HOW TO GET TO TAAL VOLCANO FROM MANILA

In the preceding entry, I described the false peak of Taal Volcano. You might want to see it for yourself. The volcano is less than two-and-a-half hours away from metro Manila. It’s an easy day trip.

In this aerial photo, north is at 2 o’clock. The plane was traveling southwest, as if from 2 o’clock to 8 o’clock.

VISITING THE VOLCANO

From Manila, the most direct way to the lake is to take the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to the Sta. Rosa exit. Follow the signs to Tagaytay City. When you reach the T-junction, turn left. Follow this road for about five kilometers. Caution: this roadis known by two names: Tagaytay-Calamba Road or Tagaytay Ridge Road. Watch carefully on the lefthand side for the Tagaytay Elementary School. Once you see it, stop! Directly across it, on your righthand side, is Ligaya Drive. Turn right and drive down Ligaya Drive to the lake. You’ll come across a motley array of dwellings and new developments. At the bottom, follow the signs to Taal Lake Yacht Club (TLYC).

GETTING THERE

Ligaya Drive can be difficult to find, hence, this blog article. Ligaya Drive lies east of Tagaytay City proper. When you face the rotonda (there’s only one), you can only turn left or right. Turn left.

Ligaya Drive can be difficult to find because it is inconspicuous. Look for your first landmark. Look for it on the lefthand side. When you see it, stop! On the righthand side, or on the other side of the road, is Ligaya Drive!



The intersection of Tagaytay Ridge Road (also known as Tagaytay-Calamba Road) and Ligaya Drive looks like this.



For emphasis, here’s a close-up of the same intersection.


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How will you know if you missed it? Well, you’ll have to turn around if you see Tagaytay Southridge. This is a prominent landmark on the lefthand side of the road. Seeing it indicates that you overlooked and missed Ligaya Drive.





If you overlook the intersection of Tayatay and Ligaya Drive, you will pass several structures that can also serve as landmarks to indicate that you should turn around and go back. A good example is the building of the Development Academy of the Philippines. However, none of them are as prominent as Southridge, hence Southridge was used.

If you discover that you missed it, you have to turn around. This time, the elusive Ligaya Drive will be on your lefthand side. On your righthand side, watch for this direction sign. Once you see it, stop!



This sign is directly across Ligaya Drive. The direction sign indicates that Ligaya Drive will not only lead you to the lake but, if you continue along the drive, it will also lead you to the town of Talisay, which is five kilometers distant.

TAAL LAKE YACHT CLUB

You’ll be on Ligaya Drive for less than ten minutes. Follow the signs and go to the yacht club. We did and we rewarded ourselves with a satisfying lunch at the club. The air is fresh and the wind, strong. From there we could have rented a sailboat or taken the boat tour that would take us to the volcano island. According to the staff, the sailing season lasts from October to April. That’s when traffic is highest.

The photos below shows the marker for the yacht club at lake level. Apart from being a proper yacht club it’s also the home of the Philippine Hobie fleet. The Hobie Cat is one of the most popular small sailboats in the world.