by If you are looking for some adventure in Tagbilaran City, Banat-i Hill is one to be considered. This place is already popular to Boholanos because it is very visible from the downtown Tagbilaran. I’ve been familiar with this hill but I have no chance to climb on that hill. The hill is known to have cell sites from various telecom companies.
Banat-i Hill is located in Bool, Tagbilaran with an elevation of 146 meters above sea level. According to Wikipedia, the Hill is overlooking the vast Bohol Sea, Islands of Mindanao, Negros and Siquijor and the strait of Panglao Island.
Together with some of the members of Bohol Bloggers Collective, we included the Banat-i Hill on our itinerary. I’m not sure of other access to reach the top of the hill but we chose to take the route from Camella Homes. Reaching the top of the hill has two options, you can leave your car at the foot of the hill or you can drive your car or motorcycle all the way to the top of the hill. For our case, we left our car at the foot of the hill to get some trekking to the top of the hill.
The path to the top of the hill is not difficult anymore. If someone’s talking about trekking at the Banat-i Hill, you might think of a very difficult path. Contrary to that, some parts of the path is already concrete and wide road which is enough to bring any type of vehicle.
Upon reaching about half of the hill, an open area with various grasses and trees are there. The HNU retreat house is also on that area. While you are on that spot, the top of the hill is already visible with the cell site on it. Walking half of the hill is already a rough road but still okay for any vehicle to pass.
After about 25 to 30 minutes of walking, we were able to reach the top of the hill. The scenery was unexpected and breathtaking. From the top of the hill, the towns of Baclayon, Tagbilaran and the Panglao Island is visible. While you are at the top of the hill, you can’t resist to take pictures of the beautiful scenery.
Here are some of the pictures that I have taken.
After about 20 to 30 minutes of stay, we have decided to descend in order to proceed with our next plan. Descending the hill was easier that took about 15 minutes for us. While descending the hill, the famous shopping center in Bohol, the Island City Mall, was visible. Nearing the foot of the hill, the whole area of the Camella Homes was also visible.
The trekking of the Banat-i hill was rejuvenating and fun. I did not expect to sweat that much. Of course, we never failed to always rehydrate.
If you plan for a trekking at Banat-i Hill, don’t forget to consider the following:
- Water
- Durable footwear
- Comfortable clothes
- Camera
Best time for trekking: Early Morning
Ascend Duration: 25 to 30 minutes
Time of stay: 30 minutes
Descend Duration: 15 minutes
