Mount Pinatubo: off-road trail and hiking

Cross a volcanic desert and walk to the crater of Mount Pinatubo, one of the most destructive volcanoes of the 20th century. Visit an Aeta village, the indigenous people of the Pinatubo region. Private transport from Manila included. Highlights and activities: - Take a 4x4 jeep through a desert of volcanic ash. - Hike through a mysterious volcanic desolation to the crater of Mount Pinatubo. - Enjoy the spectacular Pinatubo crater lake. Before 1991, most people did not know that Mount Pinatubo was a volcano, or even that it existed. It was a small, unremarkable mountain, covered in vegetation and most of the time hidden from view by the surrounding peaks. But after its explosion on June 15, 1991, Pinatubo became known to everyone in the Philippines and around the world. The surrounding region, once heavily forested, became a desert in a matter of minutes. About a hundred kilometers away, Metro Manila was plunged into a grim winter, buried under a few centimeters of light gray ash. The explosion coincided with a typhoon, and rain mixed with ash created volcanic mudflows that caused countless destruction and death. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo was the second most powerful terrestrial volcanic eruption of the 20th century and is arguably the greatest natural disaster in the history of the Philippines. The fury of Pinatubo subsided as suddenly as it had erupted. Rain filled its crater, creating a milky turquoise lake that is one of the most spectacular sites in the country. On this adventure, we take an off-road jeep through the ash desert surrounding Pinatubo, then trek through streams and volcanic debris to the crater that exploded apocalyptically more than twenty years ago. Along the way, we take time to visit an Aeta village, the indigenous people of the region, and marvel at human resilience in the face of nature's power.