Taal – Talisay and San Nicolas, Batangas, Philippines

Below the highlands of Tagaytay, about 50 kilometers south of Manila, lays Taal, the second most active volcano on the Philippine islands.

Taal Volcano

Our visit began on a cloudy, misty morning in Tagaytay. We had just arrived by bus after a three hour trip, and were eating at the local McDonald's. It was the first time I had ever seen a volcano, so I was anxious to find transportation down from the highlands. We hired two tricycles to take us on the winding road leading down into the valley where Taal lake was situated. Part of our purchase price was a trip across the lake on a motorized pontoon boat that would take us to Volcano Island.

By the time we reached the lake, the mist had cleared and the clouds had finally thinned some, letting a pale sun shine down on us. Climbing onto the pontoon boat, they started the motor and our journey out across the large lake began. Though the mist was gone, it didn’t prevent us from finding ourselves damp from the spray caused by the small waves that continued to strike the boat as we hurried across. It took about 15 minutes to cross the lake to Volcano Island, and as we neared the shore, we could see a few other pontoon boats moored at a small dock. On shore we saw one building just up from the shore, which turned out to be a small welcome center for tourists. Besides that one isolated building, there was only a village of tiny concrete houses and huts, and an abundance of horses, which I soon found was the main mode of transportation up to the top of the volcano.

It was only a few minutes before each of us was sitting atop a small horse with our guide sitting directly behind us guiding the horse as it traversed the worn and twisting trail up toward the volcano. The trail had seen much use over the years, and in some areas there was a trench that had been worn deep into the ground until it’s sides rose taller than the horse and rider. Other times we walked beside vents of steam where the hot gases continuously released into the air. It was an eerie feeling passing by those vents, as if we had ventured into Dante’s own travels through Hell. The areas around the vents were barren and rocky, though much of the island was covered in lush green due to the rich volcanic soil.

After about a fifteen minute ride through the winding upwards trail, we reached a narrow ridge, where off to one side was a few small buildings resembling open pavilions that was filled with visitors. That is where we dismounted the horses, and found ourselves gazing down into the active volcano of Taal.

The caldera, or valley of the volcano was far below us, and filled with a lake, and one tiny island called Vulcan Point situated in its dark green waters. We could see steam rising up from the edges of the water, and even along the volcano walls there were areas where we could see steam being vented from openings in the ground. It was a beautiful site looking down into the heated waters, and along the steep green cliffs that lined the volcano’s interior. There was an oddly peaceful feeling in the quiet surroundings, but beneath our feet the pressure was slowly building for another eruption on this very active volcano.