ATVs are so common nowadays that you’ve probably been on ATVs near home or around the world. ATVs can be found everywhere, from South East Asia to Cappadocia to Cyprus. But this one is different – it’s speeding across a volcano-destroyed canyon.
Verdict – this isn’t your usual ATV ride. This is an ATV adventure in an unspoilt and rugged lahar canyon of a volcano hat rocked the world in the 1990s. Expect no one to be around as you roam across the canyon.
Bucket list ratings – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Cost ratings – 4 out of 5 stars
When people think of the Philippines, they usully think of beach, surfing, diving or other watersports. They think of places like Cebu, Palawan, Siargao and Sipodan etc. I don’t imagine the name Mount Pinatubo, which is located just North of Angeles City, will automatically come into anyone’s minds. But that’s exactly what’s been on my mind recently. Blame it on high school Geography. Ever since I was forced to study it as a kid, I’ve always wanted to go there.
I won’t bore you with the Geography here – because you’re smart enough to research it yourself online. In short, Pinatubo is a volcano that erupted in the 1990s and made numerous headlines because global temperatures dropped 0.5C after the eruption. In addition, the volcanic ash mixed with rainwater (called “lahar”) swept through the canyons and plains and destroyed everything in sight.
By now, you must be wondering what’s the fun of visiting a dormant volcano. Yes, you’d get to hike up the volcano and see the blown up crater. But the funner part, actually, is howyou go across the lahar canyon to the volcano.
There are a couple of options to get to Mount Pinatubo. For the leisurely (aka boring) crew, you could ride a 4×4 jeep. For the coo kids (aka adrenaline junkies), you could mountain bike across the canyon. But that’s a lot of hard work, given that volcanic ash is resistant like sand. For the smart and exciting bunch (aka me), you could go on an ATV.
There used to be a number of ATV operators nearby Mount Pinatubo. But that number seems to have dwindled in recent years. Fortunately, I stumbled across a lodge called Alvin’s Guesthouse (arguably the closest lodge to Mount Pinatubo), which offers these ATV rides.
Roughly speaking, it takes around 4 hours by ATV to Mount Pinatubo, 2 to 3 hours of hiking up to the Mount Pinatubo crater, and another 4 hours back by ATV.
I was extremely cautious in the beginning, driving like a loser you’d like to punch on the road. I blame it on the spectacular view of the lahar canyon. Everything around me was covered in ash, but you see vegetation growing in some areas. The canyon is so big, that you feel, for a moment, you’re in another world (almost like Jurassic Park).
After half an hour of riding or so, the real challenge came. We reached a number of river crossings in the canyon. Crossing these streams were fun at first, creating a splash everytime we sped through one. The fun didn’t last long though. As we moved closer to Mount Pinatubo, the river crossings actually got deeper and the small rocky surrounding became large boulders! At times, our ATV engines would struggle (and eventually stop) when we crossed the stomach deep waters. It’s bad enough that you get all wet when the ATV gets stuck in a river crossing, you have to get into the river along with the tour guides to push the ATVs out of the river crossing. Ironically, the tour guides were so skilled that their ATVs didn’t get stuck in the river crossing! On the bright side, this was the dry season and we wouldn’t even have been able to get across in the wet season.
After a few of these deeper river crossings, I managed to figure out how to get across in style (i.e. without getting stuck). The trick, apparently, is to speed up once you hit the water so you have enough momentum to carry you to the other side.
After 4 bumpy hours, we made it to the foot of Mount Pinatubo. Sadly, the 2 or so hour hike ended up as an anti-climax. The hike was relatively easy and the carter, while beautiful, did not look particularly special. I didn’t get to swim in the carter lake or do anything outrageous there either as the local rules prohibited me from entering the crater lake.
The way back was the same as the way to Mount Pinatubo. Now familiar with the river crossings and the route, I actually was no longer a “pussy” and went full speed back to the guesthouse. Overall, a bloody fun ride. Only if you’re willing to shell out a steep USD215 though …
Additional information
| When to do it? | Dry season in the Philippines (late November to end of May) |
| How to book? | Book with Alvin’s Guesthouse Lodge |
| How much does it cost? | Around USD215 (comprising of PHP8,500 for the ATV rental, PHP700 for conservation fee, and PHP1,800 for the tour guide). |
| How to get there? | Alvin’s Guesthouse lodge will arrange airport transfer and ATVs for you. |
| How long does it take? | 10 hours in total, starting at around 7am |
| Is it difficult/safe? | Not difficult to ride the ATV at all as it is simple to operate. The ride was very safe. |
| What to wear? | Bring a face mask to deal with the dust. A dry bag won’t hurt either to keep things dry. |
| Language | English |