Southern Laguna Voyage Tips and guide

The southern portion of Laguna is a rough agglomeration of six towns and one city sandwiched between the southern shores of Laguna de Bay and the Southern Luzon Volcanic Field, a chain of inactive volcanoes running along the boundary with Batangas and Quezon provinces. Its position in the middle part of the province allows visitors to see the boundary between the urban comforts of the encroaching agglomeration from Metro Manila from the west and the rustic attractions of the towns in its eastern side.

Map of Southern Laguna

This area guide encompasses six municipalities and one city, namely:

• 14.063469121.2451281 Alaminos - Small town outside San Pablo known for its fruit production.
• 14.15121.3166672 Calauan - a town famous for its pineapple production and the Kalisungan hills.
• 14.13121.4363 Liliw - A small municipality at the foot of Mount Banahaw. Known for its slippers, heritage houses and church.
• 14.1364121.41654 Nagcarlan - Home to the only underground cemetery in the Philippines and a gateway to Mount Banahaw.
• 14.108333121.3916675 Rizal - Small rural community with hiking trails to Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal.
• 14.07121.3256 San Pablo - Largest city in Laguna in terms of land mass. The "City of Seven Lakes".
• 14.225121.3257 Victoria - The center of the duck industry in Laguna.

The region is at the boundary of the urban sprawl from Metro Manila that has subsumed the western portion of the province and is encroaching on San Pablo. The region is sandwiched between Laguna de Bay and the Southern Luzon Volcanic Field, a chain of inactive volcanoes running along the boundary with Batangas and Quezon provinces that include Mounts Makiling, Banahaw, San Cristobal and Kalisungan. The resulting fertile soil and frequent rains give the area a greenish impression, with frequent rains feeding the waterfalls and forested highlands, as well as the extensive coconut groves that sustain the region's economy, along with a growing interest in ecotourism features such as the Seven Lakes of San Pablo. Some of the province's most beautiful heritage churches, dating from the Spanish era, can be found in this region, along with the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Laguna, making it a hub for Catholic, Christian and syncretic faith tourism with its iconic religious images and unique festivals and rituals.

The main hub of the region is San Pablo, one of the oldest designated cities in the Philippines that originated as an important coconut production center on the main crossroads between Manila, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. Outside the city, the region is roughly divided into two topographical clusters: highland and lakeside. The highland regions constitute San Pablo, Alaminos, Rizal, Nagcarlan and Liliw and share common features such as fruit and coconut farming, while the lowland towns of Calauan and Victoria are more influenced by Laguna de Bay and are more dedicated to water-intensive agriculture such as rice and duck-rearing.

Southern Laguna is connected to the rest of the country by two parallel road arteries corresponding to its highland and lakeshore clusters. The northern parts of Calauan and Victoria lie along the Calamba-Pagsanjan Road, the main thoroughfare along the towns of Laguna facing Laguna de Bay. These towns are served by buses running from Metro Manila to the provincial capital, Santa Cruz, as well as jeepneys running the Santa Cruz-Calamba route.

Calauan town proper is accessible from a junction in Bay, in northwestern Laguna, and is also a stop on the San Pablo-Calamba jeepney route. Secondary roads also connect Nagcarlan and the northern barangays of Liliw with Pila and Santa Cruz.

The main entry route to highland southern Laguna is through the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), which has an exit in Santo Tomas in Batangas and merges with the Pan-Philippine Highway before reentering Laguna at Alaminos and reaching San Pablo, where roads branch out to the neighboring towns of southern Laguna while the highway continues to Quezon. Alternately, narrow provincial roads connect Santa Cruz with the highland towns and San Pablo and are used by jeepneys, while an infrequent jeepney service runs from Majayjay in eastern Laguna to Nagcarlan, passing through Liliw.

Philippine National Railways operates trains to San Pablo, but has suspended operations since 2024 pending rehabilitation of rail infrastructure.

Calamba-Pagsanjan Road and the Pan-Philippine Highway are wide and easy to navigate roads, although as major thoroughfares, they get congested at times. From San Pablo, Werner Schetelig Avenue connects the city to the rest of highland Laguna, changing names once it leaves San Pablo and ending in Liliw. Capillary roads linking Calamba-Pagsanjan Road and the Pan-Philippine Highway passes through Calauan from Bay and Victoria. A winding mountain road also connects Calauan and Victoria with Nagcarlan.

Jeepneys are the primary form of transit between towns, while within towns tricycles are used. An exception is San Pablo, where the sheer number of barangays and extensive land areas make intracity jeepneys a necessity.

As the provincial capital, Santa Cruz is a primary hub for jeepneys from all across Laguna. The following routes are of importance in traveling to southern Laguna and also operate vice versa:

• Santa Cruz-Calamba via Victoria and northern Calauan
• Santa Cruz-San Pablo
• Santa Cruz-Liliw
• Santa Cruz-Nagcarlan via Liliw
• Santa Cruz-Calumpang, (barangay of Nagcarlan)

From San Pablo, jeepneys connect the city with Liliw via Rizal and Nagcarlan, Calamba via Calauan, and Santo Tomas and Tanauan in Batangas, the latter two routes passing through Alaminos.

For individual listings, see Alaminos, Liliw, Nagcarlan, and San Pablo.

Unlike the cities of northwestern Laguna, San Pablo retains a provincial air due to its location in the middle of a valley, its seven volcanic lakes, its preservation of heritage structures and an economy still reliant on agriculture. The same pattern is repeated throughout the highland towns, with Liliw and Nagcarlan hosting centuries-old Spanish churches, old colonial mansions and structures and natural and ecotourism attractions celebrating its agricultural base and its proximity to Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal.

The lowland towns of Calauan and Victoria are relatively younger and do not have much in the way of historic monuments; instead these are places to observe the lowland farming traditions and in the case of Calauan, climb Mount Kalisungan, a ridge leading to Mount Banahaw.

San Pablo is the main shopping hub of the region, complete with chain malls. Liliw is known for its footwear industry.

The most diverse dining options can be found in San Pablo, while fastfood chains can also be found in Alaminos, Victoria, and Nagcarlan. Surprisingly for a town of its size, Liliw has multiple casual and splurge-level restaurants serving Filipino and even Italian cuisines, most of them set in its well-preserved colonial downtown.

Highland Laguna is lambanog (coconut spirit) country, with distillers of varying quality engaged in making the liquor from the extensive coconut groves and plantations.

Being a major city, there is an abundance of good lodging in San Pablo. In the highland towns, there are resorts offering swimming pools sourced from natural springwater and farm accommodations offering opportunities for ecotourism and agricultural excursions.

As a predominantly rural area, southern Laguna is generally safe, though San Pablo has the petty crime vibes of a moderately-sized Philippine city.

Rains are frequent all-year round in southern Laguna, so bring an umbrella whenever possible. Flashfloods can be a problem in mountain-fed springs. When in doubt, avoid swimming after noon, when sudden thunderstorms are more likely to occur. Typhoons are also another major risk. In the summer, forested areas are vulnerable to wildfires.

Additional care should be undertaken while driving in parts of southern Laguna outside Victoria due to mountainous terrain. The standard precautions in hiking also apply.

Standard precautions should be made when coming into contact with stray dogs, cats and other potential carriers of rabies, snakes (particularly when hiking or in agricultural lands) and dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Pharmacies are found in every town, although the ones in smaller towns operate at a slower pace. Medical care is sufficient in San Pablo, but serious cases are generally referred to Metro Manila.

Calamba ← Los Baños ←	W  E	→ Santa Cruz → Pagsanjan
Calamba ← Santo Tomas ←	N  S	→ Tiaong → Lucena