Last Holy week weekend, I also had the opportunity to finally climb Mt. Pinatubo. Mt. Pinatubo is located at the intersection of the borders of Tarlac, Zambales and Pampanga. You may know it because of the disastrous effects of it’s last eruption June of 1991, which caused several towns to be buried under lahar. The areas around the mountain have recently been re-utilized and re-developed for tourism purposes with hopes of bringing more jobs and awareness to the area.
Picture taken from NASA website.
Leaving manila at 4AM and arriving at Sta. Ines was more pleasant than I initially thought.
Daybreak crossing a bridge with lahar across Sta. Ines
The 4×4 ride was FUUUNNN!! Kuya Alex (our kind and skillful 4×4 driver) maneuvered through the rough roads and dips and climbs of the small rivers with our guide seated on the front hood.
The hike to the crater proved longer than i initially thought (3-4 hrs each way!), but it was well worth it! There were some trees and greens along the way and the streams provided cooling for our warm feet. I love the clouds over the crest (?) of the crater though I was not able to fully capture it with my pictures. The dip on the lake in the crater made my skin and white shirt little yellow but it was interesting to dip in that sulfuric lake. (I hope it helps eliminate pimples too! hehe!) Hope you enjoy the pics!
Lahar mountain - reminds me of Lord of the Ring’s Mordor
At the start of the hike
The peaceful lake in the crater or Mt. Pinatubo. Do you see those people on the beach below? I liked that the clouds were covering some portions of the peak.
The sky was clearing up a bit and I was able to get this cheerier picture above. You can also take a paddle boat tour of the lake (P500 to rent I think.)
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
the beach was IN the crater?
May 5th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Yes, that’s right. Similar to the taal volcano lake inside the crater. I was told that towards the middle of the lake the water can be quite warm. The water by the beach was rather cool, perhaps because of the high altitude. It was a bit chilly up there.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
i heard that the lake inside taal’s crater contains sulfur.. hmm.. the idea of swimming in the crater of a volcano is unappealing and scary for me.. hehehe
i watched in discovery that the erruption of mt. pinatubo emitted thousands of tons of sulfer, causing the earth’s atmospheric temperature drop 1-1.5 degrees by forming a shade that blocks some of the sun’s rays to penetrate our atmosphere– this might help in the global warming problem right now. However, the sulfur in the atmosphere can cause acid rains, thus destroying many crops and forests. haaaayyy…
May 9th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I have a lot of Pinatubo shots that was given to me by one of the Generals that helped there during the disaster.The cloud of sulfur really looks nice, but it has caused a lot of lives and years of hardship.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
@fairlady-z: upload! upload!
May 13th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
i really want to go to pinatubo.. :\
May 14th, 2008 at 11:57 am
@dianaslittlehelper: you can actually smell the sulfer in the lake but it isn’t very strong… unlike Mt. Taal. The dip the lake was refreshing, the water was actually cool. The sulfer made my shirt a little yellowish, but it’s said to have some medical benefits. If you look at some of the medicated soaps being sold locally, i think it also has some component of sulfter.
@superbong: It’s quite affordable to go with a group of friends - maybe around 4 of you. Our total cost was only around P2k - P2.5k
@fairlady-z: Yes, it was hard for me to imagine that underneath the lahar we were passing on existed whole barrios before… and the lives they lived there before the eruption.
May 27th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Wait! But the lake is in the crater, right? Then i think there is lava on it . But when Mt. Pinatubo erupted, what happened to the lake in the crater?
June 16th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Natural springs all over the world usually contain a bit of sulfur, and they’re known for their healthful properties.