Caliraya Lake is a favourite vacation spot amongst motorbike riders and bikers primarily based in Metro Manila for weekend rides. Positioned within the mountainous space of Lumban, Cavinti, and Kalayaan in Laguna, the realm surrounding Caliraya Lake has often known as a high vacation spot for out of doors recreation, water sports activities, retreats, and fishing.
Since journey has eased once more after the pandemic, the realm appears to be rising in popularity amongst households for automobile tenting, glamping, and different out of doors nature actions. There are much more family-friendly resorts, glamping locations, and new al fresco eating places serving wider meals choices which have popped up within the space previously two years.
Earlier than the pandemic, we often simply rode our bikes going right here and again on fast day journeys for a easy breakfast or lunch meal. Only for a change of tempo, we determined to deliver our bicycles to do a Caliraya Lake-Pagsanjan loop journey, staying in a single day earlier than and after biking across the space for a calming bike-cation weekend.
As of our go to, there are not any extra checkpoints and journey necessities to go to Caliraya coming from Metro Manila.
Lake Caliraya is a man-made lake located within the municipalities of Lumban, Cavinti, and Kalayaan in Laguna province. The lake is located at 1,200 above sea-level, roughly 100 kilometers East of Metro Manila.
Attending to Caliraya Lake is about 2 and half to three hour drive from Makati. The most well-liked route for automobile house owners is through SLEX, exiting Calamba through the Bucal By-pass highway of Greenfields improvement, and exiting to Los Banos. From Los Banos, proceed to drive through Sta Cruz and eventually Pagsanjan, earlier than going up the hill of Caliraya.
The popular route for these coming from the East and motorbike riders is the Manila East Highway. The easiest way to entry this is able to be from Ortigas Avenue, then Ortigas Avenue Extension, E. Rodriguez, ultimately resulting in the Nationwide Highway and Manila East Highway. In the event you take this route, you may be passing by Cainta, Antipolo, Teresa and several other scenic cities of Laguna, together with, Tanay, Pililia, Siniloan, Pakil, Paete and Lumban. Traversing this highway will lead you alongside the perimeter of Laguna de Bay.
Fashionable spots and landmarks within the space embody:
- Japanese Backyard (nonetheless closed to the general public as of Might 2022)
- Caliraya Lake
- Lumot Lake
- Cavinti Falls
- Hulugan Falls (Luisiana)
- Pagsanjan Arch
- Our Girl of Guadalupe Parish Church
- Cavinti Underground River and Caves Complicated
Cyclists can bike all the way in which to Caliraya Lake from Metro Manila in the event that they need to taking each routes for a full Laguna Loop or can take the extra scenic Manila East Highway route. Nonetheless, simply getting there’ll in all probability eat up an entire day, because it’s over 100 kilometers coming from Quezon Metropolis. The Manila East Highway route crosses Antipolo Metropolis, Teresa, Morong, Pililla in Rizal Province and Mabitac, Famy, Paete, Pangil and Pakil in Laguna Province with a complete elevation achieve of 1,100 meters.
For these with restricted time or are touring with households and youngsters, an alternative choice is to only drive to the Laguna space with automobiles bringing bicycles so you may keep away from the highways and begin biking across the space when you get there. In the event you use Caliraya Lake as your base, you may get pleasure from a extra leisurely journey and have time to do different actions like boating, river rafting, kayaking, fishing, sightseeing, visiting waterfalls and caves, and extra.
For this specific journey, our begin and finish level for biking was Caliraya EcoVille Farm Resort. We began our bike journey at about 9:00 am within the morning after breakfast.
Our authentic plan was to loop Lumot Lake on the way in which to Cavinti and Pagsanjan as a result of the highway appeared satisfactory on Googlemaps. Nonetheless, we encountered useless ends and fenced off roads that required us to backtrack. A important dust entry roads was minimize off on account of new developments within the space. The sign within the space was additionally very weak and maps wouldn’t load correctly so we received a bit misplaced.
At any fee, the highway going to Lumot Lake is nice for bikers as a result of not numerous motorized autos go right here, and the realm is simply being developed, so it feels very uncooked and new. There are numerous uphill areas to sort out and good flowy downhills.
We got here throughout plenty of new tenting areas on the highway resulting in the Cavinti Underground River and Caves Complicated, a newly found cave complicated which is fast-becoming essentially the most promoted eco-tourism vacation spot within the province of Laguna. Sadly, you may’t simply go to the cave with out prior coordination.
Guests should get a allow or waiver to go to from the tourism workplace within the city correct. We’ll attempt to revisit it one in every of nowadays (however not by bike), as a result of the highway happening is extremely steep (nasunog yung brakepads ko) and nonetheless requires about half an hour of mountaineering via a dust path in response to locals.
- Tourism workplace: 523-0152 / 523-0129 loc. 106
- Cell No: 0948-1571174 / 0912-8067356 / 0915-2934238 / 0963-8783289
- Electronic mail: amazingcavinti@gmail.com
- Twitter: @acavinti
- Fb: Wonderful Cavinti
Parts of the highway are additionally nonetheless beneath building resulting in the cave complicated and there have been indicators that stated “No Trespassing” past a sure level. That detour truly took up numerous time, nevertheless it ended up being essentially the most attention-grabbing a part of the journey.
Once we lastly received a sign, we realized that we had biked method too far past the place we must always have turned, so we determined to only backtrack to the principle freeway and received to Lumot Lake at round 1:00 pm.
From there, it was simple to Pagsanjan, with picture stops on the well-known Pagsanjan Arch at 2:30 pm and a binalot lunch at a bike-friendly restaurant proper within the city.
After lunch, it was a sluggish and regular ascent again as much as Caliraya Lake from the principle highway. There are numerous scenic overlooking spots right here and new restos to cease for many who need to take a break.
We received again to the lakeside space round 5:00 pm and stopped for a lugaw lakeside meal and watched the sundown earlier than heading again to the resort. After the lengthy journey, it was nice to have the ability to relaxation and have a snug mattress to return again to and never need to bike all the way in which house.
In keeping with my Strava stats, the realm we ended up masking was 63.14 km with an 845 elevation achieve, with virtually 5 hours and 42 minutes of shifting time. In the event you skip the detour, the loop might be roughly simply 35 km.
For this biking journey, we stayed in one of many older institutions within the space that gives a one-stop base for nature actions – Caliraya Ecoville Recreation Farm., which affords lodging splendid for households, {couples}, and teams of pals to relax, loosen up and luxuriate in nature.
The 20-hectare facility boasts of a 2-hectare fish pond, campsites, nature trails, and a eating and indoor sport space.
For individuals who don’t personal bikes, the farm resort additionally affords bike leases and has a brief biking/mountaineering path. Company may get pleasure from kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, tender archery, Caliraya Lake boat excursions, and different nature actions.
We booked a keep at one of many conventional lakeside Nipa Hut Cottages (P2,500/an evening). The fan room dealing with a small lake affords a back-to-basics really feel, with a view of coconut bushes from the window. It was stress-free simply to hearken to the crickets and frog sounds at night time.
For individuals who actually need to be one with the outside, the farm grounds additionally gives a safe campsite the place you may pitch tents {P500/night time) and go to sleep beneath the celebrities.
For individuals who choose creature comforts and need extra space, there are premium lakeside cottages and air-conditioned resort rooms to select from for P2,999/night time).
Apart from Caliraya EcoVille, there are numerous different distinctive lodging choices across the Caliraya Lake space, together with the Bali-inspired resort Baliraya, glamping spot Kaliraya Surf Kamp, Aquascape Lake Caliraya and extra.
The final time we stayed in a single day in Kaliraya Surf Kamp in 2019, it was only a easy campsite for riders and bikers, nevertheless it’s now beneath new administration with EcoHotels.
The grounds now supply tiny home quarters for household automobile tenting and glamping with easy accessibility to a restaurant plus respectable restrooms for many who need to get pleasure from being outside however don’t need to tough it out a lot.
Throughout earlier visits to the realm earlier than the pandemic, there weren’t numerous eating choices within the Caliraya space apart from the standard eateries serving silog meals. For bikers who simply need good espresso, there’s a lakeside cafe referred to as Kreme Puff, and a small eatery serving fruit shakes, lugaw, and extra.
Extra upscale eating places and al fresco bars have additionally popped as much as cater to the tastes of households and glampers.
We have been shocked to discover a beautiful department of Trattoria Altrove (the well-known brick-oven pizza from El Nido) in Caliraya. The al fresco restaurant situated inside Kaliraya Surf Kamp, affords scrumptious Italian eating specializing in pizza and pasta with premium elements.
Pizza is my favourite consolation meals, and Trattoria Altrove has top-of-the-line pizzas I’ve tried outdoors Manila restos. It was the final order by the point we received right here, and meals was supposedly only for takeout, however the employees on obligation was good sufficient to allow us to dine-in and have a number of beers. It helped that one other group arrived shortly after us. I’d like to attempt the opposite dishes subsequent time. Nice interiors and ambiance too.
Different eating spots round Caliraya Lake you may eat in embody Del Lagos Kitchenette, Popoy and Basha’s Ribs and Steak, and Meldivz Mountain View, an al fresco meals park with a view with Unli Samgyup, ramen, Japanese rice bowls, and grilled specialties.
We noticed a brand new cafe referred to as Alexa’s at Caliraya Heights, which affords pasta, sandwiches, premium espresso and overlooking views, which was simply on tender opening.
Yhamshe Resort Resort and Restaurant, an area resort additionally has a brand new department referred to as Yhamshe Grill that gives a spectacular view of the ridge overlooking Laguna Lake, the place you may get pleasure from Filipino specialties and beer.
For these in want of a nature getaway for a weekend, the realm round Caliraya Lake affords the proper place to flee the town and simply benefit from the easy life for a weekend.
