When the heavens showered the earth with wonders, the Philippines might have taken the more breathtaking ones. One proof is Lake Holon, a hidden gem nestled deep in the mountains of T'boli in South Cotabato. The lake is lesser known compared to its counterpart, Lake Sebu, but the Internet is expected to blow tourist numbers up in a few years' time. I know because that's how I learned of the lake.
I had originally planned to travel to Lake Sebu, but after doing some research, I decided to look for a nearby, less-travelled location. I stumbled upon Lake Holon on Google Maps and was immediately captivated by its beauty. I decided to go there so I signed up right away, called the local tourism office, reserved a slot for the trek, and booked flight tickets.
Our journey started in Davao. Still sleepless (we left home at 10 pm for our 1 am flight to Davao the next day), we headed straight to Ecoland Bus Terminal after landing in Francisco Bangoy to catch a bus bound for Gensan. We took Mindanao Star which has the sign "GenSan, 1 Stop Digos" which obviously meant that it will take a quick stopover in Digos.
From Digos, our bus travelled another 2 hours and brought us to Bulaong Bus Terminal in GenSan. From there, we took a van for Koronadal (Marbel) then another van for T'boli to complete the 6 1/2 hour-trip. 6 1/2 hours from Davao City to T'boli, South Cotabato. Quite a journey, would you say? But it didn't end there, of course.
Upon arriving in T'boli, my friend and I signed up at the T'boli Tourism Office in front of the municipio, paid the appropriate fees in the Municipal Treasurer's Office and loaded ourselves into a habal-habal for a 1 hour back-breaking nad butt-numbing trip to Barangay Salacafe, the jump-off point for hikers.
It was raining but manong driver haven't thought of slowing down to avoid skidding, to my surprise. Driving in the rain might have felt worrisome but it had one perk: we didn't have to fret about dust accumulating in our nostrils. Arriving late in the afternoon at Barangay Salacafe, we were received by a T'boli priestess. She had us fill out yet another log book and served us native coffee, which suited the cold weather as it was still raining so hard the time we arrived. It was so cold that we could see our breath. The priestess also briefed us about the lake and the regulations. I paid the fees (the breakdown is below this post) then off we went to the 4-hour hike of the trail and with us was Kuya Jimmy, our T'boli guide.
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| Digos City Bus Terminal |
From Digos, our bus travelled another 2 hours and brought us to Bulaong Bus Terminal in GenSan. From there, we took a van for Koronadal (Marbel) then another van for T'boli to complete the 6 1/2 hour-trip. 6 1/2 hours from Davao City to T'boli, South Cotabato. Quite a journey, would you say? But it didn't end there, of course.
Upon arriving in T'boli, my friend and I signed up at the T'boli Tourism Office in front of the municipio, paid the appropriate fees in the Municipal Treasurer's Office and loaded ourselves into a habal-habal for a 1 hour back-breaking nad butt-numbing trip to Barangay Salacafe, the jump-off point for hikers.
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| The new T'boli Tourism Office, directly in front of the municipal hall |
It was raining but manong driver haven't thought of slowing down to avoid skidding, to my surprise. Driving in the rain might have felt worrisome but it had one perk: we didn't have to fret about dust accumulating in our nostrils. Arriving late in the afternoon at Barangay Salacafe, we were received by a T'boli priestess. She had us fill out yet another log book and served us native coffee, which suited the cold weather as it was still raining so hard the time we arrived. It was so cold that we could see our breath. The priestess also briefed us about the lake and the regulations. I paid the fees (the breakdown is below this post) then off we went to the 4-hour hike of the trail and with us was Kuya Jimmy, our T'boli guide.
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| A signage outside the receiving area |
The start of the trek was a breeze but it became more and more strenuous as we went farther along the trail. The trail has 4 stations, each approximately an hour from the other. After some 20 minutes of hiking, we reached Sitio Nabol, the last T'boli neighborhood tourists would pass by before reaching the lake.
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| The trail leading to Sitio Nabol |
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| Sitio Nabol |
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| Resting spot at Sitio Nabol |
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| A nabol tree amidst corn crops |
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| Another nabol tree |
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| The stations of the trail |
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| The trail nearing Station 1 |
After about 4 hours of hike from Salacafe, we descended from the slopes and reached the lake at 7 in the evening. The headlamps and flashlights we brought came in handy as the only source of light we had apart from these was the moonlight. Upon arriving at the camp site, we scouted for a location best to pitch a tent in and since it was still raining, though now lightly, we had no choice but to set it up beneath the cottage for the guides. We were with 18 other tourists from Davao City who arrived earlier and has settled into the camp already.
Dog-tired and sleepless, I fell asleep almost instantly after pitching our tent. For that reason, I failed to photograph the billions of stars sparkling above us. Sayang. (The picture below was taken from )
The next morning, we woke up early to see the lake in full view for the first time. As I went out of our tent, I was blown away with the sight I beheld. The entirety of the lake and its surroundings were so breathtaking it felt like I was in a Swiss alpine retreat without the snow-capped mountains in the picture. It was plainly stunning. From above, the lake bore a strong resemblance to Mt. Pinatubo and its crater lake, no wonder it was nicknamed "Mount Pinatubo's Faraway Twin" by travellers.
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| View from the base camp; Guides' cottage and our tents at the left |
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| View from the guides' cottage |
I had a quick breakfast then went to the lake to feel its cold water drench my feet. The water was literally ice-cold, without exaggeration. In fact, it was even colder compared to the stream in Liktinon on my previous post. A few moments after soaking my feet, I noticed a number of doctor fish gang up on my toe. They ate dead skin off my toes and judging by their munching, I think they like mine.
After meditating with the fish for several minutes, I and my friend boarded a canoe then paddled our way to the center of the lake with Kuya Jimmy. It is said that the lake is the cleanest in the country so I sampled it. I took a handful of water then sipped it, it tasted like Nature's Spring mineral water haha. The experience while canoeing was very tranquil, a complete opposite of the hustle and bustle of the city. We canoed for 30 minutes then went swimming in the ice-cold lake before leaving.
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| A dugout canoe used by T'boli fishermen |
We packed up at 10 am the same morning but not after savoring our final moments with the beautiful scenery. By 11:30 we were ready for our trek back to Salacafe. And by late 3 pm, were were already in T'boli van terminal waiting to depart for Gensan.
Our stay in the lake may be momentary but we were able to digest every bit of the view, appreciate it and get the best out of it. The best thing I got from this journey is this lesson: Hard work and persistence is rewarded with great perks. For me, my reward for sweating it out was a chance to behold and experience this precious paradise. This trip must be the best I had this year and I consider it an adventure of a lifetime. Thank you Lord for it!
Post Script: This trip happened last October 6-7, 2016 and was made possible by the Local Tourism Office of Tboli.
How to get there:
From Davao City:
From Francisco Bangoy International Airport, take a taxi going to Ecoland Bus Terminal. Ride a bus bound for Gensan. In Bulaong Terminal in Gensan take a van bound for Marbel, tell the driver to drop you off at Van Terminal for Tboli. In the terminal, ride a van going to T'boli then take a habal-habal to Barangay Salacafe. Travel time is 5-7 hours.
Note: In Gensan, you may take a van going straight to Surallah but there are less passengers there, thus longer waiting time for UV Express vans.
Breakdown of Fees and Expenses
P200 - Environmental Fee (refundable)
P300 - T'boli Guide
P20 - Trekking pole rental
P15 - Native coffee
P100 - Canoe ride
October 21 Update from T'boli Municipal Tourism Office
Fare Expenses
(This is a one-way fare breakdown, so for round trip cost, multiply by two)
P240 - Bus to Gensan from Davao City
P80 - Van to Marbel from Gensan
P60 - Van to T'boli from Marbel
P350 - Habal-habal to Salacafe Tourist Receiving Area (for 2 persons, one way)
P400 - Horseback ride (optional)
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1
07:00 - Assembly at Koronadal City
07:30 - Depart for T'boli
08:30 - ETA at Tboli Municipal Tourism Office; Registration
09:00 - Depart for Barangay Salacafe (via habal-habal)
10:00 - ETA at Salacafe Tourist Receiving Area; Registration and briefing
10:30 - Start of trek
10:50 - ETA at Sitio Nabol; Rest
11:00 - Resume trek
14:30 - ETA at Station 4 (final station); Start descent
15:00 - ETA at Lake Holon; Pitch tent, prepare dinner, explore, canoe, swim, etc.
19:00 - Dinner
22:00 - Lights out
Day 2
07:00 - Wake up call. Prepare food
07:30 - Breakfast
08:00 - Break camp; Start ascent to Station 4
08:30 - ETA at the peak
11:30 - ETA at Salacafe; Depart for T'boli town square
12:30 - ETA at T'boli town proper;
13:00 - Depart for Gensan
16:00 - ETA at Gensan; Depart for Davao City
19:00 - ETA at Davao City
Contact Numbers in Tboli Tourism Office:
09124731515 / 09127204151
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