Batangas : Taal Trekking DIY
When we went to Tagaytay for a roadtrip last year with my entire Family to visit famous tourist spots, I promised myself, I have to go back to visit Taal, to witness the beauty of its crater everyone is bragging about. It's a must-see place but requires more time (allot half day) and energy (cardio excercise for trekking).
I found an opportunity this year when I purchased a voucher from CashCashPinoy for an overnight stay in Hotel Dominique. I made a reservation for April 19-20 and planned to trek up Taal on our first day. I brought along my hubby and my 3-yr old kid.
Commuting to Tagaytay:
We rode a van going to Batangas. Fare is P180 per person. This is the same route we took when we went to Ligpo Island in Batangas last year, where vans were located just infront of JAC Liner Bus terminal, along Gil Puyat Avenue. This time, the vans were located along Taft Avenue, near Gil Puyat Station and Mang Inasal Restaurant.
We left at around 10:30 AM, took SLEX and exited at Eton City-Greenfield. We reached Tagaytay Rotanda at 11:30 AM. That Fast!!!!!
Tour:
After our lunch in one of the fast food restaurants in Aguinaldo Highway, near Rotonda, we noticed men with sign cards offering a boat ride to Taal. You see, its difficult for me to search for a trusted contact person for boat rental online. I found Taal Yacht Club though from blogs but I didn't get their service, which I later on regret. We approached a guy who offered us P1500 for a boat plus tour guide. He then offered a tricycle for a round trip transfer to the drop off for P300.
They fetched us from our Hotel, which is located along Aguinaldo Highway at 2PM. It was a 30 minute ride before we reached a resort where boats were waiting. We were asked to pay P1500 ahead then was given a receipt. We rode the boat instantly. We were that excited.
While we were sailing, I asked the boat driver about our tour guide. The boy said our guide failed to join us because he didn't have an ID. He further explained that tour guides must have ID's from the tourism office.Well, I felt fooled. How lame the excuse was!! I was hoping I don't get to experience this after reading from other blogs how deceitful these people are. But there I was.
I shrugged the negativity away and thought, oh well, we don't really need a tour guide. I bet there would be tons of tourist there we can follow.
After around 30 minutes of travel by boat, we reached Sabang.
We were approached by a guy and led us to what they call the tourism "office".
This guy, without even confirming, said "ok i'll get you 2 horses and a tour guide". We corrected him and said we'll trek.They insisted we ride a horse. When I asked if its possible to just trek without a tour guide, this guy said "if you know the way". What a nerve!
What I hate about them (tourism peeps) is how they blatantly discourage all tourists to trek and rather ride a horse because they say the trail is very difficult, that its 3.7 KM long, blah blah blah. I understand the need of earning money for the locals living there, but there should be an option for tourists. Well, I haven't experienced hiking or trekking for hours, but I can say I've walked more than that.. in the mall. :)
The experience was so annoying. In the end, with hubby's unrelenting assertion, we trekked. I understand there must be a tourguide so we got one.
There were some point where the curvy steeps gets narrower. And what makes it more challenging are the horses passing through the same trail. Horse crap is everywhere. But good thing my son enjoyed seeing all those crap! lol!
We didn't noticed that we're already halfway through our trek because we're enjoying every moment. Hurray!! My kid only got tired at this point.
The most exciting part is the few steps away from the top where the steep is getting steeper. I felt my heart pounding like crazy and my feet practically dragging my entire body. "almost there", I thought to myself.
When we reached the cottages, I felt relieved. I wanted to scream, YEEEEY WE DID IT!!!
Really, the trek wasn't hard as what these people from tourism office make it appear to be.
We took a moment to stop and catch our breath in one of these cottages. Softdrinks, water and buko are available here for P50 each. Then when we were ready, we went to see the crater.
After around 30 minutes, we decided to go down. The sun was almost hiding when we went back.
We rode a van going to Batangas. Fare is P180 per person. This is the same route we took when we went to Ligpo Island in Batangas last year, where vans were located just infront of JAC Liner Bus terminal, along Gil Puyat Avenue. This time, the vans were located along Taft Avenue, near Gil Puyat Station and Mang Inasal Restaurant.
We left at around 10:30 AM, took SLEX and exited at Eton City-Greenfield. We reached Tagaytay Rotanda at 11:30 AM. That Fast!!!!!
Tour:
After our lunch in one of the fast food restaurants in Aguinaldo Highway, near Rotonda, we noticed men with sign cards offering a boat ride to Taal. You see, its difficult for me to search for a trusted contact person for boat rental online. I found Taal Yacht Club though from blogs but I didn't get their service, which I later on regret. We approached a guy who offered us P1500 for a boat plus tour guide. He then offered a tricycle for a round trip transfer to the drop off for P300.
They fetched us from our Hotel, which is located along Aguinaldo Highway at 2PM. It was a 30 minute ride before we reached a resort where boats were waiting. We were asked to pay P1500 ahead then was given a receipt. We rode the boat instantly. We were that excited.
While we were sailing, I asked the boat driver about our tour guide. The boy said our guide failed to join us because he didn't have an ID. He further explained that tour guides must have ID's from the tourism office.Well, I felt fooled. How lame the excuse was!! I was hoping I don't get to experience this after reading from other blogs how deceitful these people are. But there I was.
I shrugged the negativity away and thought, oh well, we don't really need a tour guide. I bet there would be tons of tourist there we can follow.
 |
| the cone shape you see at the right side is not the Taal. |
 |
| i mistakenly thought it was |
We were approached by a guy and led us to what they call the tourism "office".
This guy, without even confirming, said "ok i'll get you 2 horses and a tour guide". We corrected him and said we'll trek.They insisted we ride a horse. When I asked if its possible to just trek without a tour guide, this guy said "if you know the way". What a nerve!
What I hate about them (tourism peeps) is how they blatantly discourage all tourists to trek and rather ride a horse because they say the trail is very difficult, that its 3.7 KM long, blah blah blah. I understand the need of earning money for the locals living there, but there should be an option for tourists. Well, I haven't experienced hiking or trekking for hours, but I can say I've walked more than that.. in the mall. :)
The experience was so annoying. In the end, with hubby's unrelenting assertion, we trekked. I understand there must be a tourguide so we got one.
 |
| starting point |
We didn't noticed that we're already halfway through our trek because we're enjoying every moment. Hurray!! My kid only got tired at this point.
 |
| halfway through. guys with horses who kept on following us stopped at this point |
When we reached the cottages, I felt relieved. I wanted to scream, YEEEEY WE DID IT!!!
Really, the trek wasn't hard as what these people from tourism office make it appear to be.
We took a moment to stop and catch our breath in one of these cottages. Softdrinks, water and buko are available here for P50 each. Then when we were ready, we went to see the crater.
 |
| One of God's wonder. Truly amazing. |
Goal ACCOMPLISHED. I went back to the hotel with a BIG smile on my face.
Going Home:
We really hoped we could take the same van so we could go back home fast. Unfortunately, the only terminal we saw along Aguinaldo Highway, near Rotonda, are vans going to Alabang, Fiesta Mall. We had no choice, so we took a bus. There's lot of buses bound for Cubao or Lawton, so you don't need to worry about the time. The fare was cheaper, P75 each but the ride was around 3 hours.
Expenses:
Let me share our expenses for this experience for 2 persons.
Lesson Learned:
There are some "I could have" thoughts that went through my mind after the trip.
1. I could have brought our own water.
2. I could have brought our own dust mask
3. I could have made our boat reservation through Taal Lake Yacht Club. You see, we were promised a P1500 boat plus tour guide. We thought this is cheaper. Then we were told our tour guide has no ID so we had no choice but to get a tour guide for P500! What a cheater!
Btw, our boat was Lucky Dreamer. Beware :)
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