Taal Volcano, a Unique Crater

After months of tender process, finally it has come to an end. I am here again to share my travel experience in the Philippines. This time, we come to Taal Volcano! 

Taal Volcano, the second most active volcano in the Philippines, is a unique volcano. It is located about 50 km from Metro Manila. This time, we traveled like locals to Taal Volcano, located at Batangas city. Why it is unique? This is due to Taal Volcano forms an island in the crater of a bigger volcano, thus creating a view of crater in a crater.

First we headed to the Cubao bus station using the MRT, and looked for the bus heading to Tagaytay. We rode on the air-conditioned bus with small amount of money, and the journey started. Not sure what happened but the bus dropped us at a jeepney depot and the passengers were required to switch to a jeepney. We followed what the other locals were doing, and hiked on the jeepney as instructed. The jeepney then took us to our destination at the Tagaytay. Upon reaching, you will be able to spot a statue in the middle of the road, with multiple fast food chain nearby the statue, which means you have reached the destination - Olivarez Square!

From the Olivarez Square, we negotiated for a tricycle ride as well as boat ride package to Taal Volcano. Taking boat to the Taal Volcano, you would be amazed by the creation of God, by making the volcano islands within the crater, which Taal Volcano is one of the islands. The boat ride took about 15-20 minutes, and we were already there at the bottom of Taal Volcano, and the hiking journey began!

According to Lonely Planet, there are 2 ways to hike the volcano. First, go for horseback riding (costs about 500 Pesos) or second, hike by your own feet for 45 minutes. We chose the latter, and amazingly, we took only 20 minutes to reach the top! The climb was not too tough (definitely not as tough as Pinatubo!) and the trail was clear enough discover by yourself without getting lost. Another way of keeping yourself in the correct direction, is to follow the poops of the horses, which proves to be an effective solution!

Watch out for the poops along the trail people!

Climbing to the top of the Taal Volcano, there was a platform overlooking the sulfurous crater. It was a magnificent view to see panoramic view of crater in a bigger crater, which would lead you to feel like it is just a lake in the middle of the sea!

Apart from some stalls selling souvenirs and T-shirts, there were nothing else on the viewing deck. So we just spent about 10-15 minutes on the top to rejuvenate ourselves, and we proceeded to walk down the trail.

I suggest you readers to bundle the Taal Volcano hiking with Tagaytay city tour as a day trip, otherwise Taal Volcano hiking alone could be too dull for some visitors. Basically you can do nothing on the top, except resting yourself and overlooking the crater. I was supposed to make it a day trip with Tagaytay city tour earlier, but due to the storm during the first visit, we had to cancel the Taal Volcano trip. So for now, mission accomplished for visiting Tagaytay & Taal Volcano!

This post marks the end of my first business trip to the Philippines, which lasted for 2 months, and I will continue my stories in other countries before coming back to this beautiful country the next time!