Lake Holon, T’boli, South Cotabato

“Meet me in the middle of your story when the soul is worn but wise.”

- Angie Weiland-Crosby

It brings me joy to meet people who have experienced the ups and downs of life and have meaningful stories to share. It was my first time to set foot in T’boli in South Cotabato, and it was a humbling experience to immerse with the indigenous tribe where the town was named after - the Tboli people. Most of them, accustomed to a simple, mountain life, are guarding the mystifying and enchanting Lake Holon.     

Tucked away at 1,824 metres above sea level, Holon is a beautiful crater lake dubbed the “Crown Jewel of the South”. It is believed to be mystical, surrounded by 15 mountains, with Mt. Melibengoy, the highest. In another lifetime, the lake and the mountain were known as “Lake Maughan” and “Mt. Parker”, respectively, alluding to Frank Parker and Russell Maughan, both US military officers who died when their plane crashed while they were mapping the area in the 1930s. The Lake is undeniably among the world’s top green destinations, and the leading crowd drawer for outdoor enthusiasts in the “Land of Dreamweavers” nowadays, often upstaging its neigboring Lake Sebu.   

Aside from the hike, it’s quite an adventure itself getting to the jump-off point. Coming from GenSan Airport, I took a yellow bus bound for Koronadal City for an hour, then transferred to a van going to T’boli (which consumed another hour), the municipality where the Lake is located. I dropped by the Tourism Office in T’boli to register and pay the entrance and environmental fees at the Municipal Treasurer Office. 

It is recommended to make a reservation at the Lake Holon Official FB Page to ensure a slot, especially for weekend climb. Also there is a cut-off time of 1 pm arrival at the Tourism Office in order to proceed to climb within the same day. After securing my permit, I took another habal-habal ride (passing by vast plantations of pineapple and banana), which lasted almost two hours (the last 20 minutes was like a hell ride due to rough, unpaved road), before finally reaching Kule, a sitio of Brgy. Salacafe and the jump-off point going to the Lake. Pagbaba ko ng habal-habal, gulanit na buhok ko, feeling ko need na i-Rejoice; pati hita ko masakit.

Since I didn’t make the 1 pm cut-off time, I had no choice but to stay overnight in Kule. While I think it is okay to do night trek, it is discouraged by the Tourism Office at wala rin naman point kung madilim na pagdating sa viewpoint dahil hindi mo na rin masisilayan ang Lake.

Kule (now marketed as Sitio Kule Cultural Village) is a quiet, highland community of T’boli tribe. No electricity, no Globe signal, but very rich in culture and natural attractions. Payak ang pamumuhay ng mga tao. The children do not have Ipads; they instead play with each other, running wild and free on the verdant mountain field.  The whole community was recently developed as a homestay facility where tourists can immerse and experience the way of life of the T’boli people.

I was initially billeted at Kule Homestay. It is a traditional T’boli house, known locally as “gono bong”, made of indigenous materials; the interiors without partitions. There I met my tour guide – Kuya Yok, who later on at night insisted that I stayed with his family. Buti na lang, I conceded because at least I was given a blanket and pillows (kung sa Kule Homestay, sa papag or sahig lang ako matutulog without any amenities, wala rin ilaw so pagsapit ng gabi, it was literally pitch black). Mahaba ang gabi sa sitio, so marami kami napag usapan ng host family ko from the recent visit of Kulas of Becoming Filipino and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat, the housing project, to their healthcare needs. From them, I learned that Holon is a local dialect which means “deep water”, Kule means “high ground”, and Salacafe means “pugad ng lawin”.

5 am the next day, we started our hike. We were accompanied by Kuya Yok’s two dogs. There are actually two established trails going to the Lake - the “Salacafe trail” and the “Kule trail”. We did a traverse Kule-Holon-Salacafe. Salacafe was the original trail established – the foothpath generally wider than Kule. There are also horses that trekkers could rent in Salacafe, pag pagod na sila maglakad.

Pero mas maganda ang view along the way when taking Kule trail. With Level 6 or mid-level difficulty according to mountaineers, Kule trail is steeper, some say harder than Salacafe trail (although in my experience parehong hindi madali) that’s why it is also called the “Hunter’s trail”, kasi before mga mangangaso lang ang dumadaan. It has 5 stations, about 1 km apart from each other with resting areas, cutting through corn fields, abaca plantation, hot and cold springs, and forest.

The best station is at Station 4, where the Nabanghagang Viewdeck is located. So far, this is the best vantage point giving an unobstructed view of the Lake.  

I stayed at the Viewdeck for more than three hours, inantay ko na medyo gumanda ang clearing (tip – best to be there from 11 am until sundown). I witnessed how fog and mist easily cover up the view, how the color of the water changes from turquoise to deep green, and how reflection of the clouds and trees eventually vanished as the wind blows. Naabutan pa ako ng Day Off Adventours tour group, who came all the way from Davao. I asked Kuya Yok kung may mga times ba na umakyat sya at walang clearing and he said “yes, maraming beses na”, usually breaking the hearts of the trekkers. Kung nangyari siguro sa akin yun, iiyak ako haha (sa haba at pagod ba naman ng nilakbay ko)!

From the Viewdeck, it is another 30 minutes to an hour downhill trek to get to the shores of the Lake. Then a five minute banca ride to reach the camping site. I finally arrived at my destination past 11 am. The lake is truly stunning, malayuan man or malapitan.

The 300-hectare wide body of water is part of the Allah Valley Protected Landscape, and was recognized by the national government as one of the “cleanest inland bodies of water” in the country. It also projects tranquillity, far from how it was formed. Holon was actually born out of fire as the crater it is sitting on was created when Mt. Melibengoy erupted in 1641. It also served as a witness to tragedies and conflicts before it became the beauty that it is today.

I was also fascinated by the legend about the lake as told by longtime caretakers. They said that Holon and its surrounding forests were sacred places and once a kingdom ruled by King Tudbulol.  The lake is believed to have protectors – mountain gods and goddesses known as 15 Guardians of Holon, each represented by the mountains around the lake.

Around 300 pax climbed that day. Buti na lang majority of them late in the afternoon na dumating, still giving me an ample time to marvel at the serenity of the Lake. Pagdating nilang lahat, naging fiesta at rowdy na ang mood.

It is ideal to visit the Lake on weekday, where traffic of people and tourists is less.  

Anyway I spend the remaining of the day visiting the fish spa, boating, and simply relishing the view. I love the surreal, changing beauty of the Lake. By night time, temperature dropped and as usual I had difficulty sleeping because of the tagos to the bones lamig kahit naka four layers na ako.

The following morning, I woke up 4:30 in the morning as I need to leave early and catch my plane back in GenSan. It would be another 3 hours of agony trekking. But positively, I felt like my soul has grown deep like the Lake.

From GenSan Airport, take Yellow Bus bound for Koronadal City. In Koronadal, take a van bound for T’boli. Register at Tourism Office of T’boli. After registration, take habal-habal bound for Sitio Kule, the jump-off point going to the Lake. An alternative jump-off point is Brgy. Salacafe (but if taking this trail, it will not pass by Nabanghagang Viewdeck, which has the best vantage point of the Lake). Better take Kule-Holon-Salacafe traverse. Bring jacket, if camping overnight at the Lake.

T’boli Tourism Office

T'boli, South Cotabato

Tel. No.: 0997-6091773