Trekking in the Small but Deadly Taal Volcano

The astounding volcano within a lake and a lake within the volcano. This is originally a huge 18ft volcano located in Batangas, Philippines, but now tagged as the smallest active volcano in the world. A series of eruptions in the past makes this a small but deadly creation. Most people just tend to visit Tagaytay City, an overrated weekend getaway destination due to its cool climate (in Philippine standards) and accessibility from Manila. Tagaytay visitors seemed contented to see the scenic view of Taal volcano, but the real adventure doesn't end there. 

During the volcano’s seemingly sleeping state, anyone can actually take a 30 minute trek (depending on your speed) up to the crater. And from there, seeing the view or even swimming in the Crater Lake, you’ll know it’s all worth it.

Getting There:

First you should get to Tagaytay City. There are different routes and modes of transportation to get there and probably one of the easiest is via Balibago in Sta. Rosa which will take 1-2 hours.

Take a bus from Buendia (Manila) bus terminal, Jac Liner has buses going to Balibago, ask the bus conductor to drop you off at the jeepney terminal bound for Tagaytay. Tell the driver that you should get off at the jeepney terminal going to Talisay, and from here is another 40-minute travel time.

Once you get to Tagaytay be prepared to be greeted by touts. There’s really nothing adventurous to do around here, so just head straight to Taal.

It might be difficult to take the public transportation especially if it’s late and you need to go back soon. You can also hire a tricycle up to Talisay, which is much expensive but faster. Once you’re in town, you can take a 30-minute boat ride going to Taal Volcano.

You have two options to get to the crater, by foot or by horse ride. The locals here will pretty much try to make you believe that the horse ride is the only best way to go. For the budget wanderers, trekking can be done by hiring a guide, horse ride is fast but can be an absolute rip-off especially if you didn’t get to know the real price beforehand. Poor horses being used for scams (Check the prices below). You don’t need to have some mountaineering or hiking experience to do this. In fact one can even do it alone by just following the trail or the lazy tourists on horses triumphantly making their way up to the crater. Yes, you can certainly do this alone, only if you manage to get away from the touts.

Notable Things:

The wet boat ride to Taal

Trekking stop overs to catch the scenic views around

The crater lake

Horses everywhere

Bulalo (Beef Stew) you can eat in Tagaytay after a tiring day

Budget Matters:

You will only have a slight problem about prices when you get to Tagaytay City. People telling you about the cost of boat and horse ride is a sure headache. If you didn’t research on the prices, you’ll end up playing guessing games trying to figure out if you are being cheated or not.

Prices are of course subject to change. This is just to give you an idea on how much you need to prepare beforehand.

For the budget wanderers, this is the do-it-on-your-own cost.

Bus from Buendia to Balibago - Around P60

Jeepney to Tagaytay - this wouldn’t cost you more than P60

Tagaytay to Talisay by Jeepney - this wouldn't cost you more than P50 or by Tricycle (2way) - P500

Boat Ride to Taal Volcano - P1500 (2way).

Horse Ride to the crater - the most offered by the locals is the horse ride. The real cost of this is only P500, be sure not to negotiate in the main entrance with some sort of tout organization. They will try their best to make you believe that the cost is P2500, which is a major rip off! Try to get to the right side entrance going to the Taal trail. If you continue walking and following the path, some locals will restlessly offer you the horse ride, which could even get lower up to P400.

Trekking to the crater - if you are not so sure about trekking on your own, you can hire a guide for P1000. However trekking up to the crater is not that far and difficult. Sure enough, the trail might be steep and slippery at times due to some rocks and pebbles, but seriously a trekking guide is not necessary. Just follow the trail and patiently ignore the existence of those people following you on their horses trying to make you give in to their offers.

For food and accommodation, it all depends on what you want to eat and stay. Seeing Taal Volcano and Tagaytay don’t really require more than a day, so you can pretty much save money by just settling on a day trip. For food, there are plenty of options in Tagaytay City. Splurge on the popular Bulalo (beef stew) for around P500, which is already good for sharing.

Nuisances and Joy killers:

Being the tourist haven and the battlefield of weekend warriors, expect a lot of touts and cheaters trying to ruin your whole experience. Try your best to get away from them. Some people might appear to be really helpful, well in exchange for something of course. On the other hand, don’t ruin your whole trip by being overwhelmed with all the thoughts of not being able to trust anyone. Just be smart and think clearly, scout for the real prices by asking the local residents.

What’s annoying in traveling here in Philippines is that you have to do a painstaking research to avoid being cheated. Locals are not immune to this but foreigners are most often the victims. In Taal, the most irritating is the main entrance, where some touts will try to make you believe that it’s some kind of  private property and that the only way to get in is by horse ride. Don’t believe in this, there are some narrow ways around there which could get you to the Taal trail. Just try not to get noticed as you try to walk away. There are many tourists and locals on their horses you can follow and the trail is pretty much an obvious straight way, so don’t worry, you will not get lost.

What’s worse is that some trekking guides are working for those people in-charge in the trekking entrance. One local guide said that for P1000 guide fee, he will only get around P300. And after the whole trekking, he will still wait for some tip on top of the P1000 initial payment. It seems that the local guides do all the work while the people in front sit and get paid more. If this is really the case then this is a major concern that should be taken care of by the town's government.

Horse traffic, every now and then you’ll find youself stopping to give way. Just be patient, and eventually, you’ll find yourself conquering the cheater’s delight when you reach the top.

Horse shit everywhere.  It’s like a videogame, trying to avoid some obstacles and killers. Despite your attempts to avoid stepping on it, there are some paths almost covered of horse poops, so you can’t really get away from it. Locals seemed not bothered with it anymore, so pretty much it becomes a normal part of the whole scene.

Posted by MissForlorn, Photos by Peregrine