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Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Batangas: Taal Volcano trek & horseback ride

I just came back from Taal Volcano. And when I say Taal Volcano, it's not just Tagaytay City but the volcano island itself. In fact there is a small island within the crater lake within the volcano island within Taal Lake which is within the caldera of an older volcano.

To get there, you have to go to the town of Talisay, Batangas via Tagaytay City. It was totally foggy when we arrived in Tagaytay. Actually, in the rotunda area, you already have people advertising boat rides to Taal. So we inquired and they were offering the boats for PHP3500 saying it was standard tourist rate the LGU allowed them to charge. Anyway, after some haggling (I appealed to pity and said there were only two of us, students at that), I was able to get the price down substantially but he requested we keep it a secret. We also booked horse rides from the shore to the crater lake for PHP500.

Before I forget, I'll be going around a lot in the next few days. Remember the China-ASEAN Youth Camp 2006 which I attended? Jiajin, our liaison officer while we were in Guandong Province, visited us here in the Philippines. And as gracious hosts, we are taking him around.

Anyway, when you close the deal, the guy would board your vehicle and accompany you to their port in Talisay. From there, it's a 20 minute pump boat ride to the island. Be ready to get wet. Once you get to the shore, you pay a PHP50 entrance fee which goes to provincial tourism (but our guide compained that they do not feel the benefits of the fee and they think it just goes to the pockets of politicians).

Since we had pre-booked the horse rides, we didn't have to haggle with the guides for prices. So we just rode on two horses and were off. It's about 20 minutes from the shore to the top of the crater lake on a horse. You can also opt to walk but it would take you about an hour. It started to drizzle in the middle of our trip up but it wasn't that bad. It was a good thing there were huts at the top.

The view of the crater lake was simply awesome! You could actually go down to the lake on foot. I did it once way back in college for a geology class and it was really exhausting. They say you also need a guide so you'll have to haggle for fees. We waited for the rain to stop before we took a hike around the crater rim which was smoking in some parts.

It's just sad that there was a lot of garbage on the slope closest to the huts, mostly mineral water bottles thrown down by tourists among others. I hope they place garbage cans in the viewing area so that all that rubbish does not find its way down. Taal Volcano is a national geological monument and is thus a protected area. Tanods should strictly implement laws, particularly when it comes to cleanliness and fine offenders on the spot.

Anyway, we then decided to rush back down to the shore while the skies were a bit clear. We were planning to visit other towns of Batangas. But after someone pointed us to the wrong road while in Laurel (we wasted so much time), we decided to just go back to Tagaytay to relax the whole afternoon and enjoy the view. Our plan was to sleep over in Tagaytay that night but hotels there are very pricey! It was cheaper to go home in fact. Oh well!

We have another trip scheduled tomorrow, this time to Laguna and Rizal.

14 comments:

  1. What an adventure! We were in Tagaytay in Jan but we didn't have enough time to go to the crater. What an awesome trip that would have been. Thanks for sharing :)

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  2. Hi JMom! Yes, a trip to Tagaytay would be awesome if you go to the crater.

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  3. i've been a frequent Tagaytay passer-by but never gone closer to Taal's crater.
    Did you take a dip in the water? I guess that would be a great experience. Cheers! :)

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  4. You had to hike further down to the crater lake. One side is boiling water. But in another side, you could actually swim in the sulphur-rich waters.

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  5. Anonymous16.3.07

    Sulfur! Hot and good for the skin, isn't it?

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  6. Yup, that's right... good for the skin! Hehe!

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  7. waah I remember when I walk that steep hills it gives me the shiver..

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  8. Anonymous16.6.07

    hi there ivan.. can you reveal me the secret (how much you really paid for the boat transfer :)) i am planning to go there by next month) my email add is marilendr@gmail.com
    i will keep it for myself.. promise!! ^0^
    many thanks

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  9. Anonymous16.6.07

    hi there ivan.. can you reveal me the secret (how much you really paid for the boat transfer :)) i am planning to go there by next month) my email add is marilendr@gmail.com
    i will keep it for myself.. promise!! ^0^
    many thanks

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  10. I paid PHP1500 for the boat.

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  11. Anonymous29.6.07

    Yes,
    1500 is the correct rate.
    see it at www.tlyc.com/volctrip.html
    read an independent review at Philippine Daily Inquirer's click the city
    Peter Capotosto
    www.tlyc.com
    peter@tlyc.com
    Taal Lake Yacht Club
    Talisay, Batangas

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  12. looked like a fun trip! haven't been to the top of Taal volcano yet

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  13. It's definitely a fun trip. You should try it out :)

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  14. Anonymous19.9.11

    Yung P1500 boat rental 1 way lang ba yan, o forth and back na?

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