PRIVATE TOUR ITINERARY: This is a rough itinerary and  the times listed below are approximate. On a weekend you will depart earlier than on a week day. Times vary depending on traffic, how long clients take to do the hike, time spent at the Crater Lake and how long you take for the optional lunch. Please note that there is also an option for a shorter hike in the summer months. If clients decide to have massages & spa treatments or visit Capas National Shrine you will obviously return later.
5:30 am	Filipino Travel provides a private pick up from your house or hotel in Metro Manila. The journey to and from Pinatubo Spa Town in an air-conditioned minibus and takes approximately 2.5 hours. You can have a quick stop along the way for a coffee break but you must remember that it is important that we arrive on time so cannot stop for breakfast. For more photographs of the minivans please click here
8:15 am	Once you have arrived at Pinatubo Spa Town - your driver will register your names with the local authorities and transfer you to a waiting 4x4 jeep to take you across Crow Valley. Please note that this can take some time so please be patient. There is an opportunity for a toilet break and it is safe to keep all your valuables locked inside the minivan.
8.30 am	Depart for Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake in an old 4x4 jeep. The journey across Crow Valley is bumpy, dusty and without air-conditioning or seat belts but it is lots of fun and a great adventure. The terrain is moon-like with grey sands, small streams and parched vegetation. You will pass by herds of cattle and locals Aeta riding carabao on their way to work. We remind our clients that if you feel uncomfortable with the speed please ask the driver to slow down - they sometimes get carried away.
9.30 am	After a rough one hour ride across Crow valley you will reach the start of the trekking point. The hike is roughly 5.5 km (2 hours walking) each way with a total ascent of 300 metres. The terrain is relatively flat until the last 20 minutes where you ascend to the rim of the Crater Lake. SHORTER HIKE: Please note that there is also an option for a shorter hike in the summer months when the riverbed is dry. The 4x4 jeeps will travel further up Crow Valley to a drop off station. You will walk the last 20 – 30 minutes on a single trail to the Crater Lake.
11:30 am	Your first sighting of the Crater lake is absolutely stunning, you will immediately notice the bright turquoise waters which are surrounded by the volcano’s huge crater walls. Head down to the lake and have your (optional extra) sandwiches and drinks that Trekking Pinatubo provides. For the more adventurous - you can take a swim in Crater Lake or take a boat ride (an additional expense).
12:30 pm	Begin trek back down the mountain and then start the 4x4 Jeep trip back across Crow Valley.
3:30 pm	Arrive at Mt. Pinatubo Spa for a delicious lunch (optional) . The Filipino lunch (Php 250.00) includes a selection of pancit bihon (rice noodles), chop suey, adobong manok (chicken adobo), adobong kangkong (water spinach adobo), and endless bowls of steamed rice. The Korean lunch (Php 350.00) is a combination of Samgyetang (whole spring chicken and Korean ginseng), Kimchi, rice and a banana for fruit.
4:30 pm	Begin the return journey back to Manila. We recommend an (optional extra) stop at Capas National Shrine. The Capas National Shrine is a memorial to the Filipino and American soldiers who died in Camp O'Donnell at the end of the Bataan Death March in WW2. It is a fitting end for a great day out.
7:30 pm	Our estimated time of arrival in Metro Manila depending on traffic will be earlier if you are doing the shorter hike. For people doing the longer trail we should be back by 7:30 pm