Trek to the Taal Crater Lake

There are always two sides of the coin. 

And the trek to Taal Volcano has also two sides.

I explored the easy part  about three years ago (First Trek).

I dared to explore the other side last June 2015 with my friend "Buddy" 

who happens to be a local in the town of Talisay, Batangas. 

I arrived in Talisay, Batangas on board my motorbike. Talisay is just 25 minutes away from my hometown (Tanauan City). Buddy offered the boat for free (usual price is P1,500 - P2,000). 

HOW TO GET THERE

Bus terminal can either be at Cubao (near GMA 7) or in Buendia, Pasay, Taft.

Better choice is Buendia-Taft.

Board the bus with the signage - "Batangas - LIPA-TANAUAN"
Do not board the one with the signage "CALABARZON!"

Normally, travel time is 1.5 - 2 hours. Fare is P99 (or if discounted 79). Alight in Tanauan City and ride the tricycle to the Talisay jeepney terminal. Fare is P10.00. The fare to Talisay is P26.00. Travel time is 30-40 minutes. Alight in Talisay and proceed to any of the resorts and they will offer the boat ride to Taal volcano.

Good thing the weather was alright that day and the boat ride to the island was smooth.

Napayong Island

Taal Lake contains islands and islets namely: Napayong, Bubuin, and Pirapiraso.

Pirapiraso

Travel time to the island was approximately 45 minutes after a brief engine trouble.

It became cloudy upon arrival in the Taal Volcano. We feared that it might rain heavily. But it did not dampen our spirits, we will trek Tall crater lake today!

With the help of some of the locals, we started our trek to the lake. Taal Volcano (the island itself is called "Pulo") is bordered by four towns namely:  Calauit, Lipa; Tibag, Talisay; Panikihan, Laurel; and Alas-as, and Pulang Bato, San Nicolas. 

After 45 minutes of uphill ascent, we reached the viewing area.

The view was majestic!

But the exploration did not stop there. We proceeded towards the crater lake and it took us another 30 minutes of walking.

Finally, after 30 minutes, we reached the crater!

We  wandered around and took our souvenir pictures.

Buddy and his friends even took a dip in the crater lake.

We stayed for only 45 minutes and we headed back to the jump-off point.

The trek back to the boat was a bit more exciting for all of us.

Back at the viewing deck, we met some tourists from Metro Manila who were also trekking the Taal Volcano crater lake.

We ended our trek with a very sumptuous boodle fight and past 1 pm, we headed back to Talisay. Thank you Buddy for the Trek!