Nature and culture day tour from Manila. Ride a boat across the lake of a huge caldera, trek up to the crater rim of an active volcano and visit a historic town that survived the volcano’s last major eruption.

Taal is the name of a lake, a volcano and a town. Taal Lake is the third largest lake in country and is actually the caldera of a very large extinct volcano. In the center of this lake is Taal Volcano, which is very active. A volcano within a volcano, Taal’s beauty and uniqueness make it one of the country’s must see sights. Most enjoy Taal Volcano and Taal Lake from a distance on the tourism and leisure hub that is Tagaytay ridge. While the view from Tagaytay is truly picturesque, on this adventure we go deeper into the Taal experience by sailing across Taal Lake and trekking up Taal Volcano’s slope up to the rim of its main crater. Only there, peering into the crater lake with its water streaked with sulfur and shore dotted by fumaroles, can we appreciate the full glory of Taal Volcano.

Just off the shore of Taal Lake is Taal Heritage Town, established in 1572. It is one of the oldest towns in the country and home to Asia’s biggest Catholic church, as well as a collection of old houses that showcase traditional Filipino-Spanish architecture. The town and its people played an important role in the Philippine revolution against the Spanish and is a great place to learn about the country’s history and culture. Taal Town is also known for making the country’s best barongs, our traditional formal men’s attire, and it is the birthplace of the famous balisong or butterfly knife.