Approach notes

Park on the road by the DENR Mount Palay Field Office. The 'Office' is actually a small shop but they are very friendly. A charge of 25 Philippine Peso is required per person and you must sign into the logbook. From here, there are two options that lead to the summit of Mt Palay. The DENR Office will most likely tell you the route currently in use. The old path is marked on Google maps which takes around 2 hours at a moderate pace and is very well walked. The downside to this path is it crosses private land at Pico De Loro Basecamp 1 and another 25 Peso will need to be paid. The alternative route starts at the DENR office and follows the stream for a short while before heading off into the jungle. This path is relatively new (as of 2015) but very easy to follow and slightly quicker than the old path.

Follow either trail until you get to the clearing just before the summit slope of Mt Palay. At the weekends it is a very popular area to camp and there are frequently people selling drinks and food etc.

From here, continue to follow the path for about 30 metres until you see rock looming through the trees on your left. From here, it is a case of making your own path down to the base of the crag. It helps to stay close to the rock face and to tread very carefully to avoid standing on snakes etc. There is potential for some new bolted lines in this area as the rock looks fairly solid but top out seems impossible due to its overhanging nature. Follow the crag round until the rock type becomes distinctly more volcanic and less overhanging.

From the top camp to the base of the route took around an hour as we were moving very carefully.