Sumlang Lake

Sumlang is a modest lake - a few hectares of water in a bowl of farmland near Camalig - and it would be unremarkable anywhere else in the country. In Albay it has one thing nothing else has: on a still morning, Mayon's cone reflects whole in it. The local community turned that into a small enterprise, restoring the lake with a walkway, gardens and a fleet of decorated bamboo rafts that boatmen pole slowly around the water while passengers photograph the volcano over the reeds. Cafés and a viewing deck sit at the shore, and stalls sell Bicol snacks. The whole visit takes an hour, and it works only when Mayon cooperates: the volcano is famous for spending days at a time with its summit in cloud, and the mirror effect needs the wind down as well as the sky clear. Come at sunrise for both, and treat a cloudy cone as the normal outcome rather than bad luck.

What you actually see

• The reflection - Mayon's cone doubled on still water.
• The bamboo rafts - poled circuits of the lake.
• The lakeside walk - gardens, deck and snack stalls.
• The farm setting - Albay's fields around the water.

When to go

November to May, at sunrise, for the best chance of a clear cone and still water. Mayon hides in cloud on most afternoons year-round.

Honest expectations

It is small and quickly seen - an hour, not a day. The volcano may not appear at all. Raft fees are per raft, so groups share the cost.

Nearby

The Cagsawa ruins, Quitinday Hills and Hoyop-hoyopan Cave are all within twenty minutes; Legazpi is the base.