The Lake Pandin Experience: Stunning & picturesque view afloat the lake

From what was supposed to be just a day tour of San Pablo City, we extended our trip to an overnight stay to accommodate my yearning for adventure—a hike to Lake Pandin, hailed by many as one of the most beautiful lakes in Laguna.

San Pablo City is known for its seven lakes. The other lakes in the city—Sampalok, Yambo, Bunot, Mohicap, Calibato and Palakpakin --have their own unique charm, each enchanting in their own way, but Pandin is the little gem that attracts many an adventurous tourist.

Sleep, eat and hike, plus more…

At the heart of San Pablo, we found the ultimate bed and breakfast, Casa San Pablo. Here we indulged for the night. We enjoyed the superb Laguna cuisine—more than enough to fuel next day’s hike—and  a good night’s sleep.
The morning’s wakeup call signaled that breakfast was ready! Right after the power breakfast, we found ourselves headed for what we eventually called an “experience in contrasts: between lush mountain greens to the mirror-like calm of the waters of Lake Pandin.
From the main road, we took a ten to 15-minute walk up and down the not-so-hilly path going to the shoreline of Pandin. The hike was far from boring, we were regaled by chirping birds and energized by the scenery. Lake Pandin, considered to be the most pristine and the least accessible among the seven Laguna lakes, has more to offer. It now has 16 women paddlers who will bring guests on a bamboo raft to the middle of the lake where you can swim or simply feast your eyes on the beauty of nature.
 

Four women paddle our raft, traversing the twenty-plus hectares, 63 meter-deep lake –an invigorating tour for only Php 180 each guest. This comes with fresh buko (coconut), which—if my taste buds weren’t lying—had the sweetest coconut juice I ever tasted.
An option to eat lunch while on the raft is quite delightful, for an additional Php 180 you get to enjoy fresh catch from the lake like grilled tilapia, Pako salad, ginataang hipon (shrimp cooked in coconut milk). These are made more sumptuous with cooked rice wrapped in banana leaves. We resisted the temptation of having lunch at the lake (had to rush to another engagement) but we promised ourselves that our next visit to Laguna must include a lunch date in Pandin.

Aside from swimming, guests can also get a glimpse of the beauty of the twin-lake Yambo which is just a hill apart from Pandin. The women parked our raft on the lake edge and ushered us to a narrow path. We walked for just two minutes or three, and voila, there we saw Lake Yambo!

Back on Lake Pandin, our next stop was the grotto of Virgin Mary, where a living spring lays below. A fresh mineral water source, this spring is where the locals get their drinking water. I should have brought a mineral water bottle, I quipped.

Looking closer at Lake Pandin
Pandin lake is one of the destinations in Viaje del sol tour. The tour is run by the small community of Pandin villagers. It is a good source of living for them and allows them to share their very own “backyard” as well as take a hand in preserving it for future generations. There are 16 women rowers and the two barangay tanods plus their families keep the eco-tour alive. Almost 10 years ago two helpful San Pablo residents Mandy Marino and Patis Tesoro encouraged the families around the lake to organize themselves and run a sustainable eco-tour.

According to Lolita Sales, who is among the lake settlers and former elect-lead of the group of women rowers, there were only a handful of them who joined initially because others doubted the idea. But later on, more and more understood the Intention. They are now one in aiming to get Pandin Lake to be among the top destinations in Luzon.  

The group of women rowers have formed a bigger group called Samahan ng Mangingisda sa Lawa ng Pandin (SMLP) which is composed of around fifty families, some living on the lakeside and some just nearby. The proceeds from the lake tour are pulled together daily, a part of it goes to the fund of the organization while the remaining income is divided equally to the women rowers who administer the tour for the day. They now have five rafts with cottages, each costs them around ten thousand pesos (an amount they earn back rather quickly).They also have a comfort room for the guests, which was built through the help of Mandy and Patis.

According to Feliciano Arenda better known as Kuya Tano, they are very thankful to Mandy and Patis for patiently coaching them and for bringing their place to what it is now. Kuya Tano related how this tourism activity has elevated their state of living, not just the families of the women rowers but all the families who are members of the SMLP.

Learning about this backstory of the lake community, I felt more energized as I did not just give in to my need for adventure but I also helped the people who are protecting the lake and keeping their community alive.keeping the lake alive. I did not just experience the raft ride afloat the Lake Pandin, but I got to feel how it was like living near the lake, sharing with them their very own backyard.