It’s been a loooong time since I climbed Taal Volcano. Make it close to 20 years! Manilans like us just go to Tagaytay for the cool weather and to try out the restos. Mostly, we’re content seeing the ridge from afar. The view, even in McDonald’s, is simply priceless.
Motoring down to see Taal Volcano up close is highly recommended if one’s tired of the same old routine. The visit appears to be more popular among foreign tourists, out-of-towners and balikbayans. They find it amazing that there’s a lake within a volcano, and an active volcano within a lake. Only in the Philippines! 🙂
To go to Taal Volcano, one normally rides a boat from Talisay, Batangas. The legally-approved rate is P2,500 for a group of six persons or more, but in our case, we were a group of four and were able to bargain to P1,500.
The boat ride through the lake is generally pleasant. There’s a view of the fish pens and houses by the water….
Upon reaching base of the volcano, one is required to register and pay a tourist fee of P100 per person. Fee is half the price for children and students.
From here you have a choice of whether to ride a horse or just hike up. The horseback ride is P450 while use of the tour guide is P500. We did not avail of the latter because the trails are really easy to follow, unless it’s dark already. Hence, this is a DIY (do it yourself trek) that’s really easy to manage.
In my opinion, the one hour or so trek up Taal Volcano is a good cardio activity and highly recommended for those fit to do so. Besides, there are a lot of interesting sights to see along the way.
There’s the Stations of the Cross…
A few animals like these goats…
Scenic photo of a man taking down the grass which the horses would eat…
Climb, climb, climb. Just be careful not to step on a lot of horse poo along the way, lol. Before we knew it, we arrived at the destination. I was huffing and puffing but it was all worth it.
Another wonderful opportunity to marvel at the magic of this universe. Heat was literally coming out of the rocks!
Someone was trying to play golf….
And Frederic from our group couldn’t resist drinking San Miguel Beer, even though a bottle cost P100 up there. We were with Danish couple Jannie and Kristian who found the experience fantastic because there are no mountains in Denmark (!!!) Way to go guys!
The hike down was relatively easier than the climb up but it was all definitely fulfilling. Just the exercise I needed after weeks of missing the gym.
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