Cagsawa Ruins

The bell tower at Cagsawa is what remains of a Franciscan church destroyed in the 1814 eruption of Mayon, the volcano's deadliest, which buried the town under volcanic material and killed a large number of people who had sheltered in and around the church. The tower now stands alone in a park of grass and old lahar deposits with the cone rising directly behind it, and that alignment - ruin in the foreground, near-perfect volcano behind - is the image that represents Albay and appears on the country's currency. The park has a small museum, souvenir stalls, food vendors and operators renting ATVs for rides out over the lahar fields toward the volcano. The catch is Mayon itself: the summit spends much of the year in cloud, and a visit can easily produce a photogenic tower with nothing behind it. Mornings give the best odds.

What you actually see

• The bell tower - the surviving belfry of the buried church.
• The Mayon backdrop - the cone directly behind on clear days.
• The lahar field - old volcanic deposits across the park.
• The ATV routes - rides out toward the volcano's base.

When to go

November to May, at sunrise or early morning, for the best chance of a clear cone. Mayon is in cloud on most afternoons in any season.

Honest expectations

The volcano may be entirely hidden - plan for it. Vendors are persistent, and ATV rides and parking are charged on top of entry. The site is small and busy with tour groups by mid-morning.

Nearby

Sumlang Lake, Quitinday Hills and Hoyop-hoyopan Cave are all within half an hour; Daraga Church is minutes away.