Uber Fun Taal Volcano Dayhike

Here's a bit of fact you probably do not know: that volcano looking thing at the back side of the P50 bill isn't Taal Volcano itself - it's technically part of the volcano but it's not where the main crater is. It's called Binintiang Malaki (Big Leg), a dormant crater which was the center of the 1707 and 1715 eruptions. It sits on the edge of Volcano Island, and at present, no established trail leads to its crater because of its steep slopes. The main attraction in the island, the main crater which has a lake in the middle is further inward. An small island sits in the middle of the crater lake - and this is what our tourism ads refer to as an island within a lake (the crater lake), within an island (the Volcano Island) within a lake (Taal Lake), which is within an island (Luzon).

Boats docked on TLYC

People (and a dog!) doing all sorts of things on Taal Lake

Boat Ride

Our boat ride and guide was arranged by Taal Lake Yatch Club (TLYC), which runs a resort located on the edge of Taal Lake. The boat ride from TLYC to the Volcano Island took about 30 minutes.

Despite being a danger zone, the Volcano Island is a bustling rural community with permanent residents. One thing I noticed immediately upon arrival was that horses (and horse dung) are everywhere. Apparently, many of the residents depend on tourism for their livelihood, and mainly by renting horse rides. As one of country's iconic destinations, the number of foreign tourists on the island is not surprising and they usually opt to ride horses instead of walk.

Even as were getting off the boat, we were barraged by locals trying to sell us anything we might need during the hike: face masks (P20), cowboy hats, bottled water and of course, a round trip horse ride for P500. I only bought face masks because of the reeking smell, and thought that I might manage without the hats. I should have bought one, it turned out. The trail offered no shade at all. And if the heat wasn't enough, the trail was also unbearably dusty. Even with a face mask on, I could feel the dust getting into my mouth by the coarse feel I get when I grit my teeth. When throngs of horses would pass I had no choice but to hold my breath as their galloping stirs up so much dust in the air. My mask eventually became drenched in sweat that I could barely breathe into it. I had to accept the fact that breathing dust is probably part of the experience.

People in horses. Look at those pink hats.

Part of the trail close to the crater. The scene reminds of a caravan of bedouins in the Arabian desert.

Panoramic view of the trail

Men offering horse rides followed us as we walked, and it seemed that they would continue convincing us to take their horses until we give in. The disadvantage of taking a horse ride is that it limits your time to pictures. We finally reached the crater after two hours, and just in time for lunch. It normally takes an hour to reach the crater via the "regular trail", which was the one we took, but I enjoyed the view that I spent a considerable time taking pictures. As we approached the crater, we saw more of the Lake and its surrounding mountains. I'm not really good at locating mountains and I could only identify Mount Maculot, with its Rockies prominently jutting out from the edge.

Look at how dusty the trail is.

At the edge of the crater, several vendors were selling buko juice and mountain dew, both for P50 - the most expensive in any mountain I've been to. The crater lake below looked so inviting, and I heard its sulfur concentrations were of medicinal quality. From where we stood, unfortunately, there was no (safe) way we can descend to the crater lake.

The crater lake at last! Too bad we can't go down.

A different trail called the "secret trail" actually ends up to the edge of the crater lake. The trail is twice as long as the one we took, and the guide fee and boat fees are also more expensive. Another trail called the Kenney trail is well forested and has none of the horse shit of the regular and secret trails. It was named after the former US Ambassador, and was established when her family went on a trip to Taal. It runs across private property, which entails additional entrance fees.

Upon descent, we came up with this crazy idea of swimming on Taal Lake. I'm surprised we actually did it, considering that the bottom was slimy and there were plenty of weeds (not to mention garbage). I would later get rashes all over my body a few days after. We had fun though, and besides, it's not everyday that one gets to swim on a famous, albeit disgusting lake, such as Taal.

Swimming on a lake of weeds is fun!

ITINERARY
If you're planning on a trip to to Taal Volcano, you may contact TLYC so they can arrange your guide and boats.  You will be asked to deposit your payment on their bank account several days before your hike. The fees are as follows:

Boat 1900 max of 5 pax.
Tourism Fee 50/head
Landing fee 50/boat

For TLYC's contact details and more updated infos, you may visit their website.

Here's how to reach TLYC:
Take a bus bound for Batangas via Tanauan (Fare: P120, duration: 3 hours) at Jam Liner in Cubao. Tell the driver you drop you off at the Talisay/Lipa Main Intersection. You can either opt to take a trike to Talisay Market, or walk, since it's quite close anyway. Ask locals where you can wait for jeepneys going to TLYC (Fare: P26, duration: 30 minutes).

0500 ETD Cubao to Talisay, Batangas via Tanauan
0800 ETA Talisay/Lipa Main Intersection, buy lunch, walk to the market to take jeep to TLYC
0820 Take jeep to TLYC
0850 ETA TLYC, registration, preps
0930 Start boatride
1000 At Volcano island, start trek to summit
1200 ETA summit, on slow pace, take lunch at summit, photoops.
1300 Start descent
1345 Take boat ride to TLYC
1415 At TLYC, take shower, rest
1500 Take jeep to the market
1530 Arrival at Talisay Market, take early dinner
1615 Take bus to Manila
1900 ETA Manila

Tip
Food and drinks on TLYC and on the Volcano Island can be quite expensive. You can buy your lunch at the fast food joints along the Talisay/Lipa Main Intersection. Bring at least 1 to 2 liters of water.