This trip was the one trip that had me cursing for six long hours. Why six hours? Because that is what it takes to climb the crater and back to the all terrain vehicle. That's why! And worst I went there wearing slippers (two of my friends were wearing mall attire! hahaha!).
We started our trip at around 3am, but actually started the trip at about 15 minutes to 5am. Since I'm from the south side of Metro Manila (and so are my friends), we took the bus from Pasay City (Victory Liner) all the way to Tarlac. Then from there we took a picturesque ride of a tricycle from Capas, Tarlac to Sta Juliana town where a throng of big ass 4x4 jeeps awaits outside the tourism office. (I would say it's best to buy food prior to travelling and buy water instead of soft drinks.) Here you would do the paper works like waivers in case I end up dead while agonizingly trudging that once mighty of a mountain. And the most important of all the payment.
So in a nutshell this is how my trip looks like:
*Pasay terminal (victory 170 pesos)--Capas, Tarlac
*Capas, Tarlac(tricycle 100 pesos)--Sta. Juliana or also known as Pinatubo
*Sta. Juliana/Pinatubo Eco Park(1500 pesos for 4x4, environmental & guide fee) -- crater (picture, sleep, eat, picture, sleep)
*Pinatubo crater-4x4 ride back to Sta Juliana
*Sta Juliana/Pinatubo Eco Park - Capas Tarlac [choice of jeep (15 pesos)] or [tricycle (now only 25 pesos)] death march memorial along the way.
*Capas, Tarlac - Pasay City (Victory Liner Bus Php 170.00/pax)
Now why would I recommend you should do your grocery before trudging this mountain? Becasue you can't buy anything at Sta Juliana. I bought a bread or a stone bread and can't even chew it. To top that i bought a two liter coke as my thirst quencher all the way up to the crater.
Why the long walk? It seems that two weeks prior, a great landslide occurred and destroyed the easy path which should have made me walk 30 mins to the crater instead of 3 hours. So the only option is to take the adventure road via the river bed. It was fun fun fun!
By the way the meal included is served at the tourism office. So bring foods! Lots of it.
What to do at the crater
I guess swim..but I did not. The water is cold and the wind is colder.
I dipped my feet and hands though and slept at the sand by the lake due to extreme exhaustion.
Nevertheless the 4x4 ride was the most satisfying.
Oh don't bring your car unless you have a designated driver. The walking would render you useless to drive back to Manila.
Below are pics I've taken.
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| 4x4 ride from starting staion via lahar fields |
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| 4x4 waiting area |
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| me @ crater lake |
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| food included @ package |
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