UPDATE 2023: The Philippine Government has declared the Taal Volcano to be a ‘Permanent Danger Zone’ and access to the area is currently prohibited.
You won’t be able to land on the island at the moment, but these tours from Manila will take you to various viewpoints.
Did you know that there’s a special list of the most hazardous volcanoes in the world?
There are just 16 of them on this list – from all around the world – and they have the nickname of ‘Decade Volcanoes’.
(The name sounds quite cool but it only came about because this project was started during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.)
So from Russia to Mexico, Spain to Japan, these potentially deadly volcanoes are given special attention because of the danger they pose to humans.
They were chosen because of their history of destructive eruptions and their proximity to large populations.
One of these volcanoes is called the Taal Volcano and it’s in the Philippines. Oh, and you can hike to the top!
Taal Volcano Tagaytay
The Taal Volcano at Tagaytay is often described as ‘an island within a lake within an island within a lake’ because of its rather interesting geological formation.
The larger of the lakes is in the Taal Caldera, which was formed by ancient eruptions.
The mountain rising out of the middle of it is the active volcano. Water has collected inside its crater to form a new lake and there’s a small island popping up above the water surface.
This makes the journey a little different to the way you might normally approach a volcano hike (if there is such a thing as ‘normal’ in these situations). It’s certainly nothing like the time I climbed Villarrica volcano in Chile!
Taal Volcano tour
The first step is to take a boat across the large lake for about 20 minutes, landing on a sandy beach at the foot of the mountain. From here, the options are to either trek up the steep slope or ride a horse.
I opt for walking – partly because I quite enjoy this kind of trekking and partly because I feel sorry for the horses and am unsure of how well they’re treated.
Although I don’t question the ethics of my decision, there are a few times I do curse myself.
The Taal Volcano hike is long and takes at least an hour.
The sun is rising higher and sweat pours from my body. There is no shade and the horses kick up dust as they race by in both directions.
I feel my skin burning and my leg muscles doing the same.
Halfway up there is a spot to have a break at a stall where a young boy chops open coconuts and sells them under the watchful eye of his father. Enterprising. And just what’s needed ahead of even more uphill.
Eventually, the climb to the top comes to an end. I feel like I’ve been sunburnt and I’m desperate for a bottle of water.
Thankfully there are quite a few shops here with all sorts of food and drink. This is a natural site – a potentially deadly one bubbling away with lethality – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to buy a cold beer, apparently.
Enjoying the Taal Volcano vista!
Whether the visitors here choose to trek up like me or ride on the back of a horse, the main attraction is not the journey but the destination.
Standing at the rim of the volcano, looking around the 360 degree panorama, the views catch you in every direction.
Whether it’s back out over the lake I’ve just come, across to the other mountains and green landscapes in the far distances, or down into the centre of the Taal Volcano itself.
It doesn’t look too intimidating, I have to admit. There’s no fierce bubbling or gushes of toxic-smelling gas. No lava spews forth and the ground doesn’t rumble.
At one end of the viewing platforms, a Filipino man is charging tourists to hit golf balls out into the centre. With the warm sun, the beautiful views and the gathering of visitors, it’s actually quite peaceful.
Perhaps that’s the most frightening thing of all. Something that appears so serene hides an enormous danger.
This is nature at its geological, uncontrollable, scariest. A quiet blue lake is actually the entrance to a fiery inferno in the bowels of the earth. And it’s right beneath me.
As a Decade Volcano, researchers are keeping an eye on Taal Volcano and I’m not worried there’ll be a sudden eruption – but who really knows when it will explode next and bring destruction with it.
It could be coming sooner than any of us realise. Time to climb down and cross the lake to safety again.
Practical information for a trip to Taal Volcano
The easiest way to visit Taal Volcano is to join an organised tour. I’ve got a few suggestions here for you.
Take note, though, they don’t all take you to the crater so have a look at the details to find the one that’s best for you.
It is possible to organise a trip to Taal Volcano yourself but there are a few elements and it can be a bit tricky if you don’t know the area very well.
How do you get to Taal Volcano?
From Manila, the first step is to get a bus to Tagaytay. The best ones leave from Coastal Mall or Buendia. The trip should take about 2 hours and cost about ₱95-₱150. Get off at Tagaytay Rotunda and Olivarez Plaza.
From Tagaytay, you need to get a tricycle or jeepney to Talisay. That should take about 30 minutes.
At Talisay, the next step is to get a boat across the lake to the volcano. There will be plenty of people here offering their services, so you won’t have any trouble finding something. You may have to do some bargaining to get a good deal. You should be aiming for about ₱2000 for a return boat trip (for up to 6 people).
If you’ve made it this far, the good news is that means the tricky part is over. All you now have to do is hike up the volcano. The bad news is that this will be the hardest bit physically!!
To get back, just do everything in reverse.
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Anything geological is a worthy destination! A bit of coconut on the way up sounds luscious, and it looks like the views were worth every bead of sweat.
Dangerous, but sooo beautiful.
Hey Michael
Oh, wow, I love volcanoes! That looks magnificent!
Ok, so it’s missing the lava and steam and rumbling… But the shapes it’s created in the landscape are beautiful.
And it’s also what you said about the knowledge of all of that power bubbling right there, so close to the surface. It’s such a reminder of the raw power of the earth and of our transience, as we gaze out over it. Or hit a few golf balls into the caldera!
Martina 🙂
Looks amazing – definitely on my to-do list!
Wow, even if it looks calm now, it must have certainly been an interesting experience, especially with thinking about what’s just beneath it!
Sounds a fabulous experience but I agree those horses are probably not looked after well. The one in your photo looks very thin and down trodden. Do they get many tourists here? They should be able to charge a fair price, make a reasonable profit AND look after the horses fairly well. That aside, I’d love to take this journey one day.
It is an exhilarating experience to be on an volcano. I’ve been on Vesuvio and White Island in New Zealand, the latter requiring a gas mask and a release form. I’ve never been to the Philippines, but this looks like a great hike!
Wow I have always wanted to go somewhere like that and experience seeing a volcano. Definitely something I will organise for myself and do now
Woowww Volcano is my first love and was planning to go somewhere i can see them. Here is the place i was looking for. Great info and Clicks to describe about the place.
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu…………….
It seems so placid that its hard to believe that disaster could strike at any moment. Makes me regret not seeing it when I had the chance, as it might not be there anymore when I head back to SE Asia!
Thanks for sharing this insightful article about taal volcano. Did not know Philippines also had volcanoes. I am planning to visit Indonesia next month which has world’s most active volcanoes: Krakatau Tambora, and Merapi.
Oh yeah, that whole part of the world is just full of them. Although Indonesia is just crazy – it’s like a whole country made only of volcanoes!! 🙂
Last year, I had the chance to go down the crater and take a dip at Taal Lake’s warm sulfuric waters. It was a great experience to see up close portions of the lake at boiling point and steam (that smells like rotten eggs) coming out from the searing ground. I had no idea that Taal is one of the most hazardous volcanoes in the world until now.
Oh wow – that’s pretty cool! I didn’t realise you were able to do that. Or only in special circumstances? I bet the rotten egg smell was really strong, though. Not sure I would want to jump in the water with that aroma!! 🙂
Definitely a beauty!!! Hoping I could go there to hike in a year or two with my family 😀 But yes, I agree with you.. It’s a frightening idea that as you stand there to enjoy its beauty, you can’t take away the fact that beyond its serenity, is the entrance to a fiery inferno.. But it’s really amazing how a beautiful sight was formed by a something that we think is dangerous 🙂 Awesome!! love the pictures 🙂
I’ve only been able to see Taal Volcano from People’s Park in the Sky in Tagaytay. It is such a beauty and so I was looking forward to see it closer the next time I visit. It’s just sad that it erupted early this year affecting a lot of residents and their livelihood, including tourism. 🙁
I’m going to be in Manila next week and was hoping to do this on Sunday, so I wrote today to look into booking a tour, and was sadly told that the lake and the trail up the volcano are still closed due to the eruption 3 years ago! Bad luck for me…
Hi there
I planned a whole trip to Luzon, partly based on what I read in this article.
Nobody has been allowed on Taal volcano now for over three years. Sorry to say that this blog post is now out of date and misleading. There are also boat owners willing to mislead tourists into thinking they’re getting a ride to the island to do the hike before sending them on a boat trip with no stop, as happened to us.
I think you need to either remove this post or add a very clear disclaimer that the trip is now not possible.
Thanks for posting this very useful information since we were planning to go to Taal Volcano and you made us change mind Appreciated ! i was trying to find if it was still accessible on the web and I could only find this info here
I completely agree that this post was misleading. He dared to update the post to 2023 but in fact no one was allowed to go for three years.
Not just that. Locals also won’t tell you that it’s not possible to go, so the tricycle man will bring you down, knowing that he will have to bring you up again and charge exorbitant prices.
The local boat man also don’t say that you can’t go, instead they tell you to come back tomorrow.
I don’t have anything against the Philippines or Filipinos, but sometimes I think that poverty has simply driven some Filipinos to completely tap on any situation that can give them money. So many times in the Philippines was I taken advantage of simply because people rather have your money, rather than to help you.
Wished I saw the comments section first before I went down just based on this post. Really misleading blog owner. Will be flagging this.
I was right in Tagaytay in Sept 2023. Taal was smoking like anything. I do have pics/videos showing all white smoke coming out from volcano. There was no lava. Only white smog. There was no way to go down. People (including me) were roaming with N95 marks on face. I stayed near Taal Vista hotel in Tagaytay but couldn’t do that trek to volcano mouth.
I am going to try it this year. Author might have gone but may be little early in 2023. Surely not after August! Any idea if its open for tourist now?