Mt. Pinatubo


Mt. Pinatubo's crater lake is a magnificent work of art. I can't even imagine how such a place emerged when a volcano erupted. Mt. Pinatubo is an active volcano located in the boundaries of the provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga. Its eruption in 1991 is commonly known among Filipinos particularly in Luzon, as the ashes it spewed places as far as Metro Manila. 

Mt. Pinatubo isn't really on my bucket list as I am not into hiking. But when I we got to the crater lake, I was deeply amazed. The sight was just like a painting. A true wonder of nature. 

Getting There

Our group availed of a tour package from Tripinas for P2,050 per person inclusive of everything except lunch. It was cheap compared to other deals but I think it will be cheaper if you go backpacking by yourselves. The good thing about tour packages, they do all the work and all you have to do is pay and show up at the meet-up point.

Meet-up with the tour organizer was at McDonald's in Panay, Quezon City at 2:30am. Alanganin ang oras so we decided to just stay up to be sure to make it on the call time. We were urged to have that extra-early breakfast and buy everything we need before we headed off to Tarlac. 

Shyne and the boys volunteered to cook food for lunch, and since we're from the same barangay, we decided to go to the meeting place altogether. We were running late but we were lucky to make it before boarding at 3am--either that or the others waited for our group to be completed. It says in the tour guidelines that we cannot delay departure since there is a cut-off time at the base camp. We left QC shortly after our organizer gave us an orientation, made us sign the waiver form, and took the rest of our payment.

None of us had slept the night before so we tried to get a nap while on the way to Capas, Tarlac. But we reached the destination too fast. A little before 6am, we were already at the base camp. While waiting for our 4x4 jeep, we munched on the sandwiches and hotdogs for breakfast.

The 4x4 Ride




To get to Pinatubo, the first step is to take the 4x4  jeep- an hour of bumpy ride, which I immensely enjoyed. For me, this is the most exciting part of the trip. You can ask your driver to stop for photos but we opted to have just one stop to get to the destination faster.

With Doc Rex (Photo: Emman Dilanco)

The Scenery

Pinatubo Expressway, as they call this vast desert of lahar, is lovely in the morning. The rock formations provide great backgrounds for picture-taking. 






Did you know that this desertland is used in testing bombs? According to our tour guide, bomb-carrying jets use the area to test probably the strength of bombs. The place shakes every time and the explosions result to the grand rock and hill formations. This was the answer to my asking what were the Aetas (natives of Pinatubo) doing there that early because they seem to be picking something from the grounds. Apparently, they were picking up the metal scraps from the explosions. 

The Hike

After the 4x4 ride, hiking begins. The time you're going to spend hiking depends on your pacing (and camwhoring). The terrain is rocky and dusty, with creeks to be crossed from time to time. Even if you are a fast hiker, there may be times when you have to stop to make way for other visitors. 





The trek is relatively easy since most of the trail despite being rocky, is a flatland. The only time you slightly had to go up is when you're already near the crater. Wooden signs this are scattered until you reach the crater. They contain not only directions, but also reminders and warnings.



But even if you're already tired at this point, you will probably only make your pacing faster as you're already excited to see the lake.

The Lake


You'll most likely feel refreshed and energized once you see this view of the acquamarine lake surrounded by rocks formations. This is actually the crater of the volcano. Amazing, but scary at the same time. 

Our guide said that Mt. Pinatubo once stood high, probably even one of the highest peaks in Luzon, but when it erupted in 1991, its whole peak was blasted and resulted in this beauty we now call the Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake.

After taking photos in the viewdeck, our guides lead us down to the lake where people are swimming, camping out and just enjoying the view. Swimming is not really allowed since there are no lifeguards in there, but you know how people can be pasaway.


We had lunch right there in the grounds not minding the noontime sun. At one point, there was an erosion in the mountains surrounding the lake but it didn't seem to bother anyone. Later, I read this sign that says, loud noises is prohibited because it causes erosion. Ironically, they allow bomb tests near the area.

Smoke from the erosion.
While hiking down, we're all excited to swim at the lake but once we got there, nobody dared to go. Well, I decided not to because the water's too cold and deep and I'm can't swim. You can't really see the bottom, which makes the lake scary.

The Hot Spring

After lunch, we went to the other side of the lake which is a hot spring. Boat ride is P350 per person.


 I thought I can now bathe in this part of the lake, but it was too hot this time. At least in the shores.

It's boiling!
Still, nobody dared to go swimming because the lake's depth is uncertain and the only part where the temperature is tolerable is on the shores. We had to content ourselves with soaking our feet in the hot water.




Way Back

We spent less time on the hike back. Probably because it's too hot and we all just want to get to the jeeps. Now, the jeep ride is enduring. I enjoyed the 4x4 ride earlier but not on the way back because of the heat, dust and sleepiness. Despite the fact that the ride is too bumpy, I still managed to get a nap.



Even though we're beaten, it's always a fun adventure with this bunch.

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