Lake Lanao

Lake Lanao, or Ranaw as locals call it, is located in the province of Lanao del Sur. This is the second deepest lake in the Philippines and is also included in the 15 ancient lakes in the world. This lake is a source of livelihood to many Maranaws or Meranaos (people of the lake). It is in this lake where I first had my swimming lessons. My father used to tell me that if you do not know how to swim, then you are not a Meranao. I can still remember it was in the year of 1995 and we went to Marawi for a vacation. My cousins (who all grew up by the lake) and I made it a habit to swim every morning. Of course I, who didn't know how to swim, was just on shallow waters all alone. They would call me and tease me because I was nearing my teens and I still didn't know how to swim. You could say that I just took the risk. There was a platform where the water was deep enough for a dive. Without any second thoughts, I jumped. After hitting the water, I guess everything came natural. I started to thread and was doing it well even though I had never done it before. The next thing I knew, I was swimming. I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of other people who have their own stories of the lake. It is one of those things that would still make a trip to Marawi worthwhile. It is in this place where I have experienced one of the most beautiful sunrises. With the cool weather that Marawi has to offer, you could just sit down by the lake, take a sip of coffee, and breathe in life.

How to get there from Manila?

Plane: Manila - Cagayan de Oro
Airport: FX, Car - Cagayan de Oro - Marawi (around P200-P400 each)