Lake Danao, Leyte

Lake Danao sits about six hundred metres up in the hills behind Ormoc, a long lake curved in a shape that maps and local descriptions both call a guitar, ringed by forested slopes and cool enough that the air is a relief after the coast. It is a national park, and the setting is the appeal rather than any single feature: a road runs along part of the shore, there are picnic areas, a camping ground, kayaks and pedal boats for hire, and a trail that circles the lake for those who want a longer walk in the forest. Birds are good in the early morning, and mist on the water is common at dawn. The lake also feeds a hydroelectric scheme, and the Leyte geothermal field lies in the same highlands, so the drive up passes a mix of protected forest and energy infrastructure.

What you actually see

• The curved lake - the guitar shape from the shore road.
• The forested slopes - hills rising around the water.
• The kayak launch - boats for hire at the shore.
• The dawn mist - cloud sitting on the lake early.

When to go

December to May for drier weather. Early morning for mist and birds; nights are genuinely cool at this altitude, which suits camping.

Honest expectations

Facilities are basic - picnic huts, toilets and a campground. The road up is winding and public transport is limited. Rain arrives quickly in the highlands.

Nearby

Ormoc City is an hour below; the Palompon boats for Kalanggaman leave from the coast beyond.