Bukidnon: mountains, hikes and what to check first

Bukidnon is the mountain province of northern Mindanao: you reach Malaybalay by bus or van from the Agora terminal in Cagayan de Oro or by bus from Davao in a little under four hours, and the two big climbs, Kitanglad and Kalatungan, need permits. Everyone told me to go to Bukidnon, so I went. It is the opposite of the island trips I usually make: green hills, open grass, and a mountain range that goes on and on. In one video I said I had cried the day before at the views. If you thought the Philippines was only islands and coconuts, this is where that changes.

The mountains of Bukidnon

What I saw

In the video before, I had said I would go down a river. Instead we climbed all the way up a mountain. One more clip from there shows the children. People had told me they do not play with shop-bought toys, and it was true: they catch spiders and let them fight each other, and they play with coconuts, ducks and chickens. One of them held a coconut as big as he was.

The practical details below come from official pages and travel guides, with the source for each.

Getting there

• From Cagayan de Oro. Buses and vans to Malaybalay and Valencia leave from the Agora Bus Terminal, in 1 to 3 hours depending on where you are going, according to the Bukidnon provincial tourism page (bukidnon.gov.ph).
• From the airport. Laguindingan Airport is about 2 to 3 hours from Malaybalay by road.
• From Davao. Buses from the Ecoland terminal to Malaybalay take a little under 4 hours.
• To Dahilayan. It is 45 to 60 minutes from Malaybalay by van or car (a March 2023 blog).

How the route connects

1. 1Cagayan de OroAgora Bus Terminal
   Bus or van
2. 2Malaybalaybase for the mountains
   Van or car · 45–60 min
3. 3Dahilayanadventure park and forest park, Manolo Fortich

Times are from the Getting there list above.

Places to plan around

The Malaybalay city tourism page lists Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park, Mt. Dulang-dulang, the Nasuli Spring, Aniningpan Ridge (grassland and sea of clouds), Mt. Kiamo (pine forest and sunrise), the Sawaga River and the Capistrano rice fields (Malaybalay tourism).

Mt. Kitanglad. A permit is required, and the permit is issued by the DENR (PENRO). A ritual is held before entry. Visitors are capped at 15 a day, and entry without a permit can be fined up to ₱100,000 or lead to one to five years in prison (MindaNews, December 2021). The jump-off is in Sitio Intavas, La Fortuna, Impasugong, and a 2015 mountaineer’s guide gives a two-day climb of about seven hours to the summit.

Mt. Kalatungan. This is the harder one: a mountaineers’ guide gives 3 to 4 days from Brgy. Mendis, Pangantucan, with a Talaandig ritual before the climb. A hiker who had no permit went missing on 12 to 13 June 2026 and the search was ended on about 25 June (Daily Tribune). Get the permit and a guide.

Dahilayan. This is the adventure park and forest park in Manolo Fortich. A 2018 blog lists a forest luge at ₱600, an ATV at ₱850 and a hanging bridge at ₱100.

Season and safety

The Malaybalay city site says Bukidnon has no clear dry season: heavy rain falls from May to October, and the drier months are November to April. Malaybalay is cooler than the lowlands all year. Floods and landslides hit parts of Bukidnon on 8 January 2025, near the Pulangi Bridge and on the Maramag River, so rain matters here. Check your government’s current travel advisory and ask the tourism office before you go.

Culture and festivals

Kaamulan, in Malaybalay, celebrates seven tribes of Bukidnon, among them the Talaandig, the Higaonon and the Manobo, with street dancing, tribal sports and a month-long trade fair (Tourism Promotions Board). Look up the dates for the year you travel.

Contacts

The Malaybalay City Tourism Office is in the New City Hall on the National Highway in Brgy. Casisang, and its listed numbers are (088) 813-4726 and 813-4716.

Questions people ask

How do you get to Bukidnon?

Buses and vans to Malaybalay and Valencia leave from the Agora terminal in Cagayan de Oro, and Laguindingan Airport is about 2 to 3 hours from Malaybalay. From Davao, buses run to Malaybalay in under 4 hours.

Do you need a permit to climb Mt. Kitanglad?

Yes. Entering Kitanglad Range Natural Park without a permit can be fined up to ₱100,000 or lead to imprisonment, and visitors are capped at 15 a day, according to a December 2021 report.

When is the best time to go to Bukidnon?

The Malaybalay city site says heavy rain falls from May to October and that the drier months are November to April. It is cooler than the lowlands all year.

Where in Bukidnon did you film?

In the mountains, with grass hills, a range behind them and a river below.