Fun things to do in Province of Pampanga

No trip to Pampanga is complete without a side trip to Mt. Pinatubo crater. After devastating eruption in 1991, crater is now a beautiful lake. From Clark city it takes about an hour to reach Mt. Pinatubo Spa. Here you need to board 4x4 jeep that will take you on a one hour ride on Lahar rivers and will drop you for a further trek of three hours to the crater. There is another trek called "Skyway" that is shorter and said to be covered in an hours time. But the longer route is more rewarding.

Once you have reached the crater, you can either swim or have boat ride there. Keep in mind that your guide will not let you stay more than two hours on the crater as ultimately one has to return to the Spa before sunset.

Costs - I have paid PHP 2,000 inclusive of 4x4 jeep rental, tour guide, all necessary permits and delicious lunch on the crater. Transportation to and from Pinatubo Spa was my responsibility. Additionally, I had paid PHP 250 for boat ride in the crater lake and PHP 50 for car parking.

Though hard to find this place as it is far from Clark, still a nice place to visit and feel greenery all around. Its restaurant is on top of Club's offices and provides panoramic view of surrounding.

Across SM City in San Fernando is Robinson's Mall, another shopping mall chain in the country. Both malls, dominates the San Fernando landscape from the North Luzon Expressway.

Again, there's another Robinson's mall along Balibago district in Angeles City.

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The City of San Fernando is an alternate shopping mecca north of Manila. SM City, the largest mall chain in Asia has constructed one of their malls just about the North Luzon Expressway toll exit gate to San Fernando, Pampanga, about 67 kms. north of Manila. Across SM City is Robinsons Mall, another shopping mall chain in the country. Both malls, dominates the San Fernando landscape from the Expressway.

But don't be confused as there's another SM City mall located at Clark Freeport Zone, located 17 kms further north in Angeles City.

This Catholic church with a beautiful pink facade and a highly ornate sanctuary is one of the most beautiful places of worship in Pampanga. While on a trip to the province it's so hard to miss as its beautiful domes are clearly visible on the main road right off San Fernando exit. Finding the right road that leads to the location can be tricky though.

And because it survived the tragedy of the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the 1990s, this half-buried church is even more interesting and more worth visiting. Try the shop within the complex too. They sell religious and non-religious figurines made from hardened volcanic ash of some sort.

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A yearly event held at Clark Air Base in Pampanga has become more and more popular now on its 11th year and has attracted more visitors, locals and foreign alike.

We came here as early as 5 in the morning as the balloons take off at 5:30 in the morning. Visitors were all delighted at the sight of the balloons taking off one by one. The balloons come in different shapes, forms and attractive colors. Visitors were also treated and entertained well with other exciting activities which followed after the balloons take off like paragliding, airplane acrobatic shows, skydiving and kite-flying.

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When visiting Pampanga, don't ever miss out the beautiful Mount Pinatubo. Geographically, the mountain is bounded by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga. As a matter of preference, I placed it here in my Province of Pampanga page.

To get to Mount Pinatubo, all you need is a 4x4 jeep service provider. 4x4s are great for this kind of landscape - sand, rocks, hills and rivers. Prepare for all sorts of bumps though. Normal package includes transportation only (P800pp), from Angeles City to-and-fro the foot of Mount Pinatubo. A 2-hour hike separates the visitor from this point to the crater-lake.

The tourism office at Capas, Tarlac (a must stopover; for registration, that is..) will provide an Aeta guide for P700 flat rate.

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The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival is held every year on the second weekend of February at the Clark Field Special Economic Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga. A 3 to 4-day event, you can watch the balloons being filled up with air and even walk inside one while it is on the ground (if the balloon crew will let you, that is...) The next Festival is scheduled for Feb 9 to 11, 2007. It is best to book a room overnight inside Clark so you could go to the airshow grounds early and catch the balloons being inflated, and then catch those huge gas burners blast propane flame into the inflated balloons to heat the air inside them and make them fly!