Taal Volcano

Taal is one of the most geologically nested places on earth: a large caldera lake, an island rising from it, a crater on that island, and a small lake inside that crater. It is also one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes, with a long record of destructive eruptions, most recently a major eruption in January 2020 that covered the surrounding towns in ash and forced mass evacuations. The classic view is from the ridge at Tagaytay, where the whole caldera opens below you and the air is noticeably cooler than Manila, and where a row of viewpoints, cafés and the Picnic Grove have grown up to serve it. Whether you can go further than looking depends entirely on the alert level set by the volcanology institute at the time.

History

In the 1800s the volcano was known as Pulo, Bombou or Bombon, and the lake as Bombon Lake; the town of Taal and the Taa-lan River, now the Pansipit, took their name from the taa-lan tree that grew along the river and the shore. Taal has 39 confirmed historical eruptions, with a recorded death toll of about 6,000 across that history, and it was designated a Decade Volcano, to be studied closely so that future disasters can be prevented (Wikipedia, Taal Volcano).

What's there

• The Tagaytay ridge viewpoints - the full caldera panorama, reliable and free.
• Taal Lake - the caldera lake itself, with fishing villages along the shore.
• Taal Heritage Town - Spanish-era houses and a very large basilica in the town of Taal.
• Picnic Grove and the ridge cafés - the cool-climate strip above the lake.

When to go

December to April for clear views; the caldera is often hazy or clouded in the wet season. Weekends bring heavy Manila traffic up to the ridge, so weekdays are far better.

Things to know

Access to the volcano island is not guaranteed and changes with the official alert level, which can be raised at short notice; treat the crater trek as a bonus rather than the plan. The old horseback trek to the crater has been criticised on animal welfare grounds. Tagaytay's viewpoints are heavily commercialised, with entry fees to look at a view that is free from the roadside.

Nearby

Manila is under two hours away; the Batangas dive coast lies south.

Key facts