Lake Holon Images

BACKGROUND

 The most idyllic of lakes in the Philippines is Lake Holon (Lake Maughan) in Tboli, South Cotabato. Nestled on the mountains of South Cotabato, as the caldera lake of the famed Mt. Parker, it is so clean that you can drink water from it while swimming. At 1400 MASL, the water is also so cold, but even then, you will desire to swim for that rare moment when you will feel as if you were in some scene in “Crouching Tiger / Hidden Dragon”. Surrounded by mountaintops and a virgin forest, it is so secluded and peaceful.

Sacred to the T'boli tribe, there is a legend surrounding this lake. Once, a Tboli witch named Unsak led a band of followers deep in the highlands – she had prophesied that the end is near and they were chosen to ascend to Heaven. They came upon a lake and Unsak led them there – they jumped into it upon the promise of eternal life. No one has heard of them since. Some say they perished – and their cries are still heard every day, very early in the morning. Others say they indeed went straight to Heaven – and they named the lake ‘Holon’, which means ‘portal to heaven’. It is further asserted that the cleanliness of the lake is due to its magic – all the dirt and garbage are transported by the portal in the middle of the lake.

From the jump-off, the trails are wide and the soil is at times colored beige, perhaps due to the volcanic nature of Mt. Parker. You will pass by some villages and after two hours you will enter the virgin forest (at 1280 MASL), with its resplendent array of lichens, mosses, ferns, trees, some over a hundred years old. You will trek through the forest until you reach its highest point, around 1540 MASL. There, you can already see Lake Holon. The descent takes around 20 minutes, and once there, you will behold the tranquil lake. It is a profound and wonderful experience.