A lake within an island within a lake within an island that is Taal

If you’re tired of ‘just looking’ at Taal Volcano, you can experience a totally up-close experience of Taal by climbing up to the rim of its actual crater.

From Manila, take the Batangas-bound bus and alight at Talisay (a fishing village in Batangas where the boats take off).  Take a jeepney to get to the Talisay port, where you can hire a banca to go to the “volcano island.”

 

 

After the 20-minute boat ride, you can chose between a horse ride (30 minutes) and a walking trek (about 45 minutes).  Taking the horse ride will take you to the rim much faster and a lot less tiring. You can choose to take a horse without a guide but for some reason, the horses are eager to run and gallop away.  So, it is best to take the guide as well. 

 

 

At the end of the trail is a small sari-sari store.  Bring your own bottled water, since everything in the island is overpriced.

What you’ll see is simply a lake inside the crater, a tiny island in the lake, and interestingly, several gas vents further inside the crater blowing out steam.

 

 

The whole trek will last for just about 2 and a half hours depending on how long you stay at the look-out point.  It is best to go in the morning to avoid the crowd and the heat of the sun.

Going up Taal Volcano is an incredible experience, if not for the adventure, then for the breathtaking beauty of the view from up there. This coming summer, if you and your family is planning to go somewhere near Manila, go to Taal.