One of the first things we wanted to do in the Phiippines was to go hiking on a volcano. The place to do that is Mt. Pinatubo, in the Northern Luzon. The hike starts in small city of Capas, where every hiker is required to register and to hire an official guide + jeep to drive to the hiking trail.
There is also a possibility to arrange everything from Manila including transfer, but then the trip gets almost 3 times more expensive. We wanted to do everything ourselves and came to Capas with a regular bus from Manila.
Since the hikes normally start at 6-7am, we found a motel nearby to get some sleep and to start early (not later than 6am) the next day. Mr. Blue, that's the name of the owner and of the motel, emailed us saying that he will help with the organizing part.
In order to get to Capas and the tourist office where everything can be arranged, we had to take a tricycle for a 24 km ride.
After one windy ride we got to the tourist office to find out that there were none other people at the moment who wanted to go on the hike and could split the costs with us. The locals suggested to wait a little because they were expecting some people who called ahead to show up.
There is even a nice waiting area built opposite to the building.
After waiting for about 40 minutes, we decided to just go ourselves.
First part of the hike is done by jeep, which takes about an hour, and that gets you to the walking path.
The drive is done through the valley that was formed by the lava during the eruption back in 1991.
Because of the volcanic material the place looks like being on the Moon.
But for local kids it's just a normal playground.
After being dropped off by the jeep, the hike is about 15 km up and down. Although we started early, the sun was fully up and walking in +30C was quite a challenge.
They love taking pictures with tourists.
The trail goes through the canyon all the way to the mountain and is mostly rocks and smaller springs. The yellow stuff is sulfate coming through the ground.
This is another reason why you need a guide :-)
YES!!! We are finally at the top! 2 hours going up, but we were the fastest as we passed all the other groups who went up earlier!
Before the eruption, the mountain was 300 meters taller than it is now and had a pointed top. After the it erupted the top exploded, making the large hole and now it has a lake inside.
Gathering the energy for the way back...
The sun was fully up and we were walking for 1.5 hours to get back to the jeep.
Water-buffalo's where there is no water is a strange sight :-)
Finally, after getting back to the jeep, it took us another 2 hours to get back to the hotel.
After taking a shower we went on catching a passing by bus to Baguio city. The ride took almost 4 hours and by the time we got there it was pitch dark. We checked into the hotel we found on the spot and decided to stay in Baguio for the day to get some rest before going further into the Cordilleras.
Next: Baguio - the city of pines
There is also a possibility to arrange everything from Manila including transfer, but then the trip gets almost 3 times more expensive. We wanted to do everything ourselves and came to Capas with a regular bus from Manila.
Since the hikes normally start at 6-7am, we found a motel nearby to get some sleep and to start early (not later than 6am) the next day. Mr. Blue, that's the name of the owner and of the motel, emailed us saying that he will help with the organizing part.
First part of the hike is done by jeep, which takes about an hour, and that gets you to the walking path.
The drive is done through the valley that was formed by the lava during the eruption back in 1991.
Towards the crater the landscape became green again.
Next: Baguio - the city of pines
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