Taal Volcano in the Philippines is known to be the one of the Philippines’ wonders, not only for the beauty it possesses, but also for its mind-blowing geographical location.
The volcano is an island within a lake on an island within a lake on an island in the ocean. Got it?
Growing up in the Philippines, it has always been the must-see view from Tagaytay. Last August 2019, I had the privilege to take a closer look when I flew back to the Philippines to shoot a TV commercial. Little did we know that just a few months after that, this active volcano would decide to wake up.
Here’s a glimpse of the short trip the team had to the Taal Volcano.
BOAT RIDE FROM TALISAY
From Tagaytay, we drove down to Talisay then got on a boat to the volcano itself.
TAAL VOLCANO
When we got off the boat, none of us felt we were on an actual volcano.
It looked and felt like a normal island!
HORSEBACK RIDING TO THE MAIN CRATER
To get to the crater, you could either hike up on foot or on a horse.
Of course we chose to ride a horse. Ha!
I was assisted by a local named Junior. Throughout our journey up, he told me about life on the volcano.
He doesn’t own the horse, he said. He was hired by someone to train and be the caretaker of the horse. According to him, out of the entire payment we gave, he would only take home Php100 (roughly $3) from it.
That would have to last him for the entire week since there are over 500 horses in queue. After one trip is over, he would have to wait again until it’s his number’s turn.
You see that volcano-shaped island at the left side of the photo below? Ever since I was a kid, I always thought that was Taal Volcano. Apparently not!
When we got to the peak, we got off the horse and just had to walk up a bit to get to the vulcan point/crater.
VULCAN POINT
The view was unbelievable!
It was surreal to even think that we were at an active volcano.
The locals there said we could go down and actually swim there, but we decided not to.
Imagine how that would be though!
Looking back now, especially after the recent Taal volcano eruption, that would have been an unforgettable experience.
Taal Volcano, Philippines | August 2019
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