Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon.
How to get to Mount Pinatubo?
- Bus from Manila, Alight at 5 Stars Terminal (McDonalds Capas Junction)
- Take a jeep at P100 per pax to Sta. Juliana Tourism
- Register at Sta. Juliana Tourism who well then arrange the 4×4 ride, be five in a group to maximize the sharing cost for the 4×4 ride. P2300
Do remember to hydrate yourself adequately! Bring plenty of water bottles. For me, I brought 1.5l in total. For allowance, bring at least P3000. I spend close to P2500 for transportation allowances and environment conservation fees. A great tip would be to purchase lots of snacks! I packed tuna cans with bread, biscuits, chips and even cake to share with the local guide as well. I reached the base of the village at around 7am and had to wait for the first jeep to set off at 8am. A local guide would be assign to you (you'll pay of course!), and the driver will drive you to the volcano.
The journey will be really bumpy and I suggest you get a mask! It gets quite dusty at times (due to the volcano ashes) and the ride there will be soooo shaky. Waved hi to a few locals!
Entire day trek for this!!! Damn worth it.
The journey will be really bumpy and I suggest you get a mask! It gets quite dusty at times (due to the volcano ashes) and the ride there will be soooo shaky. Waved hi to a few locals!
My friend took an unglam shot of me lol
The journey starts. By the way Mount Pinatubo is an active volcano!
I swear that my legs gonna break. There are so many tiny rocks and many times I felt like giving up and regretting my decision to come here lol. It was so tough, the sun was so hot, the paths are uneven and had to cross freezing water streams many times.
but for this view, it's worth it.
Occasionally, I'll see some villagers walking past or playing with rocks and pebbles. There's even a province nearby, and the locals had to cut through the volcano every single day.
Oh, and it rained at around 230pm.
I think near the crater of the volcano, there's a lot of water flowing down that explains so many plants growing near the area. I think I might accidentally stepped one or two tadpoles while climbing up. Here's our guide bringing us!
Native Philippine kids. I gave them one packet of chips and they are really happy. Such simple joy.
I'm not sure whether this is a buddhist thing, but I always see this around! People would stack the pebbles up, and it's amazing how it didn't fall. I am pretty sure that I'm the first batch of hikers going up to the volcano! So literally there's no way people would stack this first.
Shit. Fat face alert.
I got mega sunburn afterwards.
So god damn beautiful!!
The animals ploughing the fields.
Chilled too much until people catch up lol.
The place is really gorgeous! You can see volcano minerals (that look like diamonds) shinning in pile of volcanic ashes.
There's so many OOTD places!
When i saw this, I was so happy! I think I belonged to Senior Citizen category lol, took 20 minutes to head up the crater. I was holding my bladder too (thank god for toilets there and resting areas!), as we are not allowed to pee anywhere as we wish to protect the environment lol
Entire day trek for this!!! Damn worth it.
Gorgeous sunrise at 730am.
After trekking, you can actually head to the mud bath or spa which is nearby the province! Didn't managed to try it since I've work the next day. It was a great and tiring day trip! I don't suggest you guys to take any tour packages as it would cost almost 2-3 times of the price. Plan early and you'll definitely get there I promise! Check weather forecast too, it will be difficult if it's raining. On our way back, there's some issues with the jeep crossing the mud river. Have lots of fun!
Note: Swimming, kayaking, boat ride and staying close to the water is currently not advisable according to Department of Tourism due to the harmful substances found in the lake.
Tourism Contact Info
SATELLITE MUNICIPAL TOURISM OFFICE
Brgy. Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac
Ms Mai (0947-3912134)
www.capastourism.com
SATELLITE MUNICIPAL TOURISM OFFICE
Brgy. Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac
Ms Mai (0947-3912134)
www.capastourism.com
