MT. PINATUBO TOUR PACKAGE

Canyons and crater lake

2011-07-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

Pinatubo Canyons : Lahar canyons were created by erosion. The river bed was filled with lahar (mud, ashes and volcanic rocks). Hiking will also be an opportunity to see some unique rock formations. You will also cross several rivers.

Mount Pinatubo Crater lake : Why is it so blue ? The crater lake has an amazing turquoise color. This color is the result of the chemical reaction of the water's volcanic minerals with the lake's blue-green algae. Sometimes the color of the lake changes, it will go brown or green and then back to blue. Can we swim in the crater lake ? Yes, one of the highlights of the tour is enjoying the cool and refreshing water of the crater lake. And what better way to do that than to swim in its turquoise colored reservoir. It's also possible to have a boat ride and cross the lake to reach the other shore, which will allow you to have a breathtaking view on the entire crater.

Pinatubo Sky Tour

2009-09-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

See Mount Pinatubo sans the trek. Considered as one of the largest and most deadly eruption of the 20th century, it has drastically affected world-wide weather patterns. Having been inactive for centuries, Mt. Pinatubo erupted on June 1991, ejecting an ash plume that spread across the globe. Have a bird's-eye-view of the turquoise crater lake, majestic ash canyons, and the remains of the volcano's lahar flows.

Flights depart out of Clark Field. Flight time is about 45 mins for 1-2 passengers, and will take about an hour for three or more passengers.

Package A - Mt. Pinatubo Sky tour (transfer inculded)
Inclusions:
round trip A/C van transfer from Manila
flight
service of a tour coordinator
Rates:
6-10 passengers: Php6,500/person
3-5 passengers: Php7,500/person
2 passengers: Php9,500/person
1 passenger: Php12,000

Type of plane used to fly over Mt. Pinatubo

Mt. Pinatubo Aetas

2009-09-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

During your trip to Pinatubo you will notice the Aetas people and you will probably wonder who they are.

The Aetas are considered the Philippine archipelago's first inhabitants¹. No one is really certain where they were orginally from nor how they arrived in the Philippines. One popular theory is that Pinatubo ancestors used land bridges at the time when sea levels were low to move here. They were said to have been occupying the island of Luzon since 28000 BC until they were displaced by latter wave of migrants (Austronesian Fiipinos). The Aetas then moved to the highlands with the biggest group found in the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo².

Aetas are short, typically dark-skinned and have curly hair. They are semi-nomadic people who have been accustomed to foraging. Unlike their lowland counterpart, they are more of hunter-gatherers (mostly of non-timber producst) than farmers. As time passed, they started using slash-and-burn cultivation as well to ensure their food supply ³.

Young Aetas transporting goods

Even though majority of the Pinatubo Aetas were somewhat Christian at the time of the eruption, they still saw and did things using their pre-Christian beliefs. In fact, they regarded Pinatubo as “the center of the universe, home of the spirits and, for some, a resting place for the soul of the deceased” (Reilly, Benjamin. Disaster and human history: case studies in nature, society and catastrophe, 2009). The most important spirit is Apo Namalyari, thought to be as the creator of everyting.

Your Pinatubo guide is often an Aeta

The eruption of Mount Pinatubo affected greatly the Aeta community living on its slopes and made around 20, 000 of them homeless. Initially they were adamant on leaving their place. Pinatubo is everything to them – their habitat and spiritual realm. They didn't really see the re-awakeing of the mountain as a natural phenomenon but rather a proof of Apo Namalyari's power and anger. The Pinatubo Aetas were convinced that Apo Namalyari was angered by the recent drilling to build a geothermal plant².

Visiting Mt. Pinatubo will also be the opportunity to meet the very first inhabitants of the Philippines!

Sources:
1. Ganeri, Anita. Volcanoes in Action (Natural Disasters in Action). Ed. Susie Brooks. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2009.
2. Reilly, Benjamin, Disaster and human history: case studies in nature, society and catastrophe. 2nd ed. North Carolina: McFarlan & Company Inc., 2009
3. Culture and the Changing Environment: Uncertainty, Cognition and Risk Management in Cross-Cultural Prospective. Ed. Michael J. Casiri. Berghahn Books, 2009.

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The 1991 eruption

2008-08-29T01:08:00.000-07:00

Pinatubo pre-eruption

In August of 1990, a month ater the July 16 earthquake, reports were made to PHIVOLCS by Pinatubo Aetas of roars, ground cracking and a higher steaming activity of the thermal area¹ of Pinatubo. The possibility of an incoming eruption was brushed off by the dispatched response team. They attributed all of the aforementioned activities to landslides caused by several aftershocks and also by the monsoon rains during that time.

Ancient Pnatubo - Credit : C.G. Newhall, U.S. Geological Survey

Steam clouds and ash emissions appeared April of the following year, Seismic activites indicated movements underneath the crater and the possibility of a volcanic eruption. Evacuation of several Aeta tribes living on the slope of the mountain started on June 8^th. The US Air Force initiated a massive evacuation effort to remove personnel and ther families living in Clark Air Base out of harm's way during and after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Most of them were relocated to Guam, Okinawa and Hawaii.

Pinatubo eruption

On the morning of 12^th of June 1991, a 20km-high ash cloud was created from a powerful explosion from Pinatubo. This cloud moved to a NW direction and covered the sky. Several explosions were reported during the day. Abundant ashfalls and ejecta reached Olongapo and Angeles as well as villages within 20 km from the crater. As the dome became more dangerous, thousands of people living around the volcano started moving out of the hazardous areas, while ashfalls had already blanketed hundreds of square kilometers. Another explosion happened the day after and the ash reached as far as Zambales, Pampanga and Tarlac. As fate would have it, a typhoon (international name Yunya, locally called Diding) struck the country on June 15^th. Pyroclastic flows poured from the summit reaching as far as 16km from it. Typhoon rains mixed ash deposits caused fatal lahar flows.

Pinatubo 1991 eruption - Credit : T.J. Casadevall, U.S. Geological Survey

Manila was affected, too. On June 18, the city was darkened during daytime and covered by almost half a centimeter of ash.

At the second half of June, the ash clouds has crossed the South China Sea and reached Vietnam and Cambodia. They continued to circulate westward and was reported to have reached Hawaii by July 1991.

An estimated 900 people lost their lives as a consequence of the explosion. Some were from the Pinatubo Aeta tribe as a result of their refusal to leave their houses. The rest of the fatalities were from the cities mostly from collapsed roofs, houses and buildings due to the weight of the ash.

Source:

1 Rantucci, G. Geological Disasters in the Philippines.

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Training tips

2008-08-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Seven tips to help you training for your Pinatubo hike.

1) Engage in aerobic exercises. Whether it's running, climbing stairs or even your gym aero group classes what's important is that you work on strengthening your heart and lung muscles. Recommended frequency: 1hr a day, 3-4 times a week.

2) Pump it! Lift weights to strengthen your thigh and calf muscles. When these babies are strong, climbing those mountains will feel like less of a punishment. Include your arm and stomach muscles as well by doing pushups, situps or stomach crunches.

3) Use the stairs. Any time you have a choice, skip the elevator and escalator and take the stairs. Example, you work at the 15th floor of your office building. Take the elevator up to the 13th floor then take the stairs to your office. This is an easy way to build up your leg muscles little by little.

4) Take long walks. and, whenever possible, incorporate hills and stairs into those walks. You’ll likely be on trails for extended periods of time on a trek – getting used to walking for hours at a time will help you endure once you’re on the hike.

5) Hike at altitude. If you’re climbing, you’ll likely be at some level of altitude. By spending your weekends hiking in the mountains, it will help you get used to the altitude at your destination.

6) Carry some added weight. During at least some of your workouts, walks or hikes, carry a backpack that has the approximate weight you’ll be carrying with you on the climb.

7) Walk in hiking boots that are well broken in. Whether you need heavy duty boots or those that are light hikers, don’t wait until the last minute to make sure they fit well and are comfortable. Also, by building up some callouses prior to your climb, it’ll ensure fewer problems in the mountains.

The bottom line? The better shape you’re in prior to departure, the better the experience will be once you’re on the trail.

Preparing for a hike

2008-08-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

Read these tips to prepare for a Hike

1. Decide where you want to go and do you homework. Your decision should be based on a number of considerations including, but not limited to, your current level of experience and fitness, whether you will be hiking alone or with a group, time of the year, recent weather patterns, expected distance to be covered, expected period to cover said distance and difficulty of terrain.

2. Analyse expected terrain. There are a lot of books and online reasources now that are available that can help would-be hikers on preparing themselves for their adventure. Look for information on distance, estimated time of completion, vegetation, campsite and water source locations and requirements on skill and equipments. National parks authorities are also a good source of first-hand information.

3. Take weather conditions seriously. Check weather forecasts BEFORE heading out. You are looking forward to an adventure, not a survival mission. Optimism is good but accept the reality that weather situations can and may change - you must be ready to deal with them accordingly. Be prepared to postpone your trip if the weather is not very cooperative.

4. Pack wisely. Take only the necessary gears with the least amount of weight.
a. Consider bringing items that are multi-functional over gears that can be used only for one-specific task.
b. Avoid food with heavy or excessive packaging. If you really need to carry some food that is heavy, try consuming it on the the earlier part of the climb.
c. Aim for clothing that is lightweight but has good insulating power.
d. Check if there is a regular supply of water along the way. This may minimize the water weight you need to carry for the duration of the hike.

Pinatubo Spa town

2008-08-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

On your way to the volcano, you can drop by the Pinatubo spa town.
This spa has a beautiful garden with different trees and flowers, a massage area, a restaurant and some showers.
The design of the spa is korean and it has a very relaxing atmosphere.

Santol tree

The Pinatubo Spa provides 3 different kind of massages : Full body massages, volcanic ash or mud pool.
The full body massage lasts 1h20. It's a pleaser after a hike.
The volcanic ash takes 30 minutes, your body will be buried under warm volcanic ashes.
The mud pool last a little less than 30 minutes. You will be dipped in some mud which will make your skin soft,

Volcanic ash

Meet-up point map

2007-12-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

Tour Status

2007-12-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

SATURDAY 14th JANUARY 2012 - TOUR STATUS

The tour is fully CONFIRMED
Risk of cancellation : LOW

Kindly check this page on Friday 13th January for possible updates, Last update will be posted at 5pm pm the same day.

Thank you.

Pick up point map

2007-01-17T03:58:00.000-08:00