A friend has asked me to take them to twin lakes, i was told the road is very rough and you have to park a long way from the lakes, has anyone been there of late and advise me with an up date .
The road is paved pretty much all the way. Landslides could make things a little dicey, thus drive carefully. Parking is fair way from the lake, with the path being rough and stony. It was clearly highlighted to me, that I would be better staying at the resto / cafe. Be ready for the entry fee - tourists pay 10x what a local does. The receipt actually shows the breakdown. Even from the resto / cafe the view is spectacular. And no phone reception (bonus).
As previous poster mentioned the road is finished all the way up there now.the entrance fee for foreigners as stated by the dner is p100 and locals are charged p10. The azalea resto is well worth a visit on the way up with great views and the food is not bad either even if it takes a while to serve.
There are two paths to the lake one is the steps which is longer but easier to negotiate then there is the service road which is shorter and steep as hell. Pick your poison. I went down to the lake via the steps and came back up the service road and my thighs were burning so I sat and had a breather at the half way point. I probably should have done it the other way around but it was my first time there and I didn't know any better. The service road has a bar across it so you can't drive down but nothing to stop you walking around it.
Thanks all for the info , more input please, can we take our own food and drink and is their shade houses you can rent for the day ?
When I went, I wished we had arrived earlier in the day so we could rent a boat and tour around. The sun sets early in the hills and by 5 pm everyone is leaving. We arrived at about 4 pm and if I was to do it again I would want to get there closer to noon. Just my opinion,
There is a nice restaraunt on the way up built on the cliffside, maybe 1/2 way to the park entrance from the north highway. I was quite impressed with the place, linen and all and very reasonable and good food with a great view, a gem I would say. Can't remember the name, I live south of Duma now and don't get up there that often
Went to the twin lakes a few days ago with the wife. The road certainly was twisting and winding with some steep grades. Found it best to just take it easy. Many places the road would not have supported 2 motor vehicles (automobiles / vans) and I was happy that I didn't encounter any on the way up or down. The view was okay, but after 5 minutes, the wife indicated she'd seen enough and that the ocean was much more interesting than some lake. Entrance fees: Pinoy/Pinay: 50p Foreigner: 100p Car: 30p Saw tourists at the restaurant eating instant noodles. Perhaps all Asian tourists that don't dare eat anything else? I brought a picnic basket, so had no interest in the food there.
Been there today with the family and we liked it. The road is a bit narrow in parts but otherwise in a very good condition. Might be a different story after heavy rains though. We chose to walk around the first lake to the second one (there's also boats that take you across). There's a nice view point on the ridge between the lakes with really stunning views. Not much to see or do at the shore of the smaller lake but it was nice and quiet there. Good place for a picnic. The path around the lake is rocky and requires careful stepping from time to time. But still doable with flip flops, even carrying a toddler and a backpack According to my phone's gps we walked 3 km from the parking lot to the second lake and back. The sign says the way around the lake is 900m one way so that leaves about 600m for the distance from car to first lake where the boats leave. The lakes are 65m lower than the parking lot, so yes, it is steep. Swimming in the lake was a bit disappointing - water completely green and much warmer than I'd have expected. Not very refreshing, might be better at another time of the year. Besides the notorious cup noodles and 3-in-1 coffee they also have cold beer and some small 'real' dishes at the restaurant, it's not too bad. All in all a nice trip, the very different vegetation (i.e. large tree ferns) and the clean and cool air make for a nice change after all the time at the sea level.
