Lake Taal
4
About
This lake is the deepest in the Philippines.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Lake Taal and nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
5 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
187 reviews
Excellent
61
Very good
75
Average
32
Poor
13
Terrible
6
Robby the Gardener
Brighton, UK6 contributions
Jan 2020
A friend had recommended a visit to Lake Taal for what he called the scenery which, according to him, included a volcanic plug in a crater lake on an island within a larger lake, so an island within a lake within an island within a lake within an island within the sea!
I never got to see the lake owing to communication problems with bus drivers. Not as many Filipinos have good English as I was led to believe and I had a seriously boring time.
Ironically on the way home I discovered that I was only about half an hour away from the lake when I sat next to an old English man who has a house there. When I told him where I was staying he said I could have got there in half an hour by bus if I’d known what to say to the driver. But hey that’s life and I was glad to get out of there before the Taal Volcano erupted. No-one else will get to see the volcanic plug in the crater lake that my friend described either because it’s all changed since the eruption.
I never got to see the lake owing to communication problems with bus drivers. Not as many Filipinos have good English as I was led to believe and I had a seriously boring time.
Ironically on the way home I discovered that I was only about half an hour away from the lake when I sat next to an old English man who has a house there. When I told him where I was staying he said I could have got there in half an hour by bus if I’d known what to say to the driver. But hey that’s life and I was glad to get out of there before the Taal Volcano erupted. No-one else will get to see the volcanic plug in the crater lake that my friend described either because it’s all changed since the eruption.
Written 27 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel C
Niagara Falls, Canada1 contribution
Mar 2020
we are from canada we got totaly scamed, they took 2500 peso each to rent the horse then tried to make us pay for our boat guide 2500 so a total 7500 they droped us off at the food hut to buy food then when we were done instead of droping us off at our boat they lefft us in there village and 2 men came out and told us to tip the horse rider 500 peso each so another 1500 on top of the 2500 for the boat. i ended up paying 12,000 peso for a total of 2 hours got ripped off by the locals everything is a setup to get the most money out of you, never again i will go there it should only cost 500 peso but they had a sign 2500 maybe they have many signs depending on our race, and colour, dont worry sir we take usd they the take almost 20% comission in exchange . yikes also the tuktuk over charged us 1000 peso for a 15 min ride ,
Written 21 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dudz_12
Manila, Philippines19 contributions
May 2012 • Family
went to tagaytay with some balikbayans last May.they opted to take the Taal boat ride.there are many vendors flashing signs of TAAL BOAT RIDE.we came across 1 guide who sells the boat ride for P1,200 for 1 boat that is good for 7 persons.our balikbayans agreed as the guide said & showed us that what we paid for is already a package & that it normally costs P4,850.tagaytay city proper to leynes resort it took us 30mins to & from.once we reached Leynes resort we rode the boat going to another island/resort.upon arriving the other island we had to pay an entrance fee of P50 per person if im not mistaken.our balikbayans were a litlle dissapponted as theres nothing to do in that island but to smell the poops of horses so we decided to take the horse back riding to go to taal lake.it costs us 45o per person for the horse & 500 for the guide.the road was bumpy.during our horse rides,almost all of our tour guides made drama to us saying that "that this is a low paying job & we should give them tip" upon reaching the top of the lake we were welcomed by softdrink vendors insisting that we buy our guides drinks bec its too hot.1 softdrink or bottle of water costP50.we took our pictures at the lake then afetr a while decided to go back.when we were about to ride the boat again,our boatman said we should pay P20 for crossing the bridge.
POSSITIVE:
-its a good experience to ride the boat & the horse & see the lake
NEGATIVE:
-the guides flashing the BOAT RIDE signs say you will be availing of a package but not.you have to pay for everything upon reaching the foot of taal lake
-if you just want to horse back,you can skip the long drive,boat ride & just ride a horse in Tagaytay city proper
-once you are in the boat stop you have nothing to do there so you are forced to ride the horse.thus all the charges that follow
POSSITIVE:
-its a good experience to ride the boat & the horse & see the lake
NEGATIVE:
-the guides flashing the BOAT RIDE signs say you will be availing of a package but not.you have to pay for everything upon reaching the foot of taal lake
-if you just want to horse back,you can skip the long drive,boat ride & just ride a horse in Tagaytay city proper
-once you are in the boat stop you have nothing to do there so you are forced to ride the horse.thus all the charges that follow
Written 23 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MariekeNldse
15 contributions
Jan 2014 • Friends
Me and my friend went in january to Talisay, Lake Taal. We took the bus from Manilla to Tagatay (2,5 hrs) and from there we picked a tricycle to Talisay (20-30min). Talisay itself is nothing special. We stayed at Touristar, we do'nt recommend! Very expensive (1500 peso) in relation to the lack cleaning, interest & attention. The owner was suppressing other people with boats to take us to Lake Taal/Taal Volcano. She asked us 1500 p for the boat (normal price I guess) and promised a good english speaking guide. Not at all: Afterwards we heard it was her husband. He didn't speak english at all, was very lazy and didn't take us to the lake!
We were on time at the volcano (left at 6 pm and whe were back at 8 pm) so we didn't payed Island fee. But we understand also afterwards that she planned to bring us home so early to have another group to the volcano.
The Volcano itself was not special at all (In Indonesia you can see thousands more) and the walking trip to it was boring. It took us only 25 minutes by a very dusty road. The horses the want you to take them where very thin and we got very sad of them. We didn' take one and apart from their bad health you don't need them!!!
There are so much more nice things to see in the Philippines: we don' recommend this spot
We were on time at the volcano (left at 6 pm and whe were back at 8 pm) so we didn't payed Island fee. But we understand also afterwards that she planned to bring us home so early to have another group to the volcano.
The Volcano itself was not special at all (In Indonesia you can see thousands more) and the walking trip to it was boring. It took us only 25 minutes by a very dusty road. The horses the want you to take them where very thin and we got very sad of them. We didn' take one and apart from their bad health you don't need them!!!
There are so much more nice things to see in the Philippines: we don' recommend this spot
Written 16 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Theresa P
49 contributions
We are Canadian our mother is Filipino. We are mixed we usually get taken advantage of because people seem to think we are wealthy. First place we visited was charging us P1500pp for the boat ride alone. The second place we went tried to charge us P1300pp for everything boat ride, horse ride up the mountain etc. she was able to talk them down to P1000pp for everything.
Once we arrived to our destination we noticed a sign with prices! Prices are as follows:
Boat ride for 6 people P1500
Horse ride P450pp
Everything has a price here! You should buy your horse guide a beverage once you reach the top. The guides generally expect a tip after the trip is complete.
Locals will take photos of you and print these images off and sell them to you for a price of P350. DO NOT pay for the asking price. They will reuse the frame and just try to sell you the photo for P100 just keep saying no, they will keep coming back.
The horses are a bit small. They do give their horses a bit of a smack. On the way down some Australians were yelling at this poor guide who knows no word of English trying to fight him because he have his horse a bit. It wasn't hard just enough to keep the horse in line. Thing you need to understand is this is their culture and their way of life. They do not know any different.
Scenery and horse guides were awesome! Very friendly and helpful. We had an awesome time! Definitely would do it again. Bottom line, bring a little extra cash because you may need it!
Once we arrived to our destination we noticed a sign with prices! Prices are as follows:
Boat ride for 6 people P1500
Horse ride P450pp
Everything has a price here! You should buy your horse guide a beverage once you reach the top. The guides generally expect a tip after the trip is complete.
Locals will take photos of you and print these images off and sell them to you for a price of P350. DO NOT pay for the asking price. They will reuse the frame and just try to sell you the photo for P100 just keep saying no, they will keep coming back.
The horses are a bit small. They do give their horses a bit of a smack. On the way down some Australians were yelling at this poor guide who knows no word of English trying to fight him because he have his horse a bit. It wasn't hard just enough to keep the horse in line. Thing you need to understand is this is their culture and their way of life. They do not know any different.
Scenery and horse guides were awesome! Very friendly and helpful. We had an awesome time! Definitely would do it again. Bottom line, bring a little extra cash because you may need it!
Written 10 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sarahandjackson
Chicago, Illinois, United States23 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
Please don’t take a horse up to the volcano, they are clearly maltreated and not fit to be trekking up the trails (the poor things are underfed, overworked, injured, clearly ill/sick and unhappy). It’s an easy hike- enjoy the exercise!
Written 23 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacki51
Cambridge, UK151 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
We were a large group over in Manila for a wedding. A day trip to see a 'lake within a volcano within a lake within a volcano' seemed a great idea and we were lucky enough to have a mini bus at our disposal taking us to Talisay. Each boat was PHP1000 and once across we had a choice of going up by pony or walking. We all had to pay a PPH50 Government Tourist Fee on arrival but were not charged the PPH50 per boat if you wanted to dis/embark using the bridge (to avoid getting your feet wet). I'm allergic to horses so had no choice but to take the 2.5km walk; they will tell you it is 10km but it isn't. We were also told that, even those walking, had to pay for a guide, another PPH100 for the group who decided to walk. The 'guide' didn't speak a word of English. I actually had trouble making the walk as I'm mildly asthmatic and the climb is quite steep in places, along with the smell of the horses (and sulphur nearer the top), but I did eventually make it and it really was worth the effort. The trail is dusty so wear trainers/closed shoes and take a water bottle. Because of the large number of ponies, there are also a large quantity of flies; however, I don't think it is bad enough for face masks!
Written 10 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lsa-tripad
Igensdorf, Germany11 contributions
Nov 2014 • Friends
... all try to get your money. A guide is not really needed to reach the top of the volcano, it is just straight away, and only one way, u cannot get lost.
Why to shot golf balls into the volcano is still strange for me, not needed, think of the nature.
I wanted to get down to the volcano lake, but because of the behavior of the guide I did it not, extra money, call entrance ...
Why to shot golf balls into the volcano is still strange for me, not needed, think of the nature.
I wanted to get down to the volcano lake, but because of the behavior of the guide I did it not, extra money, call entrance ...
Written 19 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victorianlad
Melbourne, Australia17,469 contributions
I did not conduct a PH analysis or endeavour to drink the water, but to this layman's eyes, Lake Taal appeared to be not far from crystal clear.
I hired a boat for P1500 return which was hardly bargain basement, but an amount that stopped me from further requests or demands for more pesos.
The language difficulty with my boatmen precluded me from establishing how deep it was, but they were very friendly and reliable and accompanied me up to the volcano viewing area, seeking only a bottle of water (and later a P100 or so tip each that I gratefully gave).
There were no waves on the day I travelled, and my ten minute or so trip across to the island on which Taal Volcano is situated was serene.
Because I did this on a weekday, there were hadrly any other boats on the lake although once on dry land on the island, there was a slow but steady stream of mainly Korean and to a lesser extent Filipino tourists making their way on foot or by pony the 4.5 kilometres to Taal Volcano.
It may have only been 60 kilometres from Manila but it felt like a million.
An enjoyable half day trip.
I hired a boat for P1500 return which was hardly bargain basement, but an amount that stopped me from further requests or demands for more pesos.
The language difficulty with my boatmen precluded me from establishing how deep it was, but they were very friendly and reliable and accompanied me up to the volcano viewing area, seeking only a bottle of water (and later a P100 or so tip each that I gratefully gave).
There were no waves on the day I travelled, and my ten minute or so trip across to the island on which Taal Volcano is situated was serene.
Because I did this on a weekday, there were hadrly any other boats on the lake although once on dry land on the island, there was a slow but steady stream of mainly Korean and to a lesser extent Filipino tourists making their way on foot or by pony the 4.5 kilometres to Taal Volcano.
It may have only been 60 kilometres from Manila but it felt like a million.
An enjoyable half day trip.
Written 14 January 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jst
Quezon City, Philippines79 contributions
May 2018 • Family
We started our journey in a resort in Laurel, Batangas; and it took 10-15mins boat ride (p2000/boat) to the trekking site. Upon arrival, we registered and pay p100/pax environmental fee. Little kids are free (maybe 5 below), my son is 9 so also needs to pay p100.
After paying, succedding fees follow: p500/tour guide, p500/horse ride roundtrip with horseman. We were not oriented properly, so what we know is only the boat fee and horse.
1 adult 1 horse. They will not allow an adult and a bigger kid (arnd ages 7 up) to ride in 1 horse. Smaller kids can be accompanied by an adult. There is a horseman assigned per horse. We are group of 3adults and 2 kids ages 4 and 9, at first, we decided to take 2 horses; 1 for the 9 yo and the other for 1adult n 4yo. 2 of us decided to just walk and follow the horses. But after 10-15mins, I started to feel the heat and my heart is pumping hard. The horsemen are wise, bec when our grp started trekking, 2 horses already is following us. So when i decided to take a horse, it was just behind me.
Trail is dusty and some parts very steep. The stairs for trekkers are almost knee high and need to take a step or two before climbing the next step. Indeed a challege.. Dnt force urself, if u feel the need to take a horse, do it asap as the fee is the same if u start in d beginning, middle or end of the trek.
It is amazing seeing the crater of an active volcano. You can also take a dip as the water is very therapeutic to skin diseases.
Some tips:
- avail the boat ride from a reliable person, as they can jack up the price. We got it at p2000/boat for 6person.
-pay directly to the horseman and add tip if happy with the service.
-soda/water vendor will ask you to also buy drinks to ur horseman. Soda/ water cost p30.
-trek is 1.5 hours by walk and 45 by horse one way. So i highly recommend taking a horse for u to also enjoy the trip.
-if you really decide to walk, be sure to hire a tour guide and dnt rely on ur friends taking the horse. Their fast pacing will pressure u to walk faster and make u dead tired as fear of being left behind.
- start early morning bec the scorching heat will make u feel dizzy. We left 9am at the resort and started hiking arnd 930, we finished almost 1pm bec we had a long rest at the viewing deck.
After paying, succedding fees follow: p500/tour guide, p500/horse ride roundtrip with horseman. We were not oriented properly, so what we know is only the boat fee and horse.
1 adult 1 horse. They will not allow an adult and a bigger kid (arnd ages 7 up) to ride in 1 horse. Smaller kids can be accompanied by an adult. There is a horseman assigned per horse. We are group of 3adults and 2 kids ages 4 and 9, at first, we decided to take 2 horses; 1 for the 9 yo and the other for 1adult n 4yo. 2 of us decided to just walk and follow the horses. But after 10-15mins, I started to feel the heat and my heart is pumping hard. The horsemen are wise, bec when our grp started trekking, 2 horses already is following us. So when i decided to take a horse, it was just behind me.
Trail is dusty and some parts very steep. The stairs for trekkers are almost knee high and need to take a step or two before climbing the next step. Indeed a challege.. Dnt force urself, if u feel the need to take a horse, do it asap as the fee is the same if u start in d beginning, middle or end of the trek.
It is amazing seeing the crater of an active volcano. You can also take a dip as the water is very therapeutic to skin diseases.
Some tips:
- avail the boat ride from a reliable person, as they can jack up the price. We got it at p2000/boat for 6person.
-pay directly to the horseman and add tip if happy with the service.
-soda/water vendor will ask you to also buy drinks to ur horseman. Soda/ water cost p30.
-trek is 1.5 hours by walk and 45 by horse one way. So i highly recommend taking a horse for u to also enjoy the trip.
-if you really decide to walk, be sure to hire a tour guide and dnt rely on ur friends taking the horse. Their fast pacing will pressure u to walk faster and make u dead tired as fear of being left behind.
- start early morning bec the scorching heat will make u feel dizzy. We left 9am at the resort and started hiking arnd 930, we finished almost 1pm bec we had a long rest at the viewing deck.
Written 28 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi everyone,
I’m very much interested to do this trip. Which place did u start from to take the boat? Was it san nicolas or agoncillio?
TIA!
Written 23 December 2017
Hi, I suggest before you go and take the trip, you visit first the PHILVOCS Taal Volcano Station in Talisay, Batangas to get more information about the trip and ensure safety measures. It will also help you better appreciate Taal 🌋. They can also tell you where to get the boat.
Written 24 December 2017
Does anyone know if it is possible to take a bus from Batangas to Taal, and then continue on to Manila?
Thank you
Written 11 December 2017
Hi all, is there a one way ferry on taal lake? as we would like to travel back from the south side of the lake to Tagaytay.
Written 25 September 2015
You can charter a local to take you where you want to go, although it can be a little expensive. In The Philippines anything is possible, people are super hrlpful and friendly.
Written 26 September 2015
if you're traveling solo, can you rent a boat together with anyone who wants to rent the boat as well or you have to rent the boat all for yourself as they don't want to share (either the boatman or the tourists)?
Thanks!
Written 7 September 2015
thank you, RanRanC! I went to Tagaytay but ended up just looking at it from afar. Renting the boat alone is just too pricey. But even then, the view from up here is just amazing!
Written 22 September 2015
Does anyone have a boat rental recommendation? With contact info please and thank you
Written 18 April 2015
can you enlighten me amongst the 3 places Batangas,Laguna and tagatay which is the better place to go and is the 3 places nearby in manila and what you recommend i going with friends
Written 30 December 2014
First of all, what is your holiday purpose in Manila? Scuba? Natural scenery viewing? Yachting?
I do scuba so I went to batangas around 3 hrs fr Manila and went to Portolano resort far from city madness. From all 3, I chose batangas.
Written 31 December 2014
Showing results 1-6 of 6
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing