Nearly 10 years after Mount Pinatubo erupted in one of the past century's most violent volcanic events, tourists are trickling back to marvel at the devastation that killed hundreds and wiped out the Philippines' main rice-producing region. A group of foreign tourists check out a crater lake after a three-hour climb of Mt. Pinatubo. More and more tourism companies are offering tours of the area, which was ravaged by a massive eruption in June 1991. The emerging tourism business is helping the still-suffering villagers. We cater to people with a taste for adventure.
Crow Valley is used by the Philippine air force for practice bombings.
From small numbers of mostly local tourists, visitors now number up to 1,000 a month, about a fourth of them foreigners, especially during the hot months from March to May, Hilbero says. Pinatubo's eruptions were so massive that its top was simply blown away, reducing its height by 300 metres. Since Pinatubo is classed as one of the country's 22 active volcanoes, Benneth says Dreamtreks checks with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which has a permanent monitoring station there, before every climb. We welcome your feedback. All rights reserved.