Mayon - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Mayon Volcano

travel wonder in the Philippines

Why the
Mayon Volcano
is special

Mayon Volcano has a near-perfect cone shape, endowing it with symmetrical beauty. You can see all of its grandeur, from base to summit, because it sits alone above a vast sloping plane.

Mayon Volcano
tips & insights

Mayon Volcano is still active

Almost 50 other eruptions occurred over the past 400 years. That’s an average of one every eight years. The last eruption happened in August 2006.

Most deadly eruption

It happened in 1814. Over 1,200 people perished. Most of them took refuge in the church in Cagsawa. Unfortunately, lava and mud flows plus airborne ash and rock fragments buried the church.

Today, only the church’s reclaimed bell tower bears physical testimony to the resulting tragedy. It is now a popular travel attraction.

Photo op

The church bell tower offers a striking photo opportunity: The Mayon Volcano flanked by the lonely historic tower poking out of the ground.

Height

Mayon Volcano soars 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level. The summit has a white coating that some visitors think is snow. It's sulphur.

Near-perfect shape

But Mayon is not the world’s only near-perfect cone volcano. Other famous ones include Mount Fuji in Japan and Osomo in the Argentine-Chilean Lake District.

When to come

Visit Mayon Volcano between December and March, the heart of the dry season. Clouds can obscure the summit during the wet season.

When to climb

The clear-sky period is also the time to scale the summit (the ascent is slippery when it rains). The final stretch is not easy – underfooting can be fragile and the incline is 30 to 40 degrees.

Nearest major city

Mayon Volcano is 15 kilometers (10 miles) north of Legazpi City, which is one hour by plane from Manila.