It was my first time to visit the province of T'boli, it is a first class municipality in the province of South Cotabato, Philippines. It is also predominantly inhabited by the T’boli and B’laan ethnic tribes. This province has something to offer among locals and tourist especially the beautiful Lake Holon. Lake Holon or formerly known as Lake Maughan is marked as the cleanest lake in Region 12 and one of the National finalist in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and ranked first in the 2003 and 2004 search for the inland bodies of water in the whole Philippines archipelago. The crater lake has an area of 304 hectares and more or less at an elevation of 4,700 feet above sea level and had a turquoise clear water, free from trash and dirt and offers panoramic view that will surely give you a pure bliss and tranquility.
The place is actually a perfect spot in wherever angle you want for a photo shoot, it’s like a 3D scene as your backdrop. Going there was never a piece of cake but once you’re there, you’ll never regret, even a picture can’t give justice to its innate beauty. Truly, mother nature never fails to amaze me.
Before you can visit the lake, you have to go to their Tourism office to register yourself, to guide and assist you on your planned trek. Then go to Barangay Salacafe which is the starting point of your long trek.
There are two trails going to lake Holon. One is in Sitio Kule which they also called the Hunter’s trail and the other one is in Sitio Nabol which is the easier trail and good for beginners in Barangay Salacafe. We chose the Kule trail because we want to see the top view of the lake. The Kule trail is the difficult trail, but will surely be a worthy of your choice. You’ll get the chance to see the panoramic view of Lake Holon. A 3-4 hour hikes depend on the pace of the traveler’s through the most beautiful parts of the forest going to Lake Holon. You’ll get to pass by on 5 different stations before arriving at the stunning beauty of Lake Holon, and the camping site area. You’ll start to see a bunch of beautiful and well grown trees while the most awaited scenery is resting on its innate state lies ahead of you. You have to reach the 4th station in order for you to have the full view of the Lake which is the viewing deck.
We stayed in the view deck for more than 30 minutes to capture the view and also to regain some strength and energy. Afterwards, we decided to descend to the lakeshore which will take another hour. And we need to rode the local's boat to reach the camp site. Though tired, we’re so grateful to see this wonder only few could experience. Since we don’t have anything to do and the place is so quiet, we slept early and it was one of the best relaxing sleep.
Awakened the next day by the sound of birds humming around the place with the alluring view of the sun started to show up.
one can opt to swim in the cold waters or to just sit by the lake shore and let tiny fishes ease your weariness away. Help locals earn money by buying tilapia caught fresh from the lake. Believe me, the tilapia caught here are much more delicious than those bought in the market. Also you can rent a kayak and paddle all the way to the center of the lake.
Leaving Lake Holon was never easy. It was our home for a night giving us good memories and relaxation time. As I gave my last glance, I try to memorize the scenic view. My heart is filled with gladness that I reached this beautiful place. Though it was tough but it was very fulfilling experience.
