When Mayon erupts, lava runs down the cone at night in glowing bands.
By day the ash stands over Daraga – the church in front of it dates from 1773.
In between it is the mountain on every postcard from Albay: 2,463 m (8,081 ft), almost perfect.
Scroll –
from eruption to postcard cone
Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, and from January to July 2026 it proved the point again: lava flows in the Mi-isi, Bonga and Basud gullies, pyroclastic density currents, ashfall over Camalig and Daraga on 2 May. Since 5 August 2026 it has stood at Alert Level 2 – moderate unrest, activity declining. Climbing it is still not allowed: the 6 km (3.7 mile) zone around the crater is closed at every alert level, and Albay province has banned the summit climb outright since 2016. You experience this mountain from the outside – and that is worth the trip.
The 6 km (3.7 mile) zone around the crater is closed permanently – including at Alert Level 0, because phreatic explosions can happen without warning. The old trekking route via Camp 1 and Camp 2 lies entirely inside it. Police and the provincial safety office run checkpoints on the access roads.
The bell tower of the church buried in 1814, with the cone behind it – the signature image of Albay. About 11 km (7 miles) from the summit, far outside the danger zone. Early in the morning the peak is still clear.
A 156 m (512 ft) viewpoint hill at the edge of the city with a road to the top; the PHIVOLCS observatory sits up here as well. At Alert Level 2 you can see the crater glow from here at night – the safe way to watch the volcano work.
The trails to the 2006 “lava wall” lie outside the 6 km zone, but they were stopped on 6 January 2026 at Alert Level 3 and were closed in May 2026. Whether they reach the wall again under Level 2 has not been published by any authority – ask the operator.
Photo: Erickson Banzuela Balderama · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mayon is not a volcano you have to go looking for. It stands over Legazpi like a stage set, 2,463 m (8,081 ft), visible from almost every street – when the clouds allow, which is usually only between 7 and 10 in the morning. That is when the Cagsawa bell tower sits in the backlight with the steam plume rising behind it. At Alert Level 2 the night adds something you get nowhere else for free: a red flicker at the crater, visible from Ligñon Hill or a hotel roof. Hotel owners in Legazpi called it a fireworks show in 2026.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22.09.2026. The basket is thin: all Mayon tours together carry eleven reviews. That is why none of them is marked as most booked here. The tour with “Mayon Skyline” in the title goes to a viewpoint on the north flank that was closed in May 2026 at Alert Level 3 – ask before booking whether it can be reached again.
Photo: Helen Hernandez Asuro · CC BY-SA 4.0
Two sets of rules interlock here: the danger zone set by the volcanology service and an ordinance of the province. Together they form a ban that no alert level lifts.
PHIVOLCS keeps the Permanent Danger Zone closed at every level – explicitly including Alert Level 0. The reason is in the record: on 7 May 2013 a phreatic explosion at Level 0 killed five climbers about 500 m (1,640 ft) below the summit.
Provincial Ordinance No. 0023-2016 bans the summit climb, requires accredited guides and marked trails for any trekking in the natural park, and prohibits overnight stays in the park – including at Camp 1 and Camp 2.
Trekking would need clearance from the Provincial Tourism, Culture and the Arts Office in Legazpi. As of September 2026 none is issued: in 2024 the province named Alert Level 0 as the condition, and the volcano is at Level 2. There is no online application.
5,000 PHP (approx. $80) per offense and up to one year in jail. When a group of vloggers climbed by a back route at Alert Level 1 in April 2024, the province, the national bureau of investigation and the police opened a case. Checkpoints have been in place on access roads and trails since 3 January 2026.
| Looking at the cone from the road, from Legazpi, Daraga or Camalig | free |
| Cagsawa Ruins Park, Daraga · seniors/PWD 30 PHP · children and students 10 PHP · car parking 30 PHP | 45 PHP (approx. $0.70) |
| Sumlang Lake, Camalig · plus 20 PHP environmental fee · bamboo raft 80 PHP · kayak 100 PHP | 100 PHP (approx. $1.60) |
| Ligñon Hill Nature Park, Legazpi · zipline 250–400 PHP according to blogs | free to 25 PHP |
| ATV Black Lava Trail, single seater 150 cc (operator Your Brother ATV) | 1,700 PHP (approx. $27) |
| ATV Black Lava Trail, two seater 250 cc · package with hotel transfer from 2,200 PHP per person | 3,400 PHP (approx. $54) |
| Fine under Provincial Ordinance 0023-2016, per offense | 5,000 PHP + up to 1 year in jail |
Photo: Dexbaldon · CC BY-SA 4.0
None of them goes up. What is left are the trails at the foot and the hills around it.
The classic route from the Legazpi side: Camp 1 after about two hours, Camp 2 after four to five hours beside a dry waterfall gully, then on to the crater rim at 2,463 m (8,081 ft). Two days with one night, formerly from about 5,700 PHP. It lies entirely inside the 6 km zone; summit climbs and overnight stays in the park have been banned since 2016.
From the base camp at the Cagsawa Ruins about 18 km (11 miles) across river beds and the debris of the 2006 lahars to the “lava wall”, then five to ten minutes on foot to the so-called helipad. Riding time 1.5 to 2.5 hours, four hours as a package with transfer. Riders from 16, passengers from 8.
156 m (512 ft) above Legazpi, three kilometers (2 miles) from the center. Three to five minutes by car to the top, 15 to 20 on foot. Up there: a viewing deck, a Japanese tunnel from the Second World War, a zipline and the Mayon Volcano Observatory. Open daily 5 am to 9 pm according to the city.
Photo: Ranieljosecastaneda · CC BY-SA 4.0
Without a car: Fly to Bicol International Airport (IATA DRP) in Daraga, opened 8 October 2021, about 15 km (9 miles) from Legazpi: Philippine Airlines/PAL Express and Cebu Pacific from Manila (about 47 minutes, from about 1,500 PHP), Cebgo from Cebu and Iloilo (about 1 hour). From the airport, Grab/taxi to Legazpi (about 300 PHP). Bus from Manila (PITX, Cubao, Alabang, Pasay and others) to Legazpi Grand Central Terminal: 339 km (211 miles), 10–13 hours, 1,320 PHP (standard) to 2,700 PHP (sleeper). Locally, jeepneys (Legazpi–Daraga–Guinobatan, Cagsawa junction about 15–25 PHP, then an 8-minute walk), tricycles (80–150 PHP to Cagsawa) and Grab.
By car: Rental car from the airport or Legazpi; Cagsawa Ruins via the Maharlika Highway (AH26) toward Guinobatan, signposted 'Cagsawa Junction'; parking lot at the park (30 PHP per car). Ligñon Hill via the Daraga–Legazpi Diversion Road, with a road up to the platform.
For a clear view of the cone, the drier months of February to May, ideally early in the morning (7–10 am) before clouds hide the peak; travel portals also cite December to May. Bicol lies in a climate zone without a pronounced dry season; most rain falls from November to January, and typhoon season runs from June to December (on average about 20 typhoons a year over the Philippines, according to the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt)). Typhoon Durian ('Reming') triggered the deadly lahars on 30 November 2006 – during this period, gullies and riverbeds on the volcano are off-limits. At night, at Alert Level 2–3, the crater glow can be seen from Legazpi and Ligñon Hill.
Photo: Patrickroque01 · CC BY-SA 4.0
The quad tours are the best-selling experience in Albay, and they stay outside the 6 km zone. Their status is nevertheless open at the moment: on 6 January 2026 the province stopped all rides beyond the Cagsawa Ruins, and in May 2026 the Black Lava Trail, the Green Lava Trail and Mayon Skyline were closed. Since the downgrade to Alert Level 2 on 5 August 2026 neither the province nor the provincial safety office nor the tourism department has published a clearance that can be retrieved. In other words: the tours are on sale, but official clearance for the full route is not documented. Ask the operator how far they are allowed to ride right now – and pick one with tourism department accreditation.
Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 22.09.2026. Two or three reviews per tour is no basis for a ranking, which is why nothing here is marked as most booked. Operators at the Cagsawa park also take walk-ins; booking online usually costs more than the 1,700 to 3,400 pesos of the vehicle rental, but includes transfer and guide.
Photo: Eugene Alvin Villar (seav) · CC BY-SA 4.0
No. Albay province has banned the summit climb outright since 2016, and the whole route lies inside the 6 km danger zone that PHIVOLCS keeps closed at every alert level. Trekking in the park would need a provincial permit, and none is issued at Alert Level 2.
From the Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga (tower in the foreground), from Ligñon Hill in Legazpi (panorama, plus the crater glow at night), from Sumlang Lake in Camalig (reflection) and from Daraga Church. All four are far outside the danger zone.
Not as a day trip: 339 km (211 miles), 10 to 13 hours by bus. The sensible option is the flight to Daraga (Bicol International Airport, about 50 minutes) and at least one night in Legazpi – if only because the cone is clear of cloud only early in the morning.
The trails lie outside the 6 km zone, but the province stopped them in January 2026 and closed them in May 2026. No clearance under Alert Level 2 has been published. Check with the operator how far they may ride before you book.
Outside the danger zone the risk is low as long as you follow the daily bulletin and watch for ashfall. If ash falls, wear an N95 mask, close windows and cover food; in the rainy season stay out of river beds and gullies because of lahars.
As of 22 September 2026, Mayon is at PHIVOLCS Alert Level 2 (moderate unrest, activity declining) – since it was lowered from Level 3 on 5 August 2026. The 6 km (3.7 mile) danger zone around the crater remains closed, and flights over the volcano are prohibited. Everything outside it – Cagsawa, Ligñon Hill, Sumlang Lake, Legazpi – is accessible as normal; ask the operator whether the ATV trails to the Lava Wall have been cleared again.
The volcano itself costs nothing. Cagsawa Ruins Park: 45 PHP adults, 10 PHP children (private figures, 2025/2026). Sumlang Lake: 100 PHP plus a 20 PHP environmental fee. Ligñon Hill: free according to the city, blogs cite 20–25 PHP. ATV to the Lava Wall from 1,700 PHP for a single-seater, or 2,200 PHP in a package with transfer.
The viewpoints, yes – Cagsawa, Ligñon Hill, Sumlang Lake and Daraga Church are visited on your own. Not the terrain on the volcano: under the ordinance, trekking requires DOT-accredited guides, and no one may enter the 6 km zone even with a guide.
That depends on the alert level. On 6 January 2026 (Alert Level 3), the province halted all ATV rides beyond the Cagsawa Ruins; in May 2026 the Black Lava Trail, Green Lava Trail and Mayon Skyline were closed. Level 2 has applied since 5 August 2026 – no official clearance of the trails has been published, so ask the operator before booking. Mayon SkyDrive suspends operations during volcanic activity and typhoons.
Half a day is enough for the Cagsawa Ruins and an ATV tour (1.5–2.5 hours of riding, 4 hours as a package). Add Sumlang Lake, Daraga Church and Ligñon Hill and it becomes a full day. The former summit trek took two days – currently prohibited.
As a day trip, yes: the viewpoints are short and flat. At Mayon SkyDrive, only those aged 16 and over may drive an ATV themselves; younger children ride along; platform offers take passengers from age 8. During ashfall, children belong indoors.
Light clothing, sun protection and a rain jacket – Bicol is humid all year, and June to December is typhoon season. For ATV, sturdy shoes and a change of clothes; the operator provides a helmet. During ash, an N95 mask.
Fly to Bicol International Airport in Daraga (DRP) from Manila (about 50 minutes, PAL/Cebu Pacific) or from Cebu/Iloilo (Cebgo), then Grab to Legazpi (about 300 PHP). Alternatively, bus from Manila, 10–13 hours, from around 1,300 PHP. From Legazpi to the Cagsawa Ruins by jeepney toward Guinobatan or by tricycle, 15–20 minutes.
Outside the 6 km zone the risk is low, as long as you pay attention to the alert level and ashfall. What is dangerous: the danger zone (phreatic explosions without warning – five dead at Alert Level 0 in 2013), pyroclastic density currents in the gullies, and lahars during heavy rain (more than 1,200 dead in 2006). At Level 3 the DOT advises against non-essential travel to the surrounding area.
Most likely early in the morning (7–10 am) in the months of February to May. In the afternoon and during the rainy season the peak is usually hidden; at Alert Level 2–3 the crater glow can be seen at night from Ligñon Hill.
From January to July 2026: an effusive eruption with lava flows and pyroclastic density currents, ashfall on 2 May 2026, peak in mid-July, lava came to a halt on 22 July, lowered to Level 2 on 5 August 2026. Before that, 2023/24 (Alert Level 3 from 8 June 2023) and 2018 (Alert Level 4 on 22 January 2018, with up to 86,000 evacuated).
Photo: Chrizluminario · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources · accessed on 22.09.2026
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
