Mount Bulusan

Mount Bulusan is an active stratovolcano in Sorsogon province in the Bicol Region of southeastern Luzon, rising to about 1,565 metres. It is known for frequent small eruptions and steam emissions and is monitored as one of the country’s active volcanoes.

The volcano and surrounding protected area offer trails and viewpoints, but access is managed and often restricted when activity increases; guided hiking and park facilities operate during quiet periods. The summit contains a crater and fumarolic zones that produce steam, ash and occasional pyroclastic activity during eruptive episodes.

Bulusan has a long record of small-scale eruptions through the 20th and 21st centuries and is managed as part of a national park that balances recreation with volcanic hazard monitoring. The mountain sits inland on the Bicol Peninsula near the towns of Bulusan and Irosin and is reached from regional road networks in Sorsogon.

• Activity and monitoring: One of the Philippines’ more active volcanoes, it produces frequent small phreatic eruptions and steam emissions; local monitoring by PHIVOLCS informs access and safety restrictions.

What to See#

• Summit crater: The summit crater area and upper flanks, which are the source of fumarolic activity and small steam-driven explosions characteristic of recent activity.
• Natural park: Bulusan Volcano Natural Park, which encompasses forested slopes, trails and viewpoints used by visitors for hiking and nature observation when volcanic activity is low.

Mount Bulusan (Bulusan Volcano) is in Sorsogon province, Bicol Region, on southern Luzon. The volcano is accessed from the towns of Bulusan and Irosin; by car it’s about a 30-60 minute drive from Sorsogon City depending on route and trailhead (shorter from nearby Irosin). Public buses and vans from Sorsogon City and adjacent towns serve Bulusan town and nearby trailhead access points, and from parking areas a short walk or local trail leads toward Bulusan Lake and the volcano’s access trails.

• Check the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park ranger station for current volcanic alert level and trail access before you go-the volcano is active and closures can be issued at short notice.
• Plan summit or crater visits for early morning when cloud cover is lowest and visibility across the Bicol landscape is best; afternoon clouds and rain are common in this region.
• Use the official park trails and hire a local guide through the park office-guides know safe approaches, current trail conditions, and the quickest evacuation routes if activity rises.
• Combine a Bulusan hike with visits to nearby attractions (for example Bulusan Lake and local hot springs) to make the most of the park area; many visitors focus only on the summit and miss these scenic lowland features.