Hiking in Mt. Pinatubo

Mt. Pinatubo is an active volcano in the Philippines' island of Luzon. Its last eruption 15 years ago formed a caldera and Lake Pinatubo has recently been a hiking destination for many locals and tourists. 

In 2014, my family and I hiked to the crater and it was one of the most enjoyable day hikes that we have done. We were able to organize it in 24 hours with each person paying 1,500 PHP (~$33) and this includes 4x4 transportation to the trailhead, a guide and sherpas who carried our lunch and snacks all the way to the lake. 

4x4's are needed to get to the trailhead

The ride was bumpy, dusty, we had to traverse some rivers and there was no air-conditioning but it was very exciting! After a 45 minute drive, we reached the trailhead and from there it was a 5 km hike with a total elevation of about 1000 feet to the crater lake. The landscape was amazing as you can see from the following pictures!

We met indigenous kids during the hike

It took us about 2 1/2 hours of hiking including tons of picture taking before we reach our destination. The lake was amazing and we stayed there for about 2 hours to have lunch, relax and take in the views.

Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake

My family

Please click on the link for a video taken by my cousin to give you an idea of what the terrain is like:

Mt. Pinatubo Video