Mt. Pinatubo: Things that Matter

Location Matters
Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano located in Luzon, is bordered by the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga, and Zambales. If you were born before the 90s, then you know that it erupted in 1991. Before the eruption, its summit was at 1745 meters (5725 feet). Now it's at 1486 meters (4875 feet) above sea level.

Mt Pinatubo before the 1991 eruption (Source)

To get there:
1. Take a bus to Capas, Tarlac (buses from Cubao going to Baguio, Alaminos, and Lingayen will pass by Capas) and ask to be dropped at Capas Junction. From Cubao: Five Star Bus schedule every 30 minutes. Travel time: 2 hours. Fare: Php 172
2. At Capas Junction, hire a tricycle to take you to the tourism office in Sta Juliana. Travel time: 45 minutes. Fare: Php 300/tricycle/3 pax

If you need to fly in, the closest airport to Tarlac would be Clark Airport in Pampanga. From Clark, take a taxi or any public transportation to Mabalacat bus terminal. At the terminal, take a bus bound for Dagupan or Pangasinan and tell the bus conductor you will be getting off at Capas, Tarlac. The bus ride will just be an hour.

Mt. Pinatubo's Crater Lake, May 2013

Time Matters
How this trip actually went...
0100 Left Cubao Terminal (bus)
0300 Reached McDonald's Capas Junction, Tarlac; breakfast at 3AM
0400 Left McDonald's Capas Junction (tricycle)
0445 Reached Tourism Office in Sta Juliana
0500 Tourism Office opens
0530 And we're off on a 4x4
0630 ETA 7km from crater lake
0730 ETA 1km from crater lake
0800 Crater lake! Take photos, eat, snooze
1000 Started walking back to where we left our 4x4
1030 Drove back to the tourism office
1130 Reached the tourism office in an hour since we didn't make any stops
1200 Went back to Capas Junction (tricycle)
1245 Reached McDonald's Capas Junction; lunch
1400 Caught a bus to Cubao
1600 Arrived in Cubao bus terminal


Money Matters
Five Star Bus from Cubao to Capas, Tarlac Php 172
Tricycle from Capas Junction to tourism office in Sta Juliana Php 300/tricycle/3 pax
4x4 vehicle (can fit up to five passengers) Php 3000/vehicle
Guide per 4x4 Php 500
Conservation fee Php 300/person
Packed lunch Php 200/person
Aeta community Php 150/person
Bus from Capas to Cubao Php 167

A parade of 4x4s

Other Things that Might Matter

♦ Check the weather. Have a Plan B. Your trip to Mt. Pinatubo could get cancelled a day or two before your schedule, depending on the weather and the condition of the area (heavy rains can cause landslides, rendering the way impassable).

♦ Book your 4x4 ahead through Wendell Mercado (former president of the 4x4 association in Tarlac) at 0919 608 4313. You can also check out his website for more information.

♦ Avail of a packed lunch (also thru Wendell Mercado) for Php 200. Pricey, yes, but it exceeded my expectation. It was a complete lunch! It had rice, fish, pork, eggplant, tomato and salted egg salad, and a banana. It also included a 500ml bottle of water.

♦ Tourism office opens at 5AM. If you go on a weekend or on a holiday, it is best to be at the tourism office as soon as it opens so you can start ahead of the others.

♦ Go pee before you get on your 4x4. Toilets (fee of Php 10) are available at the store across the tourism office. Once you get on the 4x4, the next available toilet is still 24 km (or two to four hours) away.

♦ Bring something to cover your nose. It's going to be a long and dusty ride (one to two hours per way).

♦ Bring a hat. It'll be a long ride under the heat of the sun. Lucky if it's cloudy.

♦ If you're a lazy bum like us, pray for really good weather and pray that the 4x4 can make it all the way to a kilometer from the crater. Then you'd only have to do an easy 20– to 30–minute walk to the crater.

♦ There will be times when the last stop of the 4x4 is 7 km from the crater lake. Prepare to walk for two to three hours across streams, loose rocks, and boulders, with no trees to give respite from the heat. Best to wear hiking sandals.

♦ Bring a liter of water (or half a liter if you avail of the packed lunch) and some trail food in case you have to do the 7 km hike.

♦ Nothing doing at the crater. No swimming. No boating. Just eating—there's a store selling drinks and snacks—and snoozing.

♦ Locals say it usually rains in the afternoon and heavy rains could be dangerous. Listen to your driver and guide. They know best when to leave.

♦ You might want to wash away the thick layer of dust on your skin after the trip. Bring towel, toiletries, and extra clothes. You can use the shower room at the store across the tourism office for a fee of Php 50.

♦ Lastly, get enough sleep before the trip. Do not be like us—just two hours of sleep...on the bus!

Mt. Pinatubo:
Good News/Bad News
Things that Matter (you're here!)

Mt. Pinatubo: Good News/Bad News

Good news. Seat sale! Here's my chance to fly in to Clark and go to Mt. Pinatubo, a place that's been sitting on my list for a long time. Travel date: five to twelve months in the future. No problem, I can wait. One month comes and goes, two, three, four months. 

Bad news. One month to go before I can cross Mt. Pinatubo off my list and I receive a message from the airline that the route I booked has been cancelled. The options they give me are to either cancel the ticket for a refund or to book to another destination. The next nearest airport that the airline serves is Manila, two hours from the jump–off for Mt. Pinatubo.

Good news. I reroute it to Manila and, from the original four days, I shorten the trip to two since my only intention was to visit Mt. Pinatubo. This, at least, will save me from spending for extra days and save my vacation leaves, too.

Bad news. Of the original five that have agreed to go on this trip, only three push through. That means each of us will have to add a bit more to the budget for the common expenses (4x4 vehicle and guide).

Good news. The day has come for me to fly to Manila. Planning on sleeping for a few hours once I get to Manila.

Bad news. Flight is delayed. That means no more time to rest before getting on the bus to Tarlac.

Good news. My good friend, who is based in Manila, picks us up at the airport, we go to her house and repack our things. We check that we have everything we need, zip our bags, then jump in a cab and catch the bus to Tarlac. As soon as we settle in the bus seat, sleep takes over. Our slumber is interrupted two hours later: we are already at McDonald's Capas Junction. McDonald's is open 24 hours, we go in and have breakfast—at 3AM! The earliest breakfast I have ever had.

From McDonald's it's 45 minutes by tricycle to the tourism office. It was still dark when we got there, with one lone light coming from the container–van–cum–office. As the clock slowly approached 5AM, 4x4 vehicles started coming and the officer–in–charge finally arrived.

We were asked to sign some forms and pay the fees. In half an hour, we were churning up a cloud of dust, kilometer by kilometer, on a 4x4 jeep (it's 25 kilometers to the crater from the tourism office). We ate no one's dust—we were the first group to go!

Some scenes along the way

As we approached the start of the hike, seven kilometers from the crater, the 4x4 that had overtaken us a few moments earlier, parked and its contents spilled out, ready to walk. We were aware that it's a seven–kilometer hike on a bad–road–day, but our driver, taking a chance, continued and saw that it was passable. Wheeee, the lazy bums rejoice! We wouldn't have to walk for seven kilometers! With a grin, we pass the hikers and I watch them until they disappear from view. Some minutes later, I see a 4x4 some distance behind us and laugh as I recognize its passengers—it was the group that had started walking. So we weren't the only lazy bums around!

 One kilometer from the crater

Six kilometers of loose rocks, boulders, and streams, and the 4x4 stops. This is the last stop for the vehicle. And we are left with just a kilometer of hiking.

We were the first group to reach Mt. Pinatubo's crater lake and had it all to ourselves for a good 30 minutes. The lake was green, not the turquoise I was hoping for, but click, click, click the camera shutter went, recording every possible angle. (I have always wondered why the color changes. If you know why, do tell me!)

A green crater lake

Swimming in the lake is not allowed. Boating activities have also been stopped—the boats were all padlocked in a shed. We had nothing else to do but bring out the mat, devour our packed lunch at 8AM, then rest under a tree with stomachs full.

Packed lunch turned breakfast part two (left); resting under a tree (right)

One last look before we leave

We only spent about two hours at the lake. Reaching the place where we had left the 4x4, we were amused at the sight: there were more than forty 4x4s! And I thought we were lazy.

A 4x4 convention!

Some photos taken on the way back

Some crazy bikers going to the crater lake under the heat of the scorching sun

Thanks to the sun who was shining at full power, it was the longest ride back to the tourism office. We reached the tourism office sweaty, sleepy, and covered in dust. The store in front of the tourism office will surely make some money if all the other groups arrive in the same condition as us—thirsty and grimy. Aside from selling cold drinks and food, they charge for the use of shower rooms (Php 50) and toilets (Php 10). Such enterprising people.

We traced our way back to Manila the same way we had come: tricycle, bus, cab. At my friend's house, we hurriedly washed up, took a nap (we'll just wake up at 6 for dinner) that turned into a good deep sleep. We woke up at 6....in time for breakfast.

Mt. Pinatubo:
Good News/Bad News (you're here!)
Things that Matter (Itinerary, Budget, and Tips)