Visayas
Lake Danao | Ormoc, Leyte
2/18/2016 07:07:00 AM
Lake Danao is a hidden gem that is only frequented by a few. How did I know? Going there has a time constraint because jeepneys will only be available until 3-4pm with 20-30 minutes interval. Also, entrance or environmental fee is only P10.00.
What I love about Leyte is that, transportation is centralized. We arrived on a Friday at 10am in Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban and headed straight to Ormoc City; 2 hours away from Tacloban. We chose to ride a van as suggested by the locals. You will have an option between Van-Van Tours and DupTours Shuttle Services. From the airport, you may choose to take a taxi, tricycle or jeepney. We choose tricycle so we can leave right away and pay only P150. Jeepney is at P50 per person but you have to wait until it's full.
It took us 2 hours traveling from Tacloban to Ormoc City. Locals are very friendly and helpful when you ask for directions. It was almost 12 noon and the adventure doesn't stop there. Another 40-minute multicab ride at P40 per head will take you to the violin-shaped lake found on top of the hill. Where to ride the multicab? They're just adjacent to the terminal where you alighted in Ormoc City. Ask a local and you'll never get lost.
Always remember to always alight in terminals because the next vehicle you need to ride also starts from there. For Lake Danao, multicabs have signage of the name of the lake itself so you'll know you're in the right vehicle.
I really wanted to rent a kayak at P150/hour but all were already taken. We get to settle at renting the floating cottage instead at the same rate. We only have a couple of hours to stay because we wanted to catch the last trip going back to Ormoc Terminal. Most visitors have their own cars so I guess we were the last to arrive and first to leave that day.
It's a lake but the water is very clear and doesn't sting. It's deep but life jackets are also provided for safety. I highly recommend this attraction for travelers to visit when you're in Leyte. One more tip, go there early so you get to enjoy it's majestic beauty. On weekends though, less multicabs frequent the place because most residents have motorcycle or habal-habal which you can also if you're unlucky to catch the last trip.
With my good friend, Larry, who is 'kaladkarin' when it comes to traveling. As we want to maximize the remaining time we're there, sadly, the last multicab has left and we have to rent a habal2x to take us to where we can ride the nearest multicab back to Ormoc Terminal. P150 for habal2x wasn't bad enough to stay a little longer in this tranquil and quiet place.
Expenses:
Tricycle from Airport to Van Terminal - P150/2 - P75
Van form Tacloban to Ormoc - P120
Multicab from Ormoc Terminal to Lake Danao - P40
Entrance/Environmental Fee - P10
Floating Cottage - P150(hr)/2 - P75
Habal2x to the nearest Multicab - P150/2 - P75
Multicab to Ormoc Terminal - P20
Total - P415.00
After we experienced Ormoc's hidden treasure, we went straight to Palompon and spend the night there to catch the early boat ride to KALANGGAMAN ISLAND. We'll have a separate blog so watch out for it.
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