Mount Pulag
Mount Pulag is Luzon's highest peak at above sea level, third-highest mountain in the Philippines, and the 26th-highest peak of an island on Earth.
It is second-most prominent mountain in the Philippines. Located on the triple border of the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya, the borders meet at the mountain's peak. Mount Pulag is third highest next to Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-dulang.
Mount Pulag is famous for its "sea of clouds" and its exceptional view of the Milky Way Galaxy at dawn, which has attracted many tourists who wish to see the "other-worldly" scenery.
The entire mountain is believed to be the home to the tinmongao spirits and is the sacred resting ground of the souls of the Ibaloi people and other ethnic peoples in the area.
History
The Ibaloi people of Benguet mummify their dead and house them in caverns in the mountain. The Kabayan mummy burial caves, one of the main attraction of the site, are considered Philippine national cultural treasures under Presidential Decree No. 432.Mt. Pulag was proclaimed a national park through Presidential Proclamation No. 75 signed by President Corazon Aquino on February 20, 1987, covering an area of. It is part of the Cordillera Biogeographic Zone and is a National Integrated Protected Areas Programme site.
The national park is inhabited by different ethnic groups such as the Ibalois, Kalanguya, Kankana-eys, Karao, and Ifugaos.
Geography
Mount Pulag stands at high. The peak of the mountain is located in the Municipality of Kabayan Province of Benguet.Climate
The climate at the summit of Mount Pulag is subpolar oceanic, bordering a subtropical highland climate, as its summer mean temperatures only slightly exceed 10 degrees Celsius. Rainfall on the mountain averages yearly with August being the wettest month with an average rainfall of.Snow has not fallen on its top in at least the past 100 years, only hailstorms that look like snow. However, there have been mild flurries on the mountain, especially during December, January and February. Frost is more common on the mountain due to the low temperature during those months.
During the winter season, the temperature at the highest point of the mountain is known to dip into sub-freezing temperatures, making it the coldest place in the country. The only recorded incidence of snow was in the late 1800s.
Fauna and flora
Mount Pulag has a large diversity of flora and fauna, including many species that are endemic to the mountain. Mount Pulag hosts 528 documented plant species. It is the natural habitat of the dwarf bamboo and the Benguet pine that dominate the areas of Luzon tropical pine forests found on the mountainsides. From the 1950s to the early 1970s the more accessible tracts of Benguet pine were felled. The Philippine yew tree, which contains a compound associated with cancer treatment, is found on Mount Pulag. Its bark is used by indigenous Ibaloi and Kalanguya communities to make tea.At lower elevations, Mount Pulag has a mossy forest full of ferns, lichens, and moss.
Among its native wildlife are 33 bird species and several threatened mammals such as the Philippine deer, giant bushy-tailed cloud rat and the long-haired fruit bat. Mount Pulag is the only place that hosts the four cloud rat species. It is one of the most biodiverse locations in the Philippines, with the newly found 185-grams dwarf cloud rat, Carpomys melanurus, a rare breed, and the Koch pitta bird among its endangered denizens.