MT. PINATUBO
Central Luzon
Major jump-off: Brgy. Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac
LLA: 15°8'35"N, 120°20'54"E, 960 MASL
Days required / Hours to crater: 1 day, 45 min 4x4 + 2 hrs hike
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1
This destination is available in PinoyMountaineer Tours. Individuals and groups can avail of affordable, backpacker-friendly rates. Click here for more details.
BACKGROUND
As you behold the crater of Mt. Pinatubo, after a two-hour walk, you will be filled with awe. It will be - and this is not an exaggeration - sensory overload, for who would imagine seeing glacier-like barren brown peaks with white smoke effusing up, in the background of a crater lake that was in itself enchanting? It was truly an awesome sight to behold.
That will just be the culmination of wonders, in an action-packed expedition to the world-famous volcano, whose eruption brought forth a desolate landscape that can aptly be desc
ribed as 'out of this world'. The 45-minute 4x4 drive to the foot of the mountain from Capas, Tarlac, is exhilirating; you will feel as if you were on a Disneyland ride in real life, as the 4x4 jeep crosses varicolored streams and an endless plain of volcanic sand. The two-hour trek that will ensue will take you to more volcanic formations; streams varied in color, depending on the minerals: there was ferrous red, sulfuric yellow, and algal green; there are cliffs of lahar that precariously stand tall against the remnants of a once tall (1,700+ MASL) mountain. The destructive force of the eruption is manifest wherever you would look. And finally, after arriving at the crater, after beholding the incredible sight, you could swim across the crater, and treat your way in the murky, reddish, mildly sulfuric water.
Although more of a tourist spot than a mountaineering destination, the Mt. Pinatubo trek is a must-do for Filipino mountaineers because of its stark difference from the regular mountains. Instead of forests you have stretches of sand; and instead of the blue-green mountains, you have a white-gray-brown, almost Alpine, formations.
The elder generations will remember Mt. Pinatubo as a forested mountain; indeed, prior to 1991 nobody expected it to erupt. After all, its previous eruption, 600 years ago, is recalled only in myth as a war between Apung Pinatubo and Apung Sinukuan ( Mt. Arayat ), in which the former threw stones at the latter. The 1991 eruption had worldwide implications: spewed ash reached as far north as Russia , and worldwide temperature dropped by 1 C. There are so many stories and narratives about this internationally-renowned catastrophe.
It is unimaginable then that the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century will, less than two decades later, give rise to one of the country’s most beautiful travel destinations. However, the relative barrenness is a transient phase which will be gone in a matter of years. Trees will grow and the landscape continues to evolve. Hence, enthusiasts are encouraged to visit Mt. Pinatubo while it lasts! The next time around it may no longer be the same.
ITINERARY
0230 ETA Manila for Capas, Tarlac via NLEX (P140)
0500 ETA Capas, Tarlac. Breakfast
0600 ETA Brgy. Sta. Juliana; finalize prior arrangements
0700 Board 4x4 vehicles; adventure begins!
0800 ETA end-of-the-road; start trek
1000 ETA crater of Mt. Pinatubo. Explore the crater
1130 Lunch
1200 Start return trek
1400 Back to the 4x4s parked
1445 Back at jump-off point
1500 Return to Manila
1900 ETA Manila
SPECIAL CONCERNS
A limiting factor in Mt. Pinatubo is the expense. One of the cheapest available tours is being offered in PinoyMountaineer Tours. For inquiries, you may contact us at info@pinoymountaineer.com or call/text us at 09204719371. Click here to access the Pinatubo Tour page.
It is safe to swim in the crater of Mt. Pinatubo , but do not go in the middle. The guides warn that currents might drown you or pull you underneath. Kayaks may be rented at the crater lake.
You may climb Pinatubo at any time of the year, but pay attention to weather conditions especially during the wet season months of May to September. Heavy rains, especially those of typhoons, cause lahar floods that have stranded tourists in the past. PinoyMountaineer does not recommend attempting climbs to Mt. Pinatubo if there is any storm within Luzon, even if there is no storm warning for Zambales and Tarlac.
TRIVIA
The color of Mt. Pinatubo ’s crater varies from blue to green to brown. From December to February, the color is a beautiful cyan.
RELATED ARTICLES
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Recent Comments
43 comments:
hi gideon! do you have to rappel to get to the crater? thanks. cheers to mountaineering!
no, there's no need to rappel...from the viewdeck, a trail leads down the crater; it is frequented by climbers and tourists alike and its just an ordinary footpath. cheers likewise!
Hello Gideon.
I am planning to take a trip to philippines next month and i would really like to climb Mt. Pinatubo. Where do you suggest i should go to get more information about it, and how to reserve a day of when to climb it?
Thanks.
you may contact the cellphone numbers provided in this article to arrange your trip. alternatively, there are travel agents in manila, subic, and angeles city who conduct regular tours to mt. pinatubo. being more of a tourist spot than a hiking destination, it is quite easy to arrange this.
gideon, do you have a sight where it shows some tips of what clothing attire we should be wearing when hiking mt. pinatubo? I would greatly appreciate it. thanks.
Mt. Pinatubo Crater Expedition
May 10, 2008 Saturday
ETD:6AM/ ETA: 8PM
12 out of 20 slots left. Book and buy.
P2,199/ pax
Inclusions: RT aircon transfers from Metro Manila, 4x4 vehicle and driver, buffet lunch, fees, etc
Pls text me at 0920.952.5285 or email me at info@e-philippines.com.ph
Look out for our upcoming adventure trips for the rest of the year: whitewater rafting, diving, many more
from danaiskra
"magandang araw, we've just been to pinatubo last saturday may 3rd.. we'd just
like to warn you folks that the 'skyway' is closed/blocked. thus the supposedly
45-min trek is currently not possible.. we had to take a longer trail which took
about 2.5 hours one way. sabi ni manong guide, they don't know when the skyway
will be fixed, probably after rainy season daw.
btw, thanks for this site! very helpful and inspiring!"
Hi Gideon,
My friends and I are planning to have a Mt Pinatubo (day tour) adventure either on a Saturday or a Sunday. Is August still an "ok" month to do this trip?
BTW, the information is really really helpful. Thanks for this. Cheers to the entire group c",)
@danaiskra: belated thanks for the update! sorry i sometimes have difficulty in checking up on all the pages in the site ^^
@anonymous: pinatubo is okay year round though the color of the crater lake changes. just avoid rainy days. we've heard of tourists (mostly koreans) getting stranded because of lahar/floods in the past.
thanks for all your support!
im thinking of trying to book a half day helitrip to mount pinatubo with dale abenojar tours. does anyone know of any other tour operators who offer half day tours that would end in time for me to make manila airport for midday. dales heli tour ends in manila at 11am......unfortunatley i have less than 24hours in manila so my options are limited. all suggestions welcomed.
sir gid,
i have heard about a trail from Porac, Pampanga, the Delta 5 Trail, any details about that trail? sobrang hirap ba? Thanks!
Lloyd
We, revisited Pinatubo last saturday, August 22, '08. Our group of friends did a side trip to purok Tarukan, an aeta settlement of at least 50 families. We handed out some stuff and talked with members of the community, it was a new experience.
From the jump-off, the terrain had changed alot. Nothing was the same since we visited last March 2008. There are alot of fresh landslides which is a constant reminder of the risks that come along with the beauty of the place. Our guides told us that a couple of foreigners where bruised & battered by the rushing river when they were hiking down. It happened near the bend were you could find a wooden ladder on the left going to the crater. Even the area along the water source and the view deck itself has considerably changed - eroded by the rain.
We had planned to stay overnight, but we were not able to make arrangements ahead of time. For those who plan to do so, the PDC said you have to arrange with the Tourism Office @ Tarlac Town Hall(They had no idea of the fees). After you sign the waiver, you have to bring it to a certain Major Magugat at the Airforce Camp @ brgy. Sta. Juliana. They will then assign one or two airforce personel to escort the group overnight. According to the receptionist @ the PDC, the Airforce may ask somewhere between 1k-2k for the services, most likely, you provide food for them too. It's additional expenses, but better safe than sorry. Some tourists were held up @ the Skyway Jump off some months ago(according to our guides).
Since our overnight plan could not push through, we requested the guides for an extension @ the crater, we left around 5pm. That means, we had to do some night trekking. It was a new experience, but abit scary as well, especially that rain clouds were constantly above us, and showers were pouring once in awhile. Not advisable during the rainy season. Summers, very possible, but risky with the said hold-up people around.
We arrived @ sta. juliana the night before, we spent the night @ the eco-tourism guest house which was managed by the Barangay. The PDC would charge 500 if you plan to sleep on their open area, where they give massages. The tanods on duty said the normal rate for the guest house was 150/head per day. They have descent CRs/Showers, running water and electricity. So not bad at all. Since we were a big group, we bargained to pay 100/head for 2 nights. Some slept in the rooms, the sala area, the balcony area, the basketball court at the adjacent school. Not bad for the rate we were paying at.
Overall experience for this 2nd trip? Not like the first time at all. It was like a first time.
A few of us from the group managed to go to the opposite side of the crater, where the mud starts flowing. The shore line on that side was hot @ 44C on the part were water touches sand. The view from that side, breathtaking!
Salute to the 4x4 drivers who wont leave the rest of the group (Some went down around 230PM - the drivers waited for us who left the crater @ 530PM). We left jump of 720PM. Good showing of Team spirit. Even though they were abit rough with the drive home, possibly due to the empty stomachs and being bored waiting for us most of the day.
Negatives from that trip:
No information posted @ the PDC regarding the New Overnight Policies they have. Even if they said it was possible when we called before going.
The fact that the Airforce requires additional payment for the escort service. (Why not put up an outpost(permanent or temporary @ the crater or somewhere along the hiking trail to make the visitors safer).
Food supplies we left in the guest house kitchen went missing when we returned. The tanods pointed to the dogs, there were a couple (Uncooked rice, dried fish in a plastic container, eggs on a tray, choosy dogs). Good thing, we left extra clothes, other things in the VAN.
It seems that there is tention between the guides/PDC people. They can't seem to talk face to face (it's just me or something is not really right with them there).
Some guides need more lectures on handling/relaying important messages, especially in large groups. And regarding the importance of the lead, middle, and sweeper roles(I guess they know it but just choose to ignore it). They are not that sensitive to hikers that obviously need help (choose to ignore too, i think).
This is abit long but i hope, informative.
Thanks Sir Gid for this space.
@lloyd: i've heard of this alternate route but the details are still unclear -- i'll inform you guys immediately if i get wind of info. sorry 4 d late rep!
@anonymous: thanks for sharing your experience in mt. pinatubo. it is a great comment, exactly what we need to keep the itineraries in the website updated!
sir/mam,,,
hingi lng po kmi ng total o ng gastos sa ngaun sa mt. pinatubo...mgsset po kmi ng mga kgroup q po ngayong oct. po mga last wik po...qng pde lng po pkisend nlng po sa email q po-tieetay@hotmail.com
sna po msend nyu po smen
TAGAC MOUNTAINEER
-MAM lovely po ito
thnx po
thanks for the great info.
it is 4,875 feet tall
the mountain is 1475m (around 4875 feet( tall, but the crater lake, which is the destination of this itinerary, is 960 meters.
hi,
We are planning to climb Mt. Pinatubo and this is our first time to go ther. Can you please let us know how much we are going to spent on this adventure? Also, where or whom should we contact for the 4x4 vehicle? How much does it rate?
Thanks in advannce,
Annie
tour rates would usually cost anywhere from 2000-3000/person.
as for the do-it-yourself, my contacts in capas tell me that for a group of 5, costs would amount to 4500 -- not including the transpo back and forth from manila.
hi gideon. i just want to ask, hus ur contacts in capas? we're planning to go to pinatubo ds month. thanks a lot!
Hello! do you have any upcoming tours to Mt. Pinatubo or do you do this on a "per-commitment" basis? My friends and I are planning to go anytime between April 4-14, the date's not sure yet. BTW, how much would it cost us from Manila and back? Thanks!
hi, we organized tours per request, and we offer the lowest prices from manila. if you have an email address where we can send more details ,pls let me know. thanks!
sir roland
please do send me the details of pinatubo tour. my e-mail address is habagat_mbihag@yahoo.com. we plan to go there on march 28, 2009. group of 6 kami. thanks.
mario bihag
Sir Gideon,
i'm a regular visitor of this site, I notice on "Mountain Finder" function, when you select Pinatubo it goes directly to Mt. Ugo Traverse link,
Thanks,
Cezar
Sir Gids,
This article was of great help, we were planning on going there this weekend. Lalu na kong naeexcite pumunta, hehe. Cheers to Mountaineering
- BaGs
s there a camping site @ mt.pinatubo??
2 French tourists dead as 'Kiko' batters Luzon...
sir/mam!
ipagdasal po nten ang mga kapatid nteng nasawi sa trek nila sa pinatubo, sa kasagsagan ng bagyong kiko... pati na rin ang guide at isa sa mga rescuer.. godbless! at salamat po..
-
hi, just wondering. do you offer overnight packages? i think nafeature kayo dati sa inquirer tas simula nun sobrang gusto ko na talaga umakyat. okay lang ba paemail details sa tinkulot@yahoo.com? thanks :)
pde ba ndi sumakay ng 4x4 d2???lalakarin lng hehehe
reminders to all tourists who are planning to have there trek or adventure to Mt. Pinatubo, please take good care of your belongings because they will never return it back to you when you left them...
magkano po bayad s 4x4? balikan po ba un?
The Tarlac Mountaineering Club(TMC) invites everyone to
TARLAKYATAN
'a gathering to visit the provinces trails and peaks
May 29-30
Tarlac Province
in celebration of the tarlac provincial day the club, mountaineers, hikers, trekkers and enthusiast coming from the different places of the philippines will simultaneously climb the provinces different mountaineering-camping destinations like:
MT. BUNGKOL BAKA
Limited to 20 Slots
Reg. Fee: P800
MT. TANGISAN TRAVERSE
Limited to 20 Slots
Reg. Fee: P800
PINATUBO CRATER
Overnight-Camping
LImited to 20 Slots
Ref. Fee: P2500
MT. TAPULAO TRAVERSE
Tarlac to Zambales
4 Days; May 26-30
LImited to 15 Slots
Reg. Fee: P1500
*Registration is inclusive of a round trip shuttle service from the tarlac bus terminals to the resort, round trip transportation from the resort to the jumpoff points, roundtrip 4x4 jeep rental for clients going to pinatubo, permits, guide fees, event i.d., commemorative t-shirt, certificate and dinner at the post party event
*this project will also support the organization's adopted communities primarily the school children of brgy. labney mayantoc, tarlac.
*for inquiries, questions and comments pls. contact:
MARCO DALIDA
TMC Public Relations Officer
09275281396
email us at tarlacmc@gmail.com or visit www.tarlacmc.multiply.com
The Tarlac Mountaineering Club(TMC) invites everyone to
TARLAKYATAN
'a gathering to visit the provinces trails and peaks
May 29-30
Tarlac Province
in celebration of the tarlac provincial day the club, mountaineers, hikers, trekkers and enthusiast coming from the different places of the philippines will simultaneously climb the provinces different mountaineering-camping destinations like:
MT. BUNGKOL BAKA
Limited to 20 Slots
Reg. Fee: P800
MT. TANGISAN TRAVERSE
Limited to 20 Slots
Reg. Fee: P800
PINATUBO CRATER
Overnight-Camping
LImited to 20 Slots
Ref. Fee: P2500
MT. TAPULAO TRAVERSE
Tarlac to Zambales
4 Days; May 26-30
LImited to 15 Slots
Reg. Fee: P1500
*Registration is inclusive of a round trip shuttle service from the tarlac bus terminals to the resort, round trip transportation from the resort to the jumpoff points, roundtrip 4x4 jeep rental for clients going to pinatubo, permits, guide fees, event i.d., commemorative t-shirt, certificate and dinner at the post party event
*this project will also support the organization's adopted communities primarily the school children of brgy. labney mayantoc, tarlac.
*for inquiries, questions and comments pls. contact:
MARCO DALIDA
TMC Public Relations Officer
09275281396
email us at tarlacmc@gmail.com or visit www.tarlacmc.multiply.com
i wanna know if there's a climb between june 25-29, 2010. pls. tnx.
hi sir, pwede po ba mag overnight sa pinatubo crater using our own tent? tnx.
we are planning to go here before school starts.. pero 2 lang kami .. who wants to join us?? mga june 12...
sir/ma'am
yes!! it was not stated above if we are allowed to pitch tents at the summit or at/near the crater....anyone has an info about this? Dagahang Salamat....
harru
yes, pwede po mag overnight but mas expensive kelangan ng security personnel and mas mahal ang bayad sa 4x4! pero sulit mag overnight dito ganda pa din ng view, sa langit.. :D
enjoy maam/sir
hello, ok pa po ba mag overnight sa mt pinatubo? pa advise naman po kasi plan namin na magpunta dun if ever. Thank you.
hello evryone, we are planning to go here this week or next week. same pa rin po ba 4x4 fee, reg. fee, guide d2 and how about kung commute po whre from manla po eh?.... Thankssss hope to see ur reply evryoneeee pretty pleaseeeeee
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