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Lake Caliraya, Laguna

Caliraya Lake in Laguna Province is a man-made reservoir or lake perched 1,200 feet above sea level in the Sierra Madre. Built to provide electricity to Manila and the surrounding areas during the American Colonial Era (1930′s) by US Army Engineer Major General Hugh J. Casey, it has become one of the most popular resort lakes near Metro Manila. Having a benign and cool climate, its a popular alternative to an already overcrowded summer getaways such as Tagaytay and Baguio. On the way up here gives a breathtaking panorama of the eastern fork of Laguna de Bai and Sierra Madre.

Panorama of Laguna de Bai from the foothills of Sierra Madre (Click the Photo to enlarge)

As seen from the distance, those big tubes from the side of Sierra Madre that descends all the way to Laguna de Bai, are for that man-made lake located across the towns of Lumban, Kalayaan and Cavinti in Eastern Laguna. Eventually, a popular belief though that this sucks up water from Laguna de Bai for power generation and vice-versa.

A Caliraya Resort

Even up today, it still serves its main purpose, although its beauty has attracted the crowd, nevertheless it has maintained its pristine touch despite the increasing onslaught of tourists making this as a great place windsurfing, camping, bass fishing and other recreational activities and relaxation.

Well, we just parked at a public parking and enjoyed a breeze after one hot afternoon. Fresh and cool air coming from the east really brings back the energy lost in the journey…before we knew it, its time to go.

Caliraya Lake

This was the last destination for my year-old Olympus Mu-800 digital camera before it went gaga and malfunctioned due to unknown reasons. But at least, she took greens and blues before eventually collapsing her sanity. Actually, we don’t have Caliraya Lake on our itinerary but since there is still the luxury of time, we went on.

Resorts in Lake Caliraya, Laguna:

There are several resorts in Lake Caliraya. Mostly it caters to mid and high-end tourists, but do check out Department of Tourism office at Manila or call Laguna Provincial Tourism Office at +63(49)808-0464 for more information.

Here are some of the resorts in Lake Caliraya, just click the titles for more information and contact numbers:

1. Calirana Resort – +63(2)726-1812; +63(2)416-4130; +63(2)416-4131
2. Caliraya Recreation Center – +63(2)632-1010 extension number 265, +63(2)638-0515
3. Lagos del Sol – +63(2)910-4203 up to 05
4. Caliraya Hilltop
5. Lake Caliraya Country Club

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In case you didn’t know, Lake Caliraya is quite inaccessible to public transport except if you’ve negotiated to have a van or someone from Lumban town to take you to Lake Caliraya. If you have more information, feel free to add it up at the comments section. Thanks!