Lake Danao
The first thing that comes to mind whenever they hear Ormoc is likely Lucy Torres the TV personality/model turned politician and wife of famous actor Richard Gomez. Aside from the famous celebrities, Ormoc is blessed with a natural destination that has a lot of potential as a prime tourist destination.
This destination is a guitar-shaped lake that covers an area of 148 hectares. The original name of the lake was "Lake Imelda" and became a national park on June 2, 1972 by a presidential memorandum issued by former President Ferdinand Marcos. It was later renamed Lake Danao National Park on February 3, 1988. The lake is also a source of potable water for seven towns in Eastern Leyte which includes Tacloban City and provides irrigation for ricelands in some municipalities. Lake Danao is approximately 650m above sea level, giving at a cool and breezy temperature similar to Tagaytay.
Our group was given different options such as a short trek, boat riding, horseback riding or mountain biking as the day's activities. Since I was too lazy to do anything else, I decided to take the short trek. The national park is a tourist-friendly destination as there was a trail and part of it is already cemented, making it easier to walk on. Our guide Alemar told us that the route we were going to take is short and easy, which was true since it took just around 30 minutes to get to the boating area. The fresh air and short walk through the verdant woods was a good experience for a city dweller like myself.
We were all given the option to try the boat ride, however, I decided not to. I want to just chill and enjoy the view and cool breeze. The other people in the group got massages.
Our group was taken to the dining area on floating restaurants.
Our lunch consisted of local delicacies that I was eager to try. Ormoc was not directly hit by typhoon Yolanda but they still felt the devastation. It was inspiring to see that people managed to smile and remain hopeful despite the challenges they faced.
How to Get to Lake Danao
Get on a flight bound for Tacloban City, then ride a bus or van to Ormoc. From the city proper, it will take approximately 30 minutes to an hour to get to Brgy. Lake Danao. Look for multicabs or jeepneys in the public market that will take you to the lake area for around P25 to P40.
DISCLAIMER: Lake Danao was part of the itinerary during a sponsored trip with the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines.
