Tagaytay
and Taal Volcano are great options for a traveler looking for something to do
on their first day of arrival in the Philippines. They are a great introduction to this great
country and it is not every day that you can say you saw the smallest active
volcano in the world! Tagaytay’s most prominent point of interest
is the Taal Volcano. Sitting in the
middle of Lake Taal, Taal Volcano is the worlds smallest active volcano and the
Philippines second most active.
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| Taal Volcano in the distance from Tagaytay, Philippines |
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| Me riding a horse to the top of Taal Valcano |
The
port on the volcano island is pretty touristy and there is not much to choose from
as far as food goes, so I would recommend eating in Tagaytay before you even
start the trip to the volcano. The trail
to the top of the volcano is fairly short and could be hiked in about 45
minutes or you can pay to ride a guided horse to the top and back for 450 pesos
($9). Not knowing how long or hard the
hike would be we opted for the horses to save time, though it was about the
same as those that hiked, and to save me having to lug all my camera gear up a mountain. In hindsight I would have saved the money and
just made the hike.
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| Trail to the top of Taal Valcano |
Although
the trail to the top is not a hard one it is hot, so I advise to bring
water. If you happen to forget though
there are many stalls along the way selling water and sodas to thirsty hikers
or vying horseback riders to buy a soda for their guide. Once at the top there is a viewing area to
look down into the water filed crater with streams of steam coming from cracks
in the earth and a viewing tower to see the amazing views of the surrounding
area. There is supposedly a small area
where lava can be seen for an extra 50 pesos ($1), but I can’t confirm
that.
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| Taal Volcano crater |
How to Get There
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| Riding the boat to Taal Valcano |
Located
about 56 km from Manila, Tagaytay is the first stop for many tourists on their
way through the Philippines. The
cheapest option for traveling there is by bus; costing 65 pesos ($1.30). It is
just a short toktok ride (200 pesos; $4) from Tagaytay to the lake, down a
winding road with some awesome photo opportunities of the volcano from
afar. Once at the lake you can easily
set up an excursion to cross the lake and get to the top of the volcano. To rent a boat it is 2000 pesos ($40), which
is the norm across most of the islands, plus the captain’s, location,
ecotourism fee (the last two are per person). All in all, it cost the two of us 3350 pesos total.
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