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.

History

The lake is volcanic in origin, probably a depression along the Philippine Fault, which runs through it from north to south, and it covers 148 hectares within a natural park of 2,193 hectares. It was first declared a park on 2 June 1972 and became Lake Danao National Park on 3 February 1998, and it supplies drinking water to at least seven towns of eastern Leyte (Wikipedia, Lake Danao (Leyte)).

What's there

• 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.

Good to know

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.

Key facts