Tourism revives Pinatubo landscape

TARLAC CITY, Philippines — What was once buried under ash and lahar from the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption has been transformed into one of Central Luzon’s leading ecotourism destinations, now sustaining Indigenous communities and residents who spent decades rebuilding their lives after the disaster.

Thirty-five years after the eruption displaced about 1.2 million people across Pampanga, Zambales and Tarlac, the former disaster zones have become hubs for adventure and nature-based tourism.

At the center of this transformation is the Mount Pinatubo crater lake, often called a “beautiful disaster,” which now draws thousands of local and foreign tourists each year. Former lahar channels have also been converted into trekking routes and adventure sites that generate income for nearby communities.

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READ: Aeta folk want more say on Pinatubo tourism boom

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Among the key beneficiaries are Aeta communities in Barangay Inararo, Porac, Pampanga, where residents now work as tour guides, drivers and cultural interpreters in their ancestral lands.

READ: Averting another Pinatubo disaster

Through community-based initiatives, such as Pinatubo Mountainero, launched in partnership with Indigenous leaders in 2022, around 60 Aeta guides and 10 drivers are now employed in tourism operations.

Training

Tour operator Bari Silvestre said the model places Indigenous peoples at the center of tourism development.

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Aeta guides have undergone training in ecotourism, helping them turn traditional knowledge into sustainable income.

Tour earnings vary depending on tours and visitor volume, ranging from a few hundred pesos to several thousand pesos per trip.

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One of the most visited sites is Tutulari Avatar Gorge in Inararo, a narrow canyon shaped by lahar flows and natural erosion, known for its moss-covered walls and dramatic rock formations.

For elder guide Berto “Bato” David, 78, the site is deeply personal, having once been a childhood playground before the eruption.

“We used to play here when we were children. Now we serve as guides in the morning and we plant in the afternoon,” he said.

In Tarlac, the Pinatubo crater lake remains the region’s most iconic attraction. Tourists travel by 4×4 vehicles across lahar fields in Capas and Crow Valley before trekking to reach the crater.

Local guide Alex Espiritu said hundreds of off-road vehicles arrive during peak weekends.

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He said tourism has created jobs, but reminded visitors to practice responsible travel. /cb