Lake Caliraya

The Caliraya Lake is an artificial reservoir and is located in the province of Laguna, CALABARZON Region in the Philippines. The lake is located in the southern Sierra Madre at an altitude of 365 meters above sea level. The Philippine capital Manila is approximately 110 km north- west of the lake and can be reached in about two and a half hours. The Caliraya Lake is a popular destination for local and foreign tourists, especially during the hot summer months due to the cooler altitude.

The system of Caliraya Lake belongs together with the investment of Lumot Lake to a project for the generation of electricity in hydroelectric power plant Caliraya. The construction of the dam of the Caliraya Lake was started in the late 30s of the 20th century by the engineer corps of the U.S. Army. During the Second World War, the dam was the target of sabotage guerrilla, so that the completion of the dam lasted until 1953. Until the 70s, the lake became a popular recreational area of ​​the metropolitan area. In the 1980s, however, began a significant economic decline, as the Nuevo Ejército del Pueblo temporarily got the area around the lake under their control. Since the early 1990s, the tourism recovers.