Beautiful sceneries hiking the volcano
A hike in a surreal place, that looks like a Star Wars or Mad Max movie location, ending up in a crater lake with crystal water! More than enough reasons to visit Mount Pinatubo in a trip to Philippines, don´t you think?
The volcano Mt Pinatubo is located in Luzon, in Northern Philippines, about 87 km from Manila, between the provinces Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
HOW TO VISIT MOUNT PINATUBO
The hike to the crater lake is not hard, the trail is mostly flat, just in the last 20 minutes you go up about 300m, very easy. But the tour itself lasts the whole day!
I did the tour with Majestic Mount Pinatubo Tour and Homestay, and it was great! They pick you up very early in Manila, about 2 AM. It starts in St Juliana, in Capas, Tarlac, around 6AM – at this spot you have to pay the government taxes (700 PHP per person).
At this point you´re about 25km far from the crater – but don´t worry, you don´t have to walk all the way there! The first part of the tour is in a 4×4 (20km in about 1:30 hour), in a very bumpy and dusty road! The sceneries are amazing, though, and make do all the effort!
Bloggers tip: take some snacks with you – the lunch is only around 10:30, and you start the tour at 2AM!
After the 4×4 ride, you finally start the real hike! You basically go along the river all the way, and you gotta cross is many times on the way.
The best thing is to wear sandals, as hiking boots would get soaked, but you can also do the hike using flip flops – the way is mostly flat, just rocky and sandy, but it´s possible (I did it like this).
After about 1:30 hour hiking, you reach the “steep” point of the journey: you go up 300m in the last 20 minutes of the hike. You arrive at the crater around 10:30AM, and you can relax there for 1h/1:30 hour.
You have your lunch there (the lunch box, included in the tour, has a fish fillet, rice and a cake). Btw, there´s always someone selling water, soda drinks and even beer there at the top!
The views there are amazing! The water is crystal, it´s a shame it´s not allowed to swim (some accidents happened, so since 2013 you can´t enter the lake).
The way back is the same – 1:30/2h hiking, plus the 4×4 ride (which was totally dusty on the way back!)
Before heading back to Manila, you have some time in St Juliana, to have lunch and maybe a shower after all the dust (50 pesos). After more 2-3 hours you get back to Manila, around 6PM. A full day adventure, not to be forgotten!
Bloggers tip: Travel safe using the best travel insurance, which covers even adventure sports! Get a quote here
WHO DOES THE TOUR
I did the tour with Majestic Mount Pinatubo Tour and Homestay, a very good company that has low budget tours on weekends. It was great, I recommend it!
The tour includes the pick-up and drop off in Manila, the guide, the 4×4, water and the lunch box. The weekend low budget tour costs 2,550 PHP (700 taxes + 1,750 PHP/person – Dec/16).
If you prefer to do the tour without the transfer from/to Manila, it costs 1,825 pesos (700 taxes + 1,125 PHP). You can also be picked up in Dau (Jollibee, 3:30-4hAM) or in Capas, Tarlac (McDonalds, 4:-4:30AM).
Bloggers tip: Majestic is also a homestay – if you prefer not to wake up so early to do the tour, the best option is to sleep in St Juliana, at their guest house, it´s only 5 minute’s drive from the starting point.
They also offer private tours in other week days. And if you book through their site at least one week in advance, you have a discount on the price (200 PHP, min 2 people).
Here at their site you can find more info about the tour, or book it: Majestic Mount Pinatubo Tour and Homestay.
Are you going to Manila? Here you can check all the accommodation options, from hostels to hotels and resorts. And if you book it through this link, you help to maintain this blog online, and you don´t have to pay anything for that.
GETTING THERE
To do the hike you gotta go to St Juliana, in Capas, Tarlac. When you book the tour through a company, it usually includes the transfer from Manila (about 2 hours).
I was picked-up in Dau, as I went there from Banaue. If you´re planning to do that, the best way is to take the night bus from Banaue to Manila and ask the driver to be dropped off in Dau. You´ll get there close to the time to be picked up for the Pinatubo tour (Majestic picked me up around 4AM).
Another option is to travel during the day, from Banaue to Dau. You gotta take the van to Baguio (the first one leaves at 7:30AM), it takes 6 hours in a road full of curves! Not good for who gets motion sick! From Baguio to Dau there are buses every hour – it takes more 5 hours to get there.
Bloggers tip: in Dau there´s a hotel by the bus station called Sogo, where you can stay for 3, 10 or 24 hours, it´s a good option for a rest before the hike.
ABOUT MOUNT PINATUBO
Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano, which last eruption happened in 1991 (it was the second biggest volcano eruption of the twentieth century)! About 30,000 people lived in the villages around the volcano, and the biggest part was evacuated in time (they managed to predict the eruption), but still, 800 people died.
The eruption strongly affected the environment – millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were released and affected the average temperature of the region for years, not to mention the destruction in the ozone layer.
The crater was formed after the eruption, and the lake is the result of the monsoons. First it was highly acid and hot (about 40 Celsius degrees), nowadays the temperature of the water is normal. It was possible to swim in the lake until 2013 – after some accidents happened, it´s not allowed any more.
The lake is 2,7 km large, with crystal water, and it´s the deepest in Philippines. Despite the fact that the volcano is active, Mount Pinatubo is a safe place to visit.
How about you? Have you already been to Mt Pinatubo and have some cool tips about the city? Or do you plan to visit it and have some doubts? Share your ideas leaving a comment here!
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Planning your trip:
– Accommodation: you can book your accommodation here – hotels/hostels comparing and free booking cancel
– Travel Insurance: travel safe using the best travel insurance that covers even adventure sports – get a quote here
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The blogger did the tour by invitation of Majestic Mount Pinatubo Tour and Homestay. I’d like to thank again for the opportunity, and also make it clear that all the opinions present here are independent and personal.
