A friend and I visited the Taal Volcano crater lake with Yolo travels during our trip to Manila. It’s was one of the best experiences relaxing in the lap of nature. We took the secret trail tour which took us to right to lake. We started our journey very early in the morning at 4.30am from Makati as it about a 2hr drive followed by a 10-15 min boat ride across Taal Lake to the base camp.... I would suggest to start out as early as possible so you can enjoy the hike and the lake when it’s not too hot with the sun beating down on you. At the base camp my friend took the pony while I did the short hike on foot (about 1.5hrs) to the crater lake. On the way there were a couple of beautiful vista points overlooking crater lake.
At the end of the hike we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of Yellow Lake or Main Crater lake. We were the only two people there (other than our guide) and we got a chance to swim in the warm waters. This was a phenomenal experience after the walk. Our tour guide didn’t rush us at all and we got to spend about an hour swimming, lazing around and enjoying the spectacular views.
Tip: The earlier you start out and the quicker you complete the trek the longer you can stay. You should ideally start the trek back to base camp no later than 11am.
The trek back is tougher Cz it’s mostly uphill. At base camp we had a fabulous Filipino lunch of the fresh catch from Taal lake, fresh water spinach and salted eggs ready for us. We were ravenous and polished off all the food. After that we took the boat ride and drive back to Makati.

This place is a must visit and a one of a kind experiences :) . Yolo travels organised everything splendidly. Right from their punctual pick up from Makati, a comfortable car ride, the entire trek and the yummy lunch. Kudos to Yolo!!

Tips:
Do not try this trek late in the afternoon. It won’t be as enjoyable.
We did this trek after light rain showers the previous night so we weren’t bothered by the volcanic ash. You may need a face mask if you’re going in the summers.
Don’t carry any fancy swim wear cz it could get stained in the lake. Just carry some old clothes along

We used Yolo Travel tour guides for Taal Volcano - Secret Trail hike. Their awesome reviews on Tripadvisor do them total justice. I have read and heard horror stories of people getting fleeced and hounded by multiple vendors/operators on their route to Taal Volcano. This was not true in our case at all, I am assuming primarily because of us going through a single operator. We were picked up right on time at 4.30 am by a nice, English speaking driver and guide. Once we reached the lake, we moved on to a quick boat ride to the trek base point. At this point, the driver stayed back in the car and one other local helper, presumably from the island joined us in the boat. He was around to help with lifting bags or any other local help that we would need. He accompanied throughout the journey from the boat ride to the top of the trek and back until the boat ride ended in the main land. It was good to have this local guide help us since he spoke and negotiated with most of the guys around. For our trek to the base of the taal volcano lake, I needed a pony since I had an injured foot. Again I have read and heard terrible things about how the ponies are mishandled and are weak, hurt, injured, hungry, etc. Thankfully in my case, I observed that the local guy asked for the horse handlers to get one of the stronger horses for me, since I am a relatively big guy. They got a horse, who after 10 minutes of taking me to a certain point decided that he did not want to move further. It was a bit scary since inspite of the jockey's gentle nudging and pushing the horse turned around in the opposite direction and refused to move, sometimes even giving out a loud grunt expressing its displeasure to carry me. The jockey then got in touch with a few passing local jockeys and asked them to send another horse to the point where I was stranded. The new horse came in about a few minutes and took me all the way to the top. My friend who chose not to take the pony and trek instead, was accompanied by our tour guide and the local helper all the way to the lake. I met them on my horse along with my new jockey for my new horse at the lake directly. We were there by 9 am. And since we reached there early, me and my friend were the only two people at the lake. We got into the water and swam for a while. It was an amazing experience. Thereafter we changed behind the bushes, and started our trek back to the boat point. At the boat point, we were served amazing local filipino food for lunch. We were joined by our tour guide and the driver for lunch. Thereafter we caught the boat back to the main land and then the 2 hour drive back to Makati where we were based. Over all for about 90 USD per head, we had a great experience. I felt safe throughout the experience, inspite of multiple strangers joining us throughout the journey at multiple points. People were all genuine, hospitable, flexible and wanted us to enjoy their Filipino heritage. I would definitely consider Yolo Travel again for one of their other tours the next time I am in Manila.

A most flexible firm who run bespoke and private tours. They dealt with the issues of an ever changing schedule and a delayed flight effortlessly, and still packed in all we needed to see. The volcano was a great experience - we'll never forget just how hot the rocks around the crater were - and the Hidden Valley a real treat; those pools of warm water were just the right tonic after an over night flight and a walk up the volcano. And they dropped us off right at our hotel's door. Excellent English and no nonsense - why would you book with anyone else?