Robert Tramp
Lake Holon in South Cotabato from the water: forested crater walls under a blue sky with white clouds, their reflection on the calm lake, and two small boats near the far shore.

Mindanao · South Cotabato

Lake Holon, South Cotabato

How to get there and what the hike is like

By Robert Tramp· Published · Updated

Lake Holon in South Cotabato. Photo: Jirahsupiter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Where
T’boli, South Cotabato
The hike
3 to 6 hours, by trail
Best months
November to May
Right now
Closed since 8 June 2026

“I was already tired at the start, and pretending I was not.”

Robert Tramp

Lake Holon has been closed since 8 June 2026, when DENR Region 12 shut it after an earthquake. Ask the T’boli Municipal Tourism Office whether it has reopened before you travel. When it is open, you hike in with a T’boli guide for 3 to 6 hours, depending on the trail.

My hike to Lake Holon began in a T’boli house with a mosquito net, looking at a trail I had been told would take four or five hours. Lake Holon is a crater lake high in the mountains of T’boli, in South Cotabato. Steep green slopes come down into dark blue water, and the lake is sacred to the T’boli people, who live around it. I have been twice.

This guide has two parts: what the hike was like for me, and the practical information, with where each fact comes from.

My hike

Robert in a hat and a Lake Holon t-shirt, standing in front of the blue crater lake with green mountain walls rising behind him.
In a Lake Holon t-shirt. The crater walls come straight down into the water.

Before the trail, a T’boli house

Hikers sleep in a house of the T’boli people near the start. I had seen a house like it at Lake Sebu. You put a mattress on the floor, or you sleep on the ground, and there is a net for the mosquitoes. It is a good way to feel the place, because you are staying where people live.

The trail is long

I was told it would take four or five hours, and that if it rained all the way I would slip more than once. The landscape on the way is green and open, and the road is lovely. The people I met were friendly and wanted to take me into their homes and cook for me.

Stations for the guardians

Along the way there are stations for the spirits that protect the lake. One is a female guardian with a golden club. Another is a guardian with a golden rope, and the sign says what happens to people who do not respect the land and the water. The T’boli take this seriously. Treat the lake with the same respect.

A spring that smells of egg

Part of the way up there is a hot spring from the volcano under the lake. You can see it bubbling out of the ground, and it smells strongly of egg. The water is too hot to swim in.

Robert in a black vest and bandana sitting on a rock at the edge of a cliff, drinking from a cup, with Lake Holon and the forested crater below him.
A rest at the viewpoint, with the crater below.
Robert in a black vest standing at the edge of Lake Holon, with a necklace on and the green crater wall behind him.
At the water’s edge.

The climb

I split off from the group for the last part to climb a mountain on my own. It is a hard climb, and I remembered how hard from the first time. I expected to be up there alone, with no other tourists around. Respect to everyone who hikes up to Lake Holon, because it is not easy.

Getting to the start of the trail

These details come from travel guides published between 2021 and 2025, with the source and year for each.

  1. To Koronadal (Marbel). From General Santos it is a bus or van of about 1 to 1.5 hours (₱100 to 150 in 2025). From Davao, buses run to General Santos in 4 to 5 hours (₱300 to 400), or you can go to Koronadal directly in about 4 hours. (Lakbay Pinas, January 2025, Tara Lets Anywhere, 2021)
  2. To T’boli town. A van from Koronadal takes 1 to 2 hours (₱120 to 150 in 2025).
  3. Register at the T’boli Municipal Tourism Office. Several sources, including the April 2026 reopening report above, say you register there before you go up.
  4. To the trailhead. A habal-habal (motorbike taxi) takes you from T’boli town to the start. The fare was ₱100 to 200 in 2025.

How the route connects

The routeGeneral Santos Camp site
  1. General Santos
    Bus or van · 1–1.5 hr
  2. KoronadalMarbel
    Van · 1–2 hr
  3. T'boli townregister at the tourism office
    Habal-habal
  4. TrailheadSalacafe or Kule
    Hike, by trail · 3–6 hr, trail dependent
  5. Lake Holon
    Boat · ≈5 min
  6. Camp site
ManilaCebu
On the mapLake Holon, South Cotabato

Times are from the steps above and the two-trails table below.

The two trails

Both trails end with a boat ride of about five minutes across the lake to the camp site (Nomadic Experiences, April 2024).

Scroll across for the rest of the columns.

Salacafe Kule
Distance More than 9 km About 7.5 km
Time 3 to 4 hours 5 to 6 hours

One 2024 guide recommends two days and one night, and a 2021 blog notes that hikers on the Kule trail must arrive by noon. There is no electricity and no mobile signal at the camp, according to the 2021 blog.

Fees and rules

The fees below come from guides published in 2021 and 2024. Ask at the tourism office for the current rates when you register.

Scroll across for the rest of the columns.

What Fee Source and date
Entrance ₱100 per person Nomadic Experiences, 2024
Environmental fee ₱50 per person Nomadic Experiences, 2024
Guide (required) ₱800 per group of up to 5 Nomadic Experiences, 2024
Camp site ₱100 per person Nomadic Experiences, 2024
Boat across the lake ₱50 per person Tara Lets Anywhere, 2021
Tent rental ₱300 to 350 per night Tara Lets Anywhere, 2021
Garbage deposit ₱350, refundable Tara Lets Anywhere, 2021

The rules are simple. Use the official trails, go with a local T’boli guide, and leave no trace. Lights off at 10 pm and keep quiet, according to the 2024 guide. In October 2025 an unauthorised sports event at the lake was called a violation, and many people objected because the lake is sacred (SunStar, 30 December 2025).

When to go

November to May is the best period, according to guides from 2024 and 2025. Go on weekdays if you can. Check the closure dates first, because the lake has rested from early January in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Watch the video

Robert sitting on a rock above the dark blue Lake Holon with a cup in his hand, green crater walls behind him.Lake Holon, part 1: the hike
Nothing is requested from YouTube until you press play.

This is part 1 of my Lake Holon video.

Sources

Questions people ask

Is Lake Holon open right now?

DENR Region 12 closed the lake on 8 June 2026. Ask the T'boli Municipal Tourism Office whether it has reopened before you travel.

Do I need a guide for Lake Holon?

Yes. Local T'boli guides are required and you register at the tourism office first.

How long is the hike to Lake Holon?

About 3 to 4 hours from Salacafe and 5 to 6 hours from Kule, with a short boat ride across the lake at the end.

What is the best time to go?

November to May. The lake has also rested from early January in recent years, so check the closure dates first.