Last Wednesday, June 24, my orgmates and I went "backpacking" around Laguna. Although it really wasn't like the hardcore backpacking where you don't go home until the adventure was over - it was a good start. Amateur backpackers please. Haha. With more than 12 hours on the road, long bus rides and rainy muddy hikes - we've finally made it to Pandin Lake in San Pablo Laguna!

First things first, HOW DO WE GET TO PANDIN LAKE VIA PUBLIC TRANSPO? 

#1 From Jollibee Junction near UP Los Banos, Laguna:

Ride a jeep that says "San Pablo" (32 PESOS). Ride all the way till you see buildings. The jeepney driver will tell you if you are already in San Pablo anyway. Go down near KFC. From KFC, there is a road with jeepneys lined up. Go ride a jeep that says "Sambat" (13 PESOS). The driver will then drop you off in Sambat. You will see a BIG sign that says "Pandin" lake. Follow the trail or ask assistance (there usually is a guide near the entrance). 

#2 From South Station, Alabang:

Go ride a jeep that says Sta Cruz. Tell the bus conductor you're going to "UPLB College" (55 PESOS). Go down at Olivarez. Again, the bus conductor will tell you if you're near. On the same side of the road, ride a jeep that says "San Pablo" then follow #1. :)

Total cost to get to Pandin lake one-way from Alabang: 100 PESOS

With or without the help of a guide, you can only get to Pandin Lake by hiking. Be prepared! The hike is around 30 - 45 minutes if you are not in a hurry, chill lang. But don't worry, it's safe and you won't get lost. And as for our case, we were very tired. Imagine the heat! But once we saw the beauty of Pandin Lake, it was *worth it!*

The people who live near Pandin Lake are used to having guests. They will just approach you if you want to ride their floating *kubo* (house) - I don't know what you call it. Entrance fee is 180 PESOS or 360 PESOS for those who will order food. This is per person. Their food is tilapia, rice, shrimp and buko juice. But for my orgmates and I, we opted to just bring food to share. We had andoks chicken, liempo, rice and coke. :) 

Total cost as of now: 180 + 100 (transpo) = 280 PESOS

Total cost if with food: 360 + 100 (transpo) = 460 PESOS

Again, keeping our budget of 500 pesos! ;)

As you ride the boat (yes, let's call it that), the guide will first bring you to Pandin Lake's twin, Yambu Lake. It was another climb - it's short but a bit dangerous because it was slippery, muddy and there wasn't really any stairs. It was built on mud and rocks. You can choose to go or not. Of course, we didn't know that so we still went up but I'm glad we did.

After the struggle of climbing up, our only non-selfie picture together is blurry pa. Kuya talaga. HAHA
After going to see Yambu Lake, you can now finally enjoy and swim! This was good for two hours so make use of your time wisely. Take a lot of pictures because the place is just picturesque. *sigh* As for us, we ate, swam and took a lots of pictures and videos. It was really fun. How I wish we stayed for more than 2 hours but that would mean another 180 pesos.

Also, the lake's deepness varied from more than 100feet to 40feet deep depending on the area. There was only an area we were allowed to swim because there were some nets in other parts of the lake. One thing I loved about the place was that it was really clean. You can even see your reflection of your feet in the water. It was only dark because it was deep and you could not see the sea bed.




For those who don't know how to swim, you can still enjoy Pandin Lake because LIFE VESTS are a must. Actually, it's required. The guides will not allow you to go swimming or even sit around without a life vest. Plus, the guides are very good swimmers just in case you still find yourself drowning even with a life vest- but trust me on this, you won't. :)

And before I sign off with more of our pictures, as lovely as the place is, one thing I didn't like was there was no shower area. Sure, there was a bathroom - they have a cubicle to do your business but it was only as good as a dressing room. There was no shower area. So after swimming, we still had to commute and shower at my orgmate's house, also in San Pablo. 



Now that you've been warned, here are more pictures from our trip. Enjoy!