Just yesterday, we’ve traveled northeast of Ormoc City and stumbled on the famous Lake Danao National Park after a 20 minute ride from the city. The weather itself was on our side despite its sizzling heat, we were quite excited to arrive at our destination.

The Lake Danao National Park is a 2,193 hectare area and is about 15 kilometers travel from the Tongonan national road.

The trip towards the park was all right; however, I strongly suggest for you to bring along some food or snacks and drinks particularly water just to quench your thirst since the sun’s heat wasn’t really welcoming.

The well celebrated Lake Danao is the main attraction of the National Park which covers 148 hectares in the island Leyte, Philippines.

Frankly, I felt a bit of panic as we drove our way towards the National Park since the road was just strangely unfamiliar and isolated.

After reaching the Lake Danao National Park View Deck, we couldn’t help but take pictures of the magnificent lush green forest surrounding the lake. The scenery was utterly picturesque and breathtaking.

The Lake is 2,600 feet above sea level and its perfectly painted panorama can be seen high above the view deck.

It was initially named “Lake Imelda” and was proclaimed a natural park by the late President Ferdinand Marcos in June 2, 1972. However, in February 3, 1998, the park was renamed as Lake Danao National Park.

Lake Danao is shaped like a guitar stretching roughly three kilometers hemmed by the verdant and unspoiled evergreen forests. The strikingly rich flora and fauna that can be seen ubiquitously is accentuated by the Amandiwin mountain range that also borders the lake’s magnificence.

The lake furnishes drinkable water to seven towns in Eastern Leyte including Tacloban City.

We went downhill and noticed that unlike before, an endless cemented path extends from left to right, taking you closer to the edges of Lake Danao.

We walked continuously on both directions starting from the right but soon realized that it was taking forever to reach the main lake.

Sadly, there were neither sign boards nor directions constructed along the path that would guide visitors in reaching the lake. This I understand since the National Park was still a work in progress.

Perhaps soon enough there will be significant improvements that will attract more visitors and tourists.

At present, locals are offering rides aboard rafts made of bamboo and small boats.

You can experience first hand the unspoiled waters of Lake Danao for a minimum of P200 on board a small “banca” or a Philippine term for outrigger canoes. The banca ride entails one trip around the lake making it possible for passengers to get a bird’s eye view of Lake Danao’s splendor.

On the other hand, a ride on board the bamboo rafts cost P150 per person. The raft can take you only until the center of the lake then back.

The rides may seem costly even for me but the lasting experience is worthwhile if you desire to make the most of your trip in Lake Danao.

Special thanks to Gil Ramirez for giving us the opportunity to visit this beautiful place. May God continue to bless you and your family.

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