to La Mesa several years ago, I couldn’t believe that there was such a place right inside Metro Manila. I had heard a lot about the place, about the beauty of its trails, and the postcard (or is it Instagram?) perfect scenery you get to enjoy while biking there. But nothing compares to seeing it for yourself.
Let’s just get something out of the way first. The biking destination I am talking about is the La Mesa Nature Reserve, not the La Mesa Ecopark. The former has kilometers upon kilometers of well-maintained fire roads and singletrack which can take you a whole day to explore. The latter (the Ecopark) is a smaller park which features boating, paintball, and a few kilometers of biking. It’s more suited for family picnics instead of mountain biking. It’s easy to confuse the two parks because both are maintained by ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan.
Last July 6, I was able to visit La Mesa again thanks to the invitation of my semi-regular bike buddy Bong. He was biking with some officemates and invited me to tag along. Hell yeah, I said and was at the gates of La Mesa at seven in the morning.
Our bike guides warned us that the trails would be a bit tricky that day because of the rains of the past few days. He said it would be slick and very muddy. Maputek talaga, he assured us. I had just finished scraping several kilos of mud off my bike from the King of the Mountain race a few days before, and was not looking forward to repeating that chore.
But neither was I about to let a bit of sissy loam get in the way of a great weekend adventure. Besides, I’d already experienced the worst mud that La Mesa could dish out during the Offroad Duathlon held there last year. Back then, the mud was so thick it jammed your derailleurs and turned your bike into a de facto singlespeeder. My instincts told me that it couldn’t possibly be that bad that Saturday.
We took off at a leisurely pace from the parking lot because our group included newbies to La Mesa. As we pedaled through beautiful singletrack, I couldn’t believe how much I missed riding in this place.
La Mesa is often referred to as the last remaining rainforest in Metro Manila. It’s hard to argue with that. Here, you bike under the ever-present shade of the trees. Unlike the trails of San Mateo, where patches of forest alternate with grasslands, La Mesa is almost wholly covered by trees. Bantay Kalikasan really did a great job of keeping this place as pristine possible.
Besides the forest, La Mesa’s other great attraction is the reservoir. This man-made lake is so picturesque, you can easily mistake it as something yanked from Palawan or Bohol. This lake would be a great place to go kayaking, if only the park’s managers would allow it.
La Mesa is also one of the few places in Metro Manila where you can actually hear different types of bird songs, if you’ll just keep an ear out for them. The park even offers birdwatching trips.
I also love La Mesa’s wooden bridges. It’s a hoot speeding down these ramshackle viaducts and then mashing your cranks like hell as you try to ascend the slope on the other side. This could get technical depending on how muddy the slope is.
But strictly speaking, La Mesa is not that technical. Any mountain biker who has had a month of trail riding experience can handle La Mesa. This doesn’t mean that it’s easy. It has plenty of difficult ascents and tricky descents, but nothing as difficult as the climb up to Timberland. The trip to the infamous Tower One may slowly leech the energy out of your legs. But don’t worry; it’s nothing like Daraitan or Sta. Ines or even Shotgun. Also, if a member of your group needs to bail out for whatever reason, your guide can always radio for help and a pickup truck will fetch him/her at the nearest trail exit point.
We finished our ride at around 12 noon. As expected my bike looked like it was dunked repeatedly in a carabao watering hole. I was muddy all over too, but I had a smile on my face. To cap off a great day, I had some sinigang na bagnet (yes, that’s right–crispy bagnet cooked in sampaloc soup!) and ice cold SMB for lunch at Qubiertos in Kalayaan, Diliman.
Tips for bikers going to La Mesa.
- You need to make a reservation. You can call Bantay Kalikasan at:
(02)410.9670 (02)415.2272 loc 4551(Bantay Kalikasan Head Office) or inquire directly with Mr. Mar Zeri Ramirez at 0926.6700320 or 0908.493 8239. For more info, click this link to the Bantay Kalikasan website. - You can’t go in solo. The recommended minimum is five bikers per group. You can go below this minimum, but you’ll have to pay extra.
- Yes, this trail ain’t free. Be prepared to fork out 200 pesos per person for a group of 5, or 1000 bucks total. If you have more than 5 bikers, each extra rider also forks out 200 bucks. If your group has fewer than 5 bikers, you’ll have to split the burden.
- Bring water and snacks. There are no establishments that sell food and drinks in La Mesa. Sometimes there are vendors selling bananas, water and Gatorade at the Violago station. But sometimes the vendors take a day off.
- Bring a standard repair kit.
- Stash your trash.
IndieEscape
July 13, 2013 at 11:24 amNice weather for a ride! I have yet to bike La Mesa. Thanks for sharing your experience. A visit here is going on top of my priority list! 🙂
outsideslacker
July 13, 2013 at 11:38 amthanks for dropping by. la mesa is really one of the best biking destinations in metro manila 🙂
bike_core
July 18, 2013 at 2:27 pmThanks for sharing. Hope we can get there soon!
Pepper Tan
July 25, 2013 at 9:23 amAh, so that explains the confusion :). I was at the ecopark last weekend, and was about to pull my hair out from figuring out where the bike trail was. Thanks for sharing this. I’d be lost without your blog 🙂
outsideslacker
July 25, 2013 at 1:16 pmtrouble is, while bantay kalikasan is all out in promoting the ecopark, they hardly promote the nature reserve. but then again, because the nature reserve is off the radar, it retains the peace and quiet that make it special 🙂
manuel mendoza
August 15, 2013 at 12:21 pmi live in camarin caloocan city so close to la mesa. will try the bike trail maybe a trail run if possible
outsideslacker
August 15, 2013 at 2:13 pmla mesa is also open to trail runners. thanks for visiting the blog 🙂
Chris FS
December 10, 2013 at 8:39 pmScheduled to visit this Sunday with co-enduro / trail riders. Thanks for encouraging us.
outsideslacker
December 10, 2013 at 9:02 pmthanks for dropping by too 🙂 you guys should also check out timberland’s blue zone, and antenna hill for some enduro work out
junn abad
December 11, 2013 at 3:46 pmsimply awe-some! \o/
rolando
January 22, 2014 at 12:54 pmask ko lang po kung pwede ba kung dalawa lang kami ng kasama ko na pumunta dyan, allowed po ba? thanks
outsideslacker
January 22, 2014 at 1:33 pmpag dalawa lang kayo, usually ang ginagawa ng guides e isinasama kayo sa mas malaking grupo
Blesie
April 17, 2014 at 10:00 pmHi,
I am an avid biker and want to try this trail on my vacation next month in Philippines. Meron bang mga rental bikes when I get there and how will I reserve? Any info is appreciated.
Thank you.
outsideslacker
April 17, 2014 at 11:48 pmhi blessie, unfortunately there are no bike rentals in la mesa. however you could try booking a bike trip with travel factor, an outfitter which offers trips to la mesa. hope you enjoy your bike trip here 🙂
wedge
August 15, 2014 at 3:14 amwhat does a standard repair kit consist of?
outsideslacker
August 15, 2014 at 2:18 pmkung sa lamesa lang ang ride, ok na ang tire patch kit, spare tube, tire levers, multi-tool at pump just in case you suffer a flat or you need to adjust a screw. if you’re on an epic ride, better also bring a chain link. kapag all-mountain epic ride, dala ka na rin ng spare derailleur hanger… at ng isang rider na magaling mag-mekaniko :p at first aid kit
leandro elnar
November 28, 2014 at 2:40 pmThanks for the info. our group plans to sched a ride in La Mesa next month.
Michael E.
July 31, 2015 at 7:04 amThanks for the info. Ang laking tulong!
outsideslacker
August 3, 2015 at 3:52 pmthanks for visiting the website 🙂
bong badilla
September 14, 2015 at 4:37 pmSir saan ang exact location ng la mesa nature reserve? Malayo ba sa ecopark
outsideslacker
September 16, 2015 at 6:05 pmhi bong, malayo pa ang la mesa nature reserve. sa may quirino hiway sya. after sm fairview, continue down quirino hiway. nasa kaliwa yung gate ng nature reserve.
here–> https://goo.gl/maps/0kfFh
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