Mayon Volcano

Mayon is the great natural fact of Albay province. Its 2,463-metre cone rises straight out of the surrounding plain in an almost mathematically perfect cone, and it dominates every view from Daraga. The volcano is active — eruptions have been frequent since records began in 1616, and the 1814 event that buried Cagsawa is only one of many.

Climbing Mayon was possible until recent eruptions made it too dangerous; the current alert levels and an enforced permanent danger zone mean the upper slopes are off-limits. The best viewing is therefore from a respectful distance: Lignon Hill, the Cagsawa Ruins, and the coastal road south of Legazpi all give iconic perspectives. ATV tours run across the lower lava fields when the alert level allows.

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Mayon is the most active volcano in the Philippines, with more than fifty recorded eruptions since 1616. Its perfect cone — the result of constant eruptions building up symmetrical layers of ash and lava — is so close to ideal that vulcanologists use it as the textbook example. From Daraga, the entire profile rises like a child's drawing of a volcano against the sky.

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