Mt Pinatubo's Beautiful Disaster

This post is way overdue and for some reason, I have forgotten this in my draft folder. Anyhow, here you, and hope you enjoy reading. =)

In June 1991, Mt Pinatubo in Zambales erupted and was considered as the second largest terrestrial eruption in the 20th century. Ash clouds covered almost all parts of Luzon bringing darkness and ash falls went as far as Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. It killed thousands of Filipinos and destroyed agricultural livelihood, infrastructure and most especially the indigenous village of the Aetas. 

Early morning 20km 4x4 ride
with our tour guide
start of the 5km trek
After two decades of Mt Pinatubo's eruption, my cousins and I planned to trek to the Pinatubo Lake. The trek was scheduled on a Sat so we left Manila after office and stayed in our relatives in Bulacan as the call time is at 5am -- 5am we must be at the tour operator's site in Capas Tarlac. We left Sta. Maria, Bulacan at 3am and we reached just in time for the orientation. Upon arrival at the Capas Tourism site, you will need to register and sign a waiver and a short and very brief orientation was provided. Then you need to go straight to your tour operator's site and where another orientation is being conducted -- basically do's and don'ts. After which each group is endorsed to a specific tour guide and the 4x4 jeep. Each jeep can fit 4 pax + 1 tour guide. The 4x4 ride is about 20kms after which you need to trek for 2 hours (about 5 kms), mostly flat terrain. Swimming in the crater is not allowed.

We booked our tour through Sonia Bognot. She's very organize and the price of her packages are very reasonable. She also has positive reviews at Tripadvisor.  We took the Option 1 tour package -- No van transfer package-- Private tour. The cost is PhP1,800 per person. Inclusions in the package are the following:

  • 4x4 jeep - 2 units
  • Local tour guide
  • Tourism fees - entrance, registration, conservation and permit to trek
  • Packed lunch + 1 liter of water
There are shower rooms you can use after the trek however, for a fee of PhP50 per use. Water is not a problem in the shower area and there are ample shower rooms for every one to use. There's no mobile phone signal (of any network!) all throughout the trek.



met Aetas kids along the way
Our Group
at the crater
Overall, it was great experience trekking up Mt. Pinatubo. It was not as hard as I think it is. I suggest to those who plan to go on a trek in Mt Pinatubo to go there when the weather is not too hot as the trek in like a desert area =) Oh, and bring sarong to cover you up if you don't want to soak up some sun.

Details of our Tour Operator:

Majestic Mount Pinatubo Tour and Homestay
Contact name: Sonia Bognot
Contact number: 0918 6021943/ 0932 6094226
Website: https://mtpinatubotourhomestayphilippines.wordpress.com/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All smiles with Philippine Airlines

Image
In my recent business trip to Singapore & Chennai last July 4th, I booked my airticket via Philippines Airlines (for the SG leg) because of the ideal flight schedule (I had to take into consideration my connecting flight to Chennai via a different airline). I did my usual online check-in to avoid the long queue in the airport. I always have this impression with Philippines Airlines that their flights always get delayed (based on the experience of my friends), hence, I was expecting that my flight will be delayed as well. I arrived at the airport and proceeded to the check-in counter to drop my baggage and because my layover is about 10 hours in Singapore, I told the ground staff that my luggage will be "tagged along" (I am not sure if this was the correct airline term). The ground staff who attended to me was very friendly and smiling at all times and proactively placed a priority tag on my bag. She told me that she will be placing a priority tag on my bag so it will no
Read more

A Short trip to the Visayas -- Tacloban Leyte and Marabut, Samar

Image
It was my first time to go to this part of the Visayas region, hence quite excited for this trip. My goal at first was to cross the San Juanico Bridge which is the longest bridge in the Philippines. We took a PAL flight at 12:55pm and arrived Tacloban Leyte at around 3:30pm and went straight to the hotel. We took a jeepney ride to downtown Tacloban as our hotel is located there -- Ironwood Hotel . As we were passing through the city, I can't help but be amazed that this place was once hit by typhoon Haiyan, the strongest typhoon. I looked at the locals and was telling myself, "how did they survive in that catastrophe?". The people are striving to bring back their own city and I must say after 3 years they have done a pretty good job in bringing back their city--their life.  How do I describe the people there? They are very simple, very warm and helpful. I can attest to this because we were once lost and don't know the way to Robinson's. We approached and asked
Read more

Luxury Experience at Thunderbird Resort, La Union

Image
My sisters and I decided to spend our long weekend at Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point, San Fernando La Union. The resort is located 236 km away from Manila and about 5-6 hour drive.   It is a " Mediterranean-inspired luxury resort that overlooks the West Philippine Sea". I really felt that I was at the tip of the North Western side of the Philippines as we passed through the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard bases. It's architecture was influenced by Santorini Island in Greece.    THE BEACH!!! How to go to Thunderbird Resort?  Going to the resort is quite easy as you will need to pass through all the highways (NLEX, SCTEX and TPLEX). From TPLEX, exit at Urdaneta then turn right after clearing from the toll gate. Traverse the Mc Arthur highway for about 88 km to San Fernando.  Things to do The resort is very private and amenities are exclusive for members and guests only. They have swimming pools (including kiddie pool), a
Read more