Mount Pinatubo

In 1991 Pinatubo erupted in one of the largest volcanic events of the twentieth century, throwing so much material into the atmosphere that global temperatures dipped measurably, and burying the surrounding valleys under grey lahar. What it left behind is now the reason people come: the blown-out summit filled with water to form a crater lake of an intense milky turquoise, ringed by raw ash walls streaked with erosion. Reaching it is half the experience, a bone-shaking ride in an open four-wheel-drive across a wide moonscape of lahar flats and braided grey riverbeds, followed by a walk of an hour or two up a boulder-strewn valley into the crater. The contrast between that lifeless approach and the sudden colour of the lake at the top is the whole point. Trips run as long day excursions from Angeles or Manila.

History

Before 1991 Pinatubo was little noticed, at 1,745 metres and only about 600 metres above the nearby plains, and its last study before the eruption was a survey in 1983 and 1984 by F. G. Delfin for geothermal exploration. Its ancestral volcano began about 1.1 million years ago, and on 15 June 1991 the modern Pinatubo produced the second largest eruption on land of the 20th century, after Novarupta in 1912 (Wikipedia, Mount Pinatubo).

What you'll find

• The crater lake - the turquoise water filling the blown-out summit.
• The lahar flats - the grey ash moonscape crossed by four-wheel-drive.
• The eroded canyon walls - the ash and pumice cliffs streaked by rain along the trek.
• The trek in - the walk up the boulder-strewn valley to the crater rim.

When to go

November to May, the dry season, is the accessible window; the rains swell the rivers across the lahar flats and the route regularly closes entirely from around June to October. Trips start very early to beat the heat and be back before afternoon storms. Weekends and holidays are busiest.

What to expect

Access is only with registered four-wheel-drive operators and guides, and the route closes for much of the wet season, so check before travelling from afar. The drive is genuinely rough and dusty, and the walk, while not steep, is over loose rock in strong sun with no shade. Swimming in the lake has been restricted at times for safety, so do not count on it. It is a very long day from Manila.

Nearby

Angeles City and Clark are the usual bases; the Zambales coast lies west over the mountains.

Key facts