LAKE BULUSAN

Jeepneys continue down the coast from Rizal Beach through Barcelona to Bulusan town, whose church is noted for its old bell. Barcelona is a tiny town, but it's a beautiful spot with one village store and very few tourists stopping by. There's a morning bus to Bulusan from here or Rizal beach, and there are some accommodations in Bulusan, but again, very little available, except for the Meliza Lodging House.

South of town, the road begins to climb inland to a junction (111 km) where a paved side road leads right up to Lake Bulusan (two km). You can get a tricycle ride to the lake for P20 roundtrip. A concrete path leads around this small, round crater lake, but it's in a bad state of disrepair and in places completely destroyed by landslides. It's easier to walk halfway around (to the right) then turn back, rather than complete the 1,700-meter circle. The lake i's surrounded by lush forest containing orchids, ferns, and flowers. Don't swim, due to the possibility of schistosomiasis.

Lake Bulusan is situated at an elevation of 635 meters on the southeast flank of Bulusan volcano (1,559 meters), which has a double peak. The eastern crest, now a rugged mound, is probably the remains of a vast, high, circular crater. The bell-shaped western summit is still active. It has had about 30 major eruptions since 1852, though none is known to have caused casualties. A mild eruption took place in 1983, and tremors recurred in 1984. The volcano, whose slopes form a 37-square-km national park, serves as a landmark for sailors approaching the San Bernardino Strait, since it's visible from almost 100 krn when the weather is clear.

Located about 390 kilometers (244 miles) southeast of Manila, Bulusan is the southernmost volcano on Luzon Island. Many moderate eruptions have been recorded at the 1,565-meter-high volcano since the mid-nineteenth century. For a complete history of the volcano, please visit the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program Website.

This is the Lake Bulusan. Bulusan Lake lies at the heart of the National Park which covers a land area of 3,672 hectares. Getting there from the capital, Sorsogon City, one has two options. First would be to take the Maharlika Highway up to the town of Irosin passing thru the towns of Casiguran and Juban. From Irosin it is another ten kilometers to the site. The other is passing thru a very scenic route overlooking the Pacific Ocean (San Bernardino Strait) thru the towns of Gubat, Barcelona and the centro of Bulusan town.

As one enters the dilapidated gate to the lake one is welcomed by the view of Bulusan volcano at the background and the lake at the foreground. Thanks to the absence of development, the area retains much of its pristine environment.

But careful, dont take a bath in the lake, even if you feel like cause of the heath of the surroundings. The water is dangerous, filles with bacterias and worms. Schistosomiasis

Wir waren vor kurzem am Lake BULUSAN. Dort ist das Baden ausdrücklch wegen der Gefahr von Schistosomiasis VERBOTEN, obwohl der herrlich grüne See in der brütenden Hitze zum baden einlädt. Übrigens, einige Einheimische kümmern sich nicht um das Badeverbot im See, ich weiss allerdings nicht ob sie heute noch leben!!

Die Schistosomiasis, früher auch als Bilharziose bezeichnet, ist eine in den Tropen und Subtropen weit verbreitete Wurmerkrankung. Sie kann nur auftreten, wenn in warmen Binnengewässern Schnecken als Zwischenwirte leben. Krankheitserreger sind Schistosomen oder Pärchenegel, eine ein bis zwei Zentimeter lange Saugwürmergattung. Die Larven dieser Würmer dringen bei Kontakt mit kontaminiertem Wasser durch die Haut des Menschen (Endwirt) ein und wandern über Lymph- und Blutgefäße in die Leber, wo sie sich zu reifen Pärchenegeln entwickeln.

Anschließend verbreiten sie sich über die großen Venen im Körper und befallen vor allem Harnblase, Darm, Leber, Lunge und Gehirn. Ihre Eier werden mit dem Stuhl oder Urin ausgeschieden. Die Symptome der Schistosomiasis sind ein juckender Hautausschlag an der Eintrittsstelle der Larven, eine akute, fieberhafte Erkrankung als Folge der ersten Eiablage sowie die chronische Erkrankung mit Symptomen, die von den befallenen Organen verursacht werden. Die Diagnose erfolgt in erster Linie durch Nachweis der Eier im Stuhl oder Urin.

Also wenn sie Lake Bulusan besuchen wollen, NICHT BADEN, trotz der totalen Windstille verbunden mit enormer Hitze und Schwüle. Dennoch, es ist einen Ausflug wert.

Malapascua Island 

Lake Bulusan (Bulusan Volcano)

Visayan Sea, Cebu, Philippines,

[Welcome]
[-Malapascua-]
[Getting there]
[Lodging, Resorts]
[Island Map]
[PhilippineMap]
[Cebu]
[Videos]
[Volcanoes]
[Treasure Hunt]
[Links]
[Tales]
[Tipster]
[About-us]
[Guestbook]
[News]
[Sale, Real Estate]
[Terms of Use]