Mt. Pinatubo: The Beautiful Disaster

Earlier this year, my friends and I trekked Mt. Pinatubo. I never imagined myself as someone who would be adventurous enough to go trekking. It was certainly something that I thought about but never had the guts to do. I thought I wasn’t brave enough but I guess with the help of my friends I proved myself wrong.

Mt. Pinatubo is a dormant stratovolcano located in Botolan, Zambales. Its last eruption was on June 15, 1991 and was the second largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century. The eruption caused a formation of a caldera and over time became a crater lake due to abundant rainfall.

We booked our trip via www.trekkingpinatubo.com. We paid P2050 each which was already inclusive of roundtrip transfers to and from Mt. Pinatubo, 4x4 jeep with driver and local guide, and all entrance, fuel, toll, and tax fees. 

The van arrived at my friend’s house at 3:30am and we arrived at Mt. Pinatubo’s registration site at 6:30am. I was asleep the whole ride to Pinatubo that I didn’t realise that I lost cellular service along the way. I got so worried ‘cause I wasn’t able to text my mom that I had arrived safely. hihihi yes, I text my mom about my whereabouts all the time. 

The jeep ride goes through a very bumpy ash terrain but the view is incredibly breathtaking. It gets really dusty during the ride so it’s best to wear a scarf to cover your mouth and nose and sunglasses to protect your eyes.

There are two options for the trek. Option one is a longer jeep ride and a 30 minute ascending trek to the crater. Option two is a shorter jeep ride and a 2 hour trek to the crater. We chose option two. It was relatively easy and only the last 30 mins were ascending. We had to cross a few streams along the way. 

More like 30 mins to the crater for us :))

So many steps!

After sooooooo many steps, we finally made it!

The crater lake is absolutely stunning! So beautiful! 

I got terrified going down the lake though :)) The stairs were really steep and I am afraid of heights. I swear my knees were trembling when I had this photo taken. 

We stayed at the shore of the crater lake for about an hour or so. We took some pictures and had lunch before heading back. 

Girlaloos!

Pinatubo crew

It was a really perfect day to go to Mt. Pinatubo. It wasn’t too hot and it was quite windy. I was so tired during the jeep ride back to the registration site that I actually fell asleep. 

You may wash up after the trek at the registration site. They charge P20 (tabo) and P50 (shower). I would recommend washing up before going back to Manila as you’ll get really dusty after the trek. 

Here are the things that I brought with me during the trip:
1. Cap
2. Scarf
3. Sunglasses
4. Sunscreen
5. Baby Wipes
6. Hand Sanitizer
7. Extra Clothes
8. Raincoat
9. Face Towel
10. Bath Towel
11. Slippers
12. Snacks
13. Packed Lunch
14. At least 1.5 litres of water
15. First Aid Kit
16. Toiletries 
17. Camera

Mt. Pinatubo is actually my second trek. My first time was at Mt. Batulao last year. I didn't take pictures during that trip because it scared the bejeezus out of me. HAHAHA I did have a lot of fun and it was quite an adventure as we were met by a storm right before we reached the peak. I'm not really sure if I'm up for any more climbing adventures this year. I think once a year is more than enough. It'll take a lot of courage and convincing before I'll say yes to another trek this year. We'll see if I'll reconsider. 

'til my next adventure!