Mt Pundaquit & Anawangin Cove

Savannah meets the Sea. The Mt Pundaquit hike is a classic traverse in Zambales that offers a surreal change in scenery. The trail begins in the fishing village of Pundaquit and climbs a ridge covered in tall, golden 'cogon' grass, offering panoramic views of the South China Sea and the nearby islands of Capones and Camara. The trek culminates in a descent into Anawangin Cove—a beach world-renowned for its 'Agoho' trees (a type of casuarina pine). These trees grew naturally after the 1991 eruption of Mt Pinatubo blanketed the area in volcanic ash, creating a pine forest on a tropical beach that looks more like Canada than the Philippines.

Route Typology: Coastal Jungle Trail. Tayrona National Park is Colombia's most iconic coastal sanctuary, where the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains meet the Caribbean Sea. The primary trail leads hikers from the El Zaino entrance through a humid corridor of tropical dry forest and giant boulders, connecting a string of world-class beaches including Arrecifes, La Piscina, and the legendary Cabo San Juan del Guía. The terrain is relatively low-altitude but physically draining due to the high tropical humidity and the relentless sun once on the sand.