About 8km northwest of Legazpi, the remains (basically the belfry and tops of walls) of the sunken Cagsawa Church look out over a wiry plain of dusty grass at the sleek curves of Mt Mayon. Twelve hundred people who took refuge here during Mayon’s violent eruption of 1814 were buried alive; this tragic loss is tackily commemorated with ice-cream stands, souvenir stalls and restaurants. With that said, if you can get a moment away from the hawkers and experience some silence, Cagsawa takes on a lonely, sad sort of beauty. Next door, a couple of big clean swimming pools (admission P50) are refreshing before the return jeepney trip.
To get from Legazpi to Cagsawa, take any jeepney headed to Camalig, Guinobatan or Ligao. Ask the driver to drop you off at the ruins, and walk in about 500m from the road.
