The Crown Jewel of the South | Lake Holon, South Cotabato

June 7, 2020September 14, 2022 Rex Lim Lim BLOG, ITINERARY, kule, lake holon, melibingoy, MOUNTAIN, mountains, parker, salacafe, south cotabato, sox, tboli, TRANSIT PINAS, TRAVEL GUIDE

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South Cotabato: Mt. Apo or Mt. Pulag aside, Lake Holon really got my attention when I started to climb mountains while reviewing for the board exams, in March of 2015. I never thought a day would come that I’ll be able to scale Mt. Melibengoy myself and spread my arms wide on top of it.

Let me take you to the mystical Lake Holon and the Mt. Melibengoy stratovolcano (1,824+).

The 15 Guardians of Holon

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In a kingdom ruled by the T’boli deity King Tud bulol, it is said that Lake Holon is protected by 15 guardians. As of today, there are 15 peaks around the crater that represents the guardians of the lake.

Lake Holon, South Cotabato — Lake Holon as seen from the Kule Hunter’s Trail Viewdeck (1,540+)

Lake Holon is an obscure crater lake lying inside the dormant stratovolcano called Mt. Parker in T’boli, South Cotabato. It was called Mt. Parker after a US Officer named Frank Parker, died in a plane crash while mapping the area. In the local tongue, it is called Mt. Melibengoy.

During the 1990s, it was called the Lake Maughan. But in 1995, a tragic incident occurred after the volcano’s crater wall collapsed. The event caused flooding to the surrounding areas that even reached as far as Sultan Kudarat.

To change the negative impact this catastrophe brought, locals changed its name to Lake Holon (T’boli for deep water or portal to heaven). Maughan, its previous name, translates to an evil name in the T’boli folklore. She is said to be a devilish witch who lived near the lake.

Reaching the Obscure

Coming down from a rewarding trip from Lake Sebu, I eventually parted ways from my new found friends and went to T’boli alone. After two van rides, I endured another hour of, if not, the roughest habal-habal ride I experienced to date. After the butt-numbing ride, I have finally set foot at Sitio Kule jump off point.

I planned to just visit Kule viewdeck only for a dayhike since I still have a flight going back to Manila the following day. Initial part of the trail is through the community with rolling hills with several corn and sugar cane plantations.

The trek to the highlands of Mindanao was a refreshing one, especially when we entered the forest (1,280+). It was teeming with life, and the trail is maintained properly. But from this point on, the gradual ascent from the hills, stopped and sharp inclined ensued.

I was catching my breath several times at each resting place. Finally, I managed to reach the viewdeck of Kule (1,540+) in just an hour.

Man, the view in there were beyond words can describe. It was so peaceful yet eerily quiet, that the chirping of cicadas and the afternoon wind was the only sound I heard. The deep blue water of Lake Holon’s 2km caldera lake is circled by the steep crater wall that rises 200-500 meters above the lake. The mystifying and scenic view of the lake from the viewdeck unfolds tribal history that makes it one of a kind visit.

It was named by the people of South Cotabato as the Crown Jewel of the South for the crown like appearance of the crater surrounding the lake.

In 2003 and 2004, the national government named Lake Holon as the cleanest inland body of water in the country. Being part of the Allah Valley Protected Landscape, it was also hailed in the world as one of the “100 Sustainable Destinations” by the global Green Destinations.

Travel Tips

Prepare yourself for the bumpiest and longest habal-habal ride of your life going to Sitio Kule or Salacafe.
There are two trails in accessing Lake Holon:
- Salacafe Trail – is the intermediate trail which takes around 3-4hrs to the crater lake. The view at the top is not promising as compared to Kule Trail.
- Kule Trail – is the challenging one, it might be shorter but the trail is much steeper. There’s no tree cover at the start before entering the forest. It will take 5-6 hours going to the crater lake, about 3-4 hours of it is going to the Kule viewdeck if carrying fullpacks. The view in here rewards you with the whole lake fringed with the crown like caldera of Mt. Parker.
- What I did is the dayhike of the Kule Viewdeck when I went there. Carrying only water and snacks, I managed to reach Kule viewdeck in an hour.

Waterproof your stuff as the weather is quite unpredictable. It rained heavily inside the forest during my descent but it was perfectly dry when I arrived back at the Kule jump-off point.
These are the fees you need to pay when hiking Lake Holon:
- Registration/Entrance Fee at Tourism Office: 100php
- Environmental Fee: 50php
- Habal-Habal Rate going to Salacafe/ Kule: 550php/way can accommodate 2pax
- Registration Fee (Kule Jump-off): 20php
- Guide Fee (1 guide: 10 pax): Salacafe (400php), Kule (600php) Mt. Melibingoy (600php)
Optional Fees:
- Porter Fee: 20php/kilo/way
- Horseback riding: 400php/way
If going through the Kule Trail, please note that registration cut-off at the Tourism Office is at 12nn.
Register first, this is on a first come first served basis. You can contact them at 0997 609 1773
From the Tourism Office the jump-off point is still an hour away by habal-habal through dirt roads.
If spending the night by the lake, there’s a 350php garbage fee deposit which is refundable if you took your garbage down with you.
Practice LNT Principles at all times.

How to Get There

My T’boli, South Cotabato staging point was from the General Santos International Airport (129 kilometers away from Mt. Parker/ Melibengoy).
- From the airport, take any Marbel (Koronadal City) bound Yellow Bus (travel time 1-1.5hrs, 150php)
- From Marbel, ride a van going directly to T’boli, South Cotabato and ask the driver to drop you off at the Tourism Office, which is just in front of the Municipal Hall and a block away from the public market (travel time 1.5hrs, 125php)
- Since trips going to T’boli are limited, or if you miss the van, you can choose to take the Surallah bound vans. (travel time 1hr, 75php)
- In Surallah, transfer to vans bound for T’boli. (travel time 30 mins, 40php)
- Upon arrival at T’boli Tourism Office, register first.
- Take another habal-habal to the registration site, either in Salacafe or Kule (travel time 1hr, 550php per way)

If coming from Davao City, vans bound for Marbel (256-264 kilometers away from Mt. Parker) are located in G-Mall or SM Davao (travel time is 4hrs, 350php). Please refer to the steps going to T’boli, above.

If coming from Lake Sebu (67 kilometers away from T’boli):
- Take any Surallah bound vans in the Lake Sebu Transport Terminal (40 minutes, 40php)
- In Surallah Terminal, transfer to vans bound for T’boli (travel time 30 mins, 40php)

Where to Stay

RedDoorz Plus @ Toshiko Boutique Hotel Koronadal City, Koronadal City, Philippines

Eighty Eight Hotel, Koronadal City, Philippines

Emily’s Pension House, Banga (South Cotabato), Philippines