About Tinagong Dagat

Tinagong Dagat, also known as the Old Crater, is a 2-km wide plateau located in Mt. Mandalagan, Negros Occidental. This is called Tinagong Dagat because of its hidden location being surrounded by the mountains. The plateau is filled by water that covers the whole plateau extending to nearby forested area that would look like a vast field of ocean.

How to get to Tinagong Dagat

Tinagong dagat is a 4-hour hike from Campuestohan Highland Resort in Talisay City. A week before your hike, you must submit a letter and a waiver to the City Planning and Development Office of Talisay City as a permit to hike Tinagong Dagat. Without a permit, you are not allowed by the city and the Bantay Bukid to hike.

How to get a permit to hike Tinagong Dagat

1. Submit a letter addressed to the City Mayor of Talisay City, Hon Eric Saratan, stating your purpose of hike, the dates and the number of persons who will join.

2. The letter must be stampped for receiving at the Mayor’s Office and must be submitted to the City Planning and Development Office.

3. You will be given a waiver and all who will join the hike must sign. The waiver may ask for a Community Tax Certificate Number so be ready.

4. Once approved, a copy of your letter and the waiver will be given to you.

5. The CPDO will contact the Bantay Bukid to let them know that you will hike at a certain date. On the day of the hike, you have to look for the Bantay Bukid officers near the Campuestohan Highland Resort.

Tinagong Dagat Iterinary

5:30 AM — Meet up with the team at McDonald’s East, Breakfast and Core Checks

6:00 AM — Travel to Campuestohan Highland Resort

7:00 AM — Arrival at Campuestohan, meet with the Bantay Bukid and Sign In

7:15 AM — Start of the hike

11:30 AM — Arrival at Tinagong Dagat

12:00 PM — Lunch

12:30 PM — Picture Taking and Meditation and Amuse-Yourself-With-The-Earthquake-your-friend-makes-when-they-jump

1:25 PM — Preparation to go home

4:25 PM — Arrival at Campuestohan Highland Resort Talisay City

Overnight at Tinagong Dagat

Overnight in Tinagong Dagat is both fun and thrilling. Just bring you own tent, medical kits, and personal needs and enjoy the night.

You can purchase your own tent with a good discount and free shipping nationwide if you have purchased worth more than PHP 1000.00. Just click the buy button.

How Much does it cost to hike Tinagong Dagat

PHP 165.00/head Fare from East View to Campuestohan

PHP 600/group +tips for the Guide

PHP 150/head Meals and power bars for the trip

PHP 100/head fare going back to Granada

PHP 12/head fare from Granada to Bacolod City

Experiences and Reviews from Travel Bloggers who got to Tinagong Dagat

Since it is the loveliest campsite of them all, Tinagong Dagat can be the base for exploring Solfatara, then back to Brgy. Patag in a two-day trek.

– Pinoy Mountaineer, pinoymountaineer.com

Overall, the experience was fun and exhausting

-klenskie23, istorya.net

The trail was full of technical (but fun!) obstacles which required you to duck fallen trees, scramble up on rocks and jump from solid group to solid ground to avoid quicksand-like mud!

– Andreo Bongco, andreobongco.com

Mixed emotions enveloped my being that time since I will be experiencing once again the real and true nature of Mandalagan and I know that there’s a lot of things that the said mountain can offer.

– Reid Magbanua, reidiscovery.com