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Laguna de Bay in Rizal Province, is the largest lake in Philippines with an area of 365 sq miles where it is fed partly by water from Lake Caliraya, a long, narrow, man-made lake that provides water for a hydro-electric project. South of Laguna the town San Pablo has many attractions. It has seven pictureques crater lakes and the most accessible lakes is Sampaloc. It is full of fish pens and fishes are served in restaurants built on stilts out over the water. Right around Laguna de Bay, there are three towns that have well - developed handicraft industries. Lumban is famous for its fine embroidery, Paete for its wood-craving and papier mache industries and Pakil for its shaved-wood industry.
Hidden Valley Springs Resort, is a private very well
maintained holiday development in the middle of a 300 ft
deep extinct crater, west of San Pablo. Here in the
Hidden Valley, close to Alaminos, one can bathe in warm
and cold springs or swim beneath a waterfall. All under
the dense, humid, primeval jungle foliage.
Villa
Escudero, on the
border between San Pablo and Tiaong, is a 
functioning
coconut plantation-cum-resort where you may see
demostrations of how coconuts are processed and used,
enjoy surroundings, have a ride in a cart pulled by a
carabo while being serenaded by local folk singaer. The
Esudero Museum has a collection of everything from silver
altars to spoons. Mount Banahaw which is located next to
Villa Escudero is a dormant volcano, which is 2,177 meter
high and have been asleep since 1743.
On the northeastern side of the mountain ,
on the border with Quezon Province is Lucban. The best
time to visit Lucban is during the Pahiyas
festival, in the
honor of San Isidro. This agricultural and fruit-growing
town is festooned with colourful decorations using
vegetable and flowers , with Chinese lanterns and kiping,
which are imitation leaves made from rice-starch. Huge
papier-mache figures sway amidst the procession to the
festival mass held in front of the old colonial church.
Pagsanjan, near Santa Cruz, is the provincial capital of
Laguna.
The very wet but exciting attraction of
the place is "Shooting the Rapid". Before the exceedingly fast
boat -trip downstream, through a deep jungle ravine,
comes a laborious journey upstream over the rapids. Two
boatmen paddle and push the narrow boat over rocks and
treacherous whirlpools up to the 100 ft high Magdapio
falls at the end of the gorge. The scenery is fantastic
especially early in the morning.
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