The Taal Volcano/Lake is said to be one of the most picturesque and attractive views in the Philippines.

Our friend recently got back from the United States, and since she was only going to be here for a short period (2 weeks), we planned to steal away every chance we could, to be able to spend time with her. We had a loooot of options of where to go, and we ended up going to Tagaytay. We originally planned on lazing around – just reading books in a cute library or coffee shop, or maybe enjoying a simple brunch at Bag of Beans.

But because we’re all for “sense of wonder, spontaneous adventure,” and all that stuff, we went hiking! Even under the scorching heat, it was still worth it! 🙂

Our meet-up place was Greenfield, because it’s very accessible to all of us. From there, we just rode a bus (will note the breakdown of that later) to Olivarez. The Olivarez Plaza/ Terminal is very easy to locate because it’s just a few steps away from the famous Tagaytay Rotonda. You can just easily get to where you’re going from this point, so make sure the bus drops you off here. If you’re bringing a car, then it’s much easier.

From there, we just hopped on the first tricycle we saw that will take us to Taal Lake, and the price is not at all bad. The fare was P250 (others were charging P400) to be shared by three people.

Upon reaching the small town lining the lakefront, many locals will greet you to offer their boat ride packages. The one we got was worth P2,500, to be divided among the 6 of us. Thinking about it now, we definitely could’ve bargained for a cheaper price, because I had another contact who was willing to give us a bigger discount, and all I needed to do was hit “call.” But, I really can’t remember why we were rushing to avail the package, so, without question, we just paid for it. Anyway, this helps them pay the bills, and put food on the table, so, letting that go. 😀

The locals will also try to convince you to order the food in advance, so you can simply eat after the exhausting hike, but DO NOT BE PRESSURED! There are better food choices once you head to Tagaytay; not to mention, reasonably priced. (P200 difference for the Bulalo, wow!)

Note: I’ve been to Tagaytay numerous times, and not once did I think of hiking to the Taal Volcano’s crater. It’s a stunner from afar (albeit looking like a still painting), but seeing the whole view from the top is definitely 3x beautiful. If you’re getting bored of Sky Ranch, People’s Park, Picnic Grove, or any other restaurant, why not try hiking to Taal Volcano? Technically, this is already Batangas, but still, it will complete the Tagaytay adventure!

Arriving at the docks, we headed straight to the Registration Area to claim our stub (we already paid for the fees prior to getting there). The locals were insisting we ride the horse and get a tour guide, but we were “nagmamagaling” plus “nagtitipid,” so that’s a pretty stubborn combination.

Just to get them off our backs, we coolly replied “we already know the way,” but I guess our first-timer impression was pretty strong because in the end, they managed to convince us to get a tour guide. If you want to save P500, I encourage you to just hike without a guide. The trail is very visible (you won’t get lost), and you’ll meet lots of people halfway to the top (you won’t feel lonely or scared). ONLY if you’re flying solo, then try to find a buddy, or just settle for a guide.

Our tour guide was Kuya George. He was very friendly, and would offer to take our group photos (#1 advantage of having someone accompany the group) whenever we feel like it. He’d also share some stories about the place, as well as his personal life, so it was pretty interesting.

Not exactly prepared to hike

Just look at us (L-R)

I was completely wise to wear a jacket under the hot weather. (I changed into a shirt I had with me – thank God I have one! Lucky me.)

Umba had a semi-casual outfit with cute doll collars. She belongs perfectly in a cozy & posh area (sosyal! Look at her being sassy with her peace sign)

Trixi (although you can’t see the get-up in the photo above, but you WILL, later) looked ready to take on another busy day of intense audit.

Celina, the balikbayan friend, donned a casual get up plus wore her new, white shoes. (Good thing it didn’t rain, or else she’d be forced to brave a muddy/dirty trail)

Kristine decided to go for something plain and simple with her Hogwarts shirt (too bad, she can’t Wingardium Leviosa her way to the top of Taal) and lastly;

Ariel, the balikbayan friend’s boyfriend, wore a sporty-casual look because he was supposed to play Basketball by 9PM (..but he didn’t make it in time. Or maybe he just chose not to, so he can spend more time with his girl YIEE).

We were hiking during the hottest time of the day – 12:30pm, but according to our guide, we were still “fortunate,” because it’s usually hotter than that. He said that if we arrived a week earlier, we’d be very, very uncomfortable.

The sun’s heat was physically draining, so we’d stop every now and then to rest, drink water, take photos, and of course, revel in the beauty of the scenery before us.

Sharing the trail with horses

Most of the visitors were Chinese and Koreans, and because they’re all fashionably dressed, they preferred riding the mountain horses instead of walking all the way up.

Here’s a sequence of me getting all excited to have my picture taken (my good friend even leaves the frame), only to be pushed aside (I’m exaggerating) to make way for the horses. The last photo shows me happily blocking the way for the next batch of four-legged friends.

I forgot to mention, make sure you’ve stocked up on water or refreshments. Once you get to the top, it’s very, very expensive!! P50 for Coke (300ml??) or water, and P100 for Gatorade. The gradual ascend also makes for a gradual increase in the price of beverages. 😛

Don’t pass up the chance to see the Taal Crater view atop the Red Lava (not-really-that-red) rocks. It’s simply beautiful!

If you’re used to hiking, and you’re really living that “akyat-bundok-life,” you’d probably say there’s nothing much to see here – apart from the crater and the steam coming out of the rocks, and that there are far better sites… That’s probably true. But for someone like me who only goes on nature getaways on occasion, it’s something worth appreciating. 🙂

After we were satisfied with the quantity of photos we took here and in the Viewing Deck, we decided to head down so we can eat our late lunch.

If the climb up took us 1hr +, going down was (obviously) easier and only took half the time for us to hike. Be careful, though. The road/trail is SLIPPERY so you better hold on to those rocks, to avoid slipping hilariously, like one of us did. Haha.

Like how we got here, we went for a quick boat ride, before asking to be dropped off at Olivarez. Our fare was now P350 (before was P250) because we asked the driver to wait for us. But again, you can always haggle.

After the tiring hike, we went to Mahogany Market to fill our stomachs! Super worth it. Good thing we decided to eat there. Compared to fancy restaurants, this one isn’t featured in travel magazines, nor is it famous for having an Instagrammable look. This place simply serves delicious bulalo plus other viands. If you don’t mind eating in a bulalohan strip inside a wet market, this place is for you! No photos because we were SUPER hungry.  😛

Then, we just bought pasalubong before heading to Sky Ranch – our last stop – so our balikbayan friend can ride a horse. We were supposed to go to People’s Park, but it was already past 6 at the time and we weren’t sure if the horses have already clocked out. Hehe. Going to Sky Ranch on a weekday is super nice, because there are only a few people inside.

Our Tagaytay trip was very DIY, and to be honest, we weren’t able to maximize our time  or our expenses there. Sharing here an estimate of our expenses (not specific, I probably added P3 or so because I wasn’t able to keep the receipts lol).

TRANSPO
Greenfield to Coastal Mall (BUS) P23
Coastal Mall to Olivarez (BUS) P78
Olivarez to Taal Lake (TRICYCLE) P250 or P84/3pax
Taal Lake to Olivarez (TRICYCLE) P350 or P117/3 pax
Olivarez to Mahogany Market (JEEP) P9
Mahogany Market to Olivarez (JEEP) P9
Olivarez to Coastal Mall (BUS) P25
Coastal Mall to Greenfield (BUS) P78

FOOD
KFC Lunch (opposite Coastal Mall) P100
Mahogany Market Bulalo King P1,850 (2 bulalo, iced tea, calamares, tawilis, sisig, banana, lechon paksiw) or P308/6 pax. We paid more than this amount because of the rice, and extra drinks.

ACTIVITIES
Boat Ride + Hike + Environmental Fees + Tour Guide P3,000 or P500/6 pax. Also prepare P50 for the entrance in the Red Lava area
Sky Ranch Entrance P80 + Rides P200

PASALUBONG P300

All in all, that’s P1,961. 🙂 You may customize your activities if you want to go frugal, or if you want to splurge some more. That’s it for my Travel Friday!