After mostly mall-hopping in Manila, just after the New Year, we decided to take a break and head out somewhere. I had looked for beach destinations in Luzon itself and that’s when my girlfriend suggested LiwLiwa beach in Zambales province. The town/village we would need to get to was San Felipe and we would have to take a bus from a company called Victory Liner to get there.
So we took a taxi to Victory Liner’s Cubao terminal, in Quezon City.
Although we did get to the terminal by 8:30am or so, unfortunately the tickets for the 9AM bus to Iba were already sold out
So we only got tickets for the 11AM bus. Tickets to San Felipe cost ₱484 (₹726/$8/€8) for one. We booked our stay at Cafe de Liwa which offers a few cottages as well. The owners recommended getting down at San Felipe Public Market. So Victory Liner buses going to Iba or Sta. Cruz are both good. See this route map (orange is Zambales line) to get a better idea.
We sat at the terminal and I used the wait time to get some work done on my laptop.
We boarded our bus by 10:45 in the morning
The bus left on time and the journey would take us around 3 and 1/2 hours. Watch the video at the end of this post which features clips from our bus journey.
We drove past the Philippines Arena and Sport Stadium
Philippines Arena is where a lot of major concerts now take place. Now I know why Filipino K-pop fans complain whenever events are held at Philippines Arena — it’s so far from the city!
I got up very early today as Gale and I were doing the Mount Pinatubo tour. She picked me up from my hotel in a taxi and we then rode to Ortigas where the meeting point for the tour was at a 24-hour McDonalds outlet (at the Shell gas station).
Gale made the booking with a tour company called TRIPinas Adventures. Once at the McDonalds outlet, we met our co-ordinator who assigned us a van and a number for the 4x4s we would be taking up to a certain point. I also paid whatever was the balance I needed to pay for the trek. There were quite a few people who had signed up for this tour, which was a positive sign considering how I struggled to even get a tour organized last year towards the end of May. I only hoped it wouldn’t rain.
This is the route map for the trek
Gale and I packed up some McDonalds burgers for lunch, which we would have after reaching the Mt. Pinatubo crater lake. Yes, you have to pack your own lunch as it’s not included in the tour. Once everyone had been assigned their respective tour groups, we made our way to the vans parked outside. From here it was an hour-long drive to the base camp in Tarlac.
This is the base camp in Sta. Juliana, Capas. It’s actually someone’s house and property. But you have restrooms you can use and you can buy bamboo sticks which are helpful for the trek if you have weak legs.After a quick pep talk and instructions from Anna, our co-ordinator, we got in to our assigned 4x4s.The base camp is very near to a Philippines Army training facility so every jeep has to pass through security and only then enter the valley groundsThis valley is vast, and the army even uses this site for bombing practice. Good thing they tell you when you are safe to pass through The time was just nearing 7am and I loved the lighting!Some people were riding bikes out here… and some even ride the dirt bikes all the way instead of trekking. I can’t imagine how bumpy the ride must be.I took out my GoPro camera to get some interesting anglesThe ride to the drop off point would take around an hour, and it was very dusty! I also wore a neck pillow to avoid straining my neck during the bumpy ride.I was loving the photographsIt was challenging to shoot using the DSLR given the bumpy ride, but I persistedThe geography was amazing — and it would only get more amazingA few people even live out hereThe ride would mean crossing more than a few water streamsThe morning sun was upAfter nearly 30 minutes on the road, we were stopping up aheadThe stop was just a break to stretch our legs and take photosSo Gale and I did (I’m barely smiling, I know)Then we resumed the ride a few minutes laterThis was my first time on a proper 4×4 off-terrain journeyThe terrain kept appearing more awesome and rugged as we drove alongThis place would make for an excellent location shoot for moviesThat said, the ride was really bumpy from here onAnd yet, in such a barren landscape, you could find kids playing with stones along the way. They belong to the Aytas, the indigenous community here.
(Shot on the GoPro)We neared our jeep stopFrom here, we would now begin our trekMy group set off with our guide leading the wayMuch of the trail is very rockyAfter a kilometre, we stopped for a few minutes at the first rest hutI was always last because I stopped to take photographs — a lotThe yellow stream? Sulphur depositsAs tiring it did get for sick Mithun, I still enjoyed the sceneryWe were slowly ascendingI enjoyed crossing the river streams by NOT hopping over them. The water was so cold and soothing!
We finally reached the final rest stop before the craterAfter nearly an hour of walking, it felt good to know we were nearBut it was quite uphill from here onFinally the crater lake was near!After nearly two attempts to come here…… I was finally here!First reaction? “Why isn’t the water bright blue like in the photos I saw online”?I waited for the sun to come out a bit more and hoped the lake would appear neon blueThere are steps taking you down to the lake, so I kept taking photos while going downThey have a big hut here if you want some respite from the heatYou can camp out here and have lunchThe water may look nice for a swim…But you can’t. If something happens, there is no way medical help can come to the crater in time.Seeing landscape like this….… you wonder if you are in Iceland, not somewhere in tropical Asia!
But what you see above is what Mount Pinatubo looks like now. Believe it or not, the lake was formed after a volcanic eruption. Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, and that eruption was so big that it became the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century! The lake was formed after monsoon rains. The water was extremely unsafe for swimming soon after and many still don’t recommend getting in.
I took out the GoPro to take some more photos
It was only 10amTook this panorama on my phoneGale and I ate our McDonalds ‘lunch’ by the ‘beach’I took a selfie before leavingBack up we wentI took this photo from my phone (Sony Xperia Z1) from halfway up the stairsCome to think of it, that’s a beach in the crater of a volcano!You have a small park/garden up here where you can rest under the shade of the treesI took a final few shotsIt was time to say goodbye to this amazing placeWe walked back downWe would stop at the same rest stops along the way (three in total)The trek back seemed to take less time as we were descendingIt was getting hotter thoughThat said…I loved the geography! I had seen similar geography in photos my friends took from their treks up in Ladakh (North India) — but this was just 2 hours from Manila!Even though I was pretty tired, we didn’t stop for long at the hutsWe could see the jeeps, and it felt good!The ride back was just as bumpy and dustyI highly recommend this trek for the geography!It got even sunnier once we were back in the fields, but there were a few tour groups who were only now just beginning their trek!
By the time we got back to the base camp it was 1:30pm. We were all tired, sleepy and dusty! I washed up and if you pay, you can even take a shower there. After an hour of waiting for everyone in our van to re-group, we finally left the base camp and headed back to Manila.
I slept through much of the journey and by the time I woke up around 4pm, we were already in Manila. Gale asked the van to drop us at Cubao, from where she could get to her place quick and I could just walk to my hotel room.
At ₱2090 (Rs. 2800/$47/€35), the Mount Pinatubo trek it is one of the more expensive tours I have done. That said, it’s hard to get anything cheaper than this as the few other companies offering such tours charge about the same or more. The only way you’ll get it cheaper is if you are a laaarge group making a group booking. Regardless, I highly recommend TRIPinas Adventures. As per the itinerary they sent, this is how it was supposed to go:
03:30 Meet up (McDonalds in Ortigas area)
· Make sure to have your breakfast and buy your packed lunch and water
· Meet the tour coordinator – Pay your balance – Orientation – Sign the waiver form
06:30 ETA Brgy. Sta. Juliana (base camp)
06:45 to 07:15 Board 4×4 vehicles.
08:30 Start trekking (around 2 hours walking using the old way)
10:30 ETA at the crater of Mt. Pinatubo.
· Relax, photos, lecture, lunch (at clients’ account)
12:00 Start return trek (around 2 hours walking using the old way)
14:00 Back to the 4x4s.
15:00 Back at base camp. Freshen up
16:00 Departure from the base camp to Manila.
18:00-19:00 (depending traffic) ETA Manila
But we reached the crater at 9:30am and it was a relief to get there before many others. Trust me, the heat gets progressively worse later in the day and I don’t know how those who were only beginning their trek by the time we came back managed to do it! Who knows if the lake turns bright blue when the sun is at its hottest, but if you are more concerned about enjoying the trek — then beginning very early is what you should do. It’s also a lot cooler early in the morning. And had we re-grouped earlier, our van would have left the base camp and arrived back in Manila much earlier than 4pm. Oh, and those who wish to do the trek, better do it before May 31. May 31st is the last tour of season for many tour operators as treks are not allowed during rainy season — and that’s from June to October!
Still… I did it! I finally did the Mount Pinatubo trek and I’m so glad I did! This was definitely one of the biggest highlights of this trip (the other is Oslob, next post) and I couldn’t have started this journey on a better note (minus the cold I still had).
I ended my day by meeting Gale in the evening and treating her to dinner at Maginhawa street. I just wanted to thank her for making calls and doing all the tour bookings.
We first ate at Mexican Express and then I had a beef shawarma from Kazam’s next door (I was hungry)A lot of nice, moderately-priced eateries on this block
If you enjoyed this post, then wait until you see the photos from my day swimming with whale sharks (butanding) in Oslob, Cebu!
