About Mount Apo
Mount Apo is the highest mountain in the Philippines at 2,954 meters above sea level, located within Mount Apo Natural Park on the border of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato. Accessed via Kapatagan in Digos City, Davao del Sur, it is a dormant stratovolcano known for its mossy forests, crater lakes, and diverse flora and fauna including the Philippine eagle.
Visitors guide
Visitors can expect a strenuous multi-day trek through dense tropical forest, mossy forest, and volcanic terrain to the summit. The Kapatagan trail via Digos City passes through registration areas, forested trails, campsites such as Lake Venado, boulder fields and the summit crater. Views include crater lakes, sulfur vents, and panoramic vistas of Mindanao on clear weather.
Key highlights
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Highest peak in the Philippines at 2,954 meters above sea level
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Dormant stratovolcano within Mount Apo Natural Park protected area
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Lake Venado, a high-altitude crater lake and popular campsite
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Diverse ecosystems from lowland forest to mossy forest and montane vegetation
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Habitat of the Philippine eagle and other endemic wildlife
History of Mount Apo
Mount Apo is the highest mountain in the Philippines at 2,954 meters. It was declared as Mount Apo National Park on May 9, 1936 by President Manuel L. Quezon under Proclamation No. 59, and later as Mount Apo Natural Park under Republic Act No. 7586. It is a dormant stratovolcano and a major protected area in Mindanao.
Culture & Context
Mount Apo is regarded as sacred by indigenous groups including the Bagobo, Manobo and Ubo peoples, who consider the mountain a spiritual center and ancestral domain with traditional beliefs and practices associated with its peaks and lakes.
Route
| By air | Fly to Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City, then travel by road to Digos City and Kapatagan |
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| By road |