AN ISLAND within a lake within an island within a lake within an island. I’ve always loved to say that line as if it’s a tongue twister. But that is how I would describe Vulcan Point, the tiny piece of earth that is located inside the crater of Taal Volcano, a small volcano found within Taal Lake.
When you fly from Bacolod to Manila and you enter Luzon’s airspace, you’ll see Taal Lake and Taal Volcano from above.
Taal Volcano is an active volcano. There are some volcanic activities that occur on the island every now and then, which is why it is best to consult the local tourism office first if you plan going there. I was fortunate to have the opportunity of visiting the island a few years back and climbed to the crater of the volcano.
My friends and I went to Tagaytay at that time, which is very accessible from Manila. We first enjoyed a hot bulalo soup and enjoyed the view of the lake and the island from one of the overlooking restaurants. After a filling meal in the cool city of Tagaytay, we drove towards Talisay, Batangas. At the lakeshore, we boarded a boat to cross Taal Lake towards the island volcano.
Surprisingly, the waves at the lake were huge, and the water was fierce. It was like taking an amusement park ride while holding on to dear life. As we docked at the island’s little pier, we spotted some horses found at the distance. Our host led us to what seemed to be their local stable and asked us to choose which horse to ride to the crater.
There’s an option to walk all the way to the ridge of the volcano’s mouth, but we preferred to ride the horses, which looked more like ponies to us. During that trip, I realized that the active crater of Taal Volcano is not the tiny mound visible from Tagaytay. Instead, it is Binitiang Malaki, a dormant crater in the island.
As we climbed the main crater, Binitiang Malaki came into view to our right. We knew we were nearing the mouth of the island, not only because of the sudden upward slope but also because the color of the soil has changed, and steam was coming out from the ground. It would have been a bit challenging for us if we walked all the way.
At the top, there was a tiny hut where a local was selling fresh coconuts. The horses were led to a nearby clearing while we went to the mouth of the crater. The view was breathtaking. We sat and took in the amazing landscape of the lake in the crater while sipping our coconut drink. Vulcan Point, a rock island within the crater lake, was protruding from the water.
The earth below us was warm and smoke was coming out from various areas near the crater. We looked down at the edge of the crater lake and more smoke was filling the water. The scenery was so serene. We could have waited for the sunset and enjoy the changing colors of the sky while at Taal Volcano’s main crater. But it would be dangerous for us to take the boat back to Talisay, Batangas because of the forceful wind.
After we had our fill of the beautiful sight, we rode our horses back to the pier where our boat was waiting for us. It was a short stay at Taal’s crater but it was an experience I couldn’t forget. Being there on top of its ridge, overlooking at the calm crater lake, what goes underneath it seemed unimaginable. But that’s the mystery of our planet earth. It can unleash its anger anytime, that’s why we have to take good care of it.*
All photos are by this author unless otherwise stated. Claire Marie Algarme blogs at http://firsttimetravels.com. Follow her as @firsttimetravel on Twitter and Instagram and like her Facebook page First-time Travels blog.