Mt. Apo - Davao
Mount Apo is a large solfataric potentially active stratovolcano on the island of Mindanao, at altitude 2,954 meters (9,692 ft). Apo is flat-topped, with three peaks, and is capped by a 500-metre-wide (1,600 ft) volcanic crater containing a small crater lake. It is the highest mountain in the country and overlooks Davao City.
The name Apo, which means “Lord”, came from the Bagobo tribespeople living on its slopes, who believe that the Garden of Eden had its beginning in the tropical rainforest around Lake Venado, one of Apo’s mountain lakes.
Mount Apo is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the Philippines and the summit is easy to reach generally taking three to four days, depending on one’s physical fitness. There are three official trails, each offering unusual features. These are the Magpet, Kidapawan, and Sibulan trails.
Now a national park, Mt. Apo hosts an equally diverse fauna, including monkeys, wild pigs, rare birds such as the flycatcher, fairy blue birds, flower catchers, coltos, doves, sunbirds, racket-tailed parrots and the endangered Philippine eagle. Mount Apo is considered a favorite hiking destination because of its slopes forest of exotic flora, steaming geysers, rainwater lakes, swift-flowing rivers, and cascading waterfalls.
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