We came across the Mayon Volcano ATV Tour after a trip to Donsol. We had a flight at 12pm back to Manila from Legazpi and this didn’t leave us enough time for another chance with the Whale Sharks, and the drive back to the airport. Rather than waste the half day we were looking for something we could do early in the morning and be done with plenty of time to make our flight. This was perfect!
Our arrival to start the tour at about 6.30am was the best decision we had made. I had travelled to Legazpi three times previously and had never seen the top of the Mayon Volcano. The impressive base was always there but this would disappear into the sea of clouds. Always a disappointment!
As the sun rose that morning there was not a cloud in the sky. This made the 4am rise all worth it, and we still had the fun part still to come.
The other advantage to being early is no one else was there. So it was just two of us and the guide. So we had a bit more freedom to go at our own pace – and we wanted to go fast! The guide kept things reasonable though so we didn’t do anything stupid.
The trip up to the mountain was amazing. It is hard to keep your eyes on what is in front of you when every turn has the postcard perfect backdrop of this mountain I had been waiting so long to see. I couldn’t get the smile off my face the whole way up there.
We chose the tour that went as far as the lava wall. When we arrived, I really wished we could have gone further. We got there quickly and could have gone twice as far and still been within the estimated time of the trip. I guess larger groups spend a lot more time taking photos and videos along the way.
I was excited for a good trek when we got off the bikes, but it was only a couple of minutes up to the helipad where you are met with the dried up trail of lava. An impressive site and you can only imagine what it would have looked like the day it came streaming down that hill.
Looking up at the peak you couldn’t help but wonder what the view would be like from the top. One day I hope to find out! Although I haven’t had much luck with views on peaks with our Mt Pulag climb being a hazy mess rather than a see of clouds. But it was still fun trying.
The drive back was a bit more mundane. The view is behind you, and the trail was rocky and a bit slower. Was still fin to navigate and work our way back down to base camp.
An enjoyable experience if you have a few hours to spare. The mountain is one of the most amazing sites in the country, and it is so big you can see it from everywhere. Getting up close to the mountain is worthwhile though and no matter how far you go you will only want to go further.