Borawan Island in Padre Burgoz, Quezon

Our boatmen arrived 10:05am in Puting Buhangin Island to transfer us to the second Island Borawan. It is the most famous among the three islands in the package tour we took. Borawan Island has stunning limestone rocks like of that in Palawan and long stretch of shoreline. My first impression right away was wow, this island is stunning. I told the boatmen that they could have just called this island by the old name. Because yes the limestone cliffs are like of that in Palawan but the sand is far from of that in Boracay. But of course it’s for marketing purposes, easy name recall, Borawan, to attract more tourists because it has two in one view of Palawan and Boracay. According to the boatmen the old name of this island was Escalero.

In this island is where the campers usually camp because it has better facilities than two islands, Puting Bahangin and Dampalitan islands. Our tour guide told us that there is a hotel project in the island to be erected soon. More developments coming up to this island.

The entrance fee is 80.00 pesos per head. Since that is already included in the package we didn’t pay, but we had no cottage reserved for us because we were supposed to stay overnight in here. We opted to camp in Puting Buhangin instead. My sister's blanket served us our picnic mat. No plan to stay longer because we still had one island to visit. Just have our lunch and proceed to explore the island.

We were in awe seeing all the wonderful spots. Taking pictures every corner of the island. We had fun in taking wacky pictures literally had frolicking activity.

My sister and I did snorkeling again. Watching the fishes swimming with us. It was fun. Although the water is not crystal clear. On the right side the shoreline is long, white sand. Beautiful view. Even it was so hot we explored this side of the island. We were lucky when we were there just few tourists. Perfect to enjoy the island. I observed some did cliff diving, trekking and kayaking.

I noticed one thing in common in Puting Buhangin and Borawan, the bathroom (comfort room) has fee. It is disgusting why have to pay for the usage of the bathroom when it should be included in the amenities. What if the tourist would just pee or poop anywhere? That’s for hygienic purposes it should be free. Come on there is already an entrance fee. The worst thing every time one would pee one should pay 10.00 pesos although one can pay 50.00 pesos for unlimited pee. For pooping 20.00. Funny it was my first time to do island hopping with a fee in using the bathroom. Only in Quezon Province.

Tourism Board of Padre Burgos should look into it that’s for hygienic purposes. Our ocean is not a huge bathroom.

This island has too much room for improvement and with proper care of the tourists; this will be surely a hit to the adventurers, especially for the people from the provinces nearby. 

Puting Buhangin also known as Kuwebang Lampas-Pagbilao, Quezon Province

Front Beach

Our first destination for our Borawa-Dampalitan-Puting Buhangin Islands Adventure was the Puting Buhangin also known as Kuwebang Lampas. Among the three islands the finest sand is in this Island, Puting Buhangin or White Beach. This island has a cave called Kuwebang Lampas because the mountain made of limestone with a huge hole, which makes it looks like a cave. Kuweba in English means cave and Lampas means through. The passage has been formed by waves. That’s why during high tide visitors should be careful because it is almost covered by the water.

Front Beach

The view coming from the cave is stunning, very panoramic. On the right side there is another short stretch of shoreline, white sand too. We tried to reach that area, as we were walking we saw crabs, fishes, shells, the marine ecosystem is so rich and half way I saw a sea snake (walo-walo) crawling near a crab. I got scared that we decided to come back to the cave.

Kuwebang Lampas

Right Side of Kuwebang Lampas

On the side of the island facing the Pagbilao point of entry, the shoreline is different, it’s rocky. If you would come from this entry the trail is rocky and muddy. You have to trek. The light house can be seen from this side. My friend and I went to this side but we went back to the camp site because it was already getting dark, but she asked our other friend to come with her and they explored this side of the island. Some tourists coming from Pagbilao, this is their point of entry. But in our case we took the tour coming Padre Burgos that's why we dropped off the front beach.

While we were resting on the sand we saw a cat climbing the coconut tree. So we took picture of it. Nice cat knows how to climb with style.

One of our companions said that he knows how to eat sea urchin because when he was in Bohol he was taught how to clean and eat it. Our group decided to get some sea urchins, the good thing in this island the tourists can go fishing and collect some sea shells without fee. We saw some had fishing rods, catching fish. Eating the sea urchins was a challenge for each of us; all of them said that the taste was like of oyster. I cheated didn't try it, maybe someday I could.

The water is crystal clear that we could see the sand clearly. We enjoyed snorkeling because too many fish and they were literally swimming with us.

We spent the night in here; the tents were included in the entrance and overnight fee of 180.00 pesos per head. We were 7 and we got 3 tents, the zipper of the one we got was broken. I called the attention of the caretaker he said he would look for another one and we should not get worry because during the night he would transfer our tents to the open cottages. But sad to say he didn’t do what he said, the lesson you should bring your own tent. I covered the tent with a shawl. It's good the island is safe although in the middle of of the night the rain fell. Stargazing and endless talking were the activities of us during the night. 

In this island it’s a real survivor way of living. The grills for barbecue and stove for cooking are on the ground. The bathrooms are just two, one for boys and one for girls, no lights and not so clean. They have makeshift shower room made of coconut leaves without roof, the flooring is the weeds. Using the bathroom one has to pay 10.00 pesos for urinating and 20.00 for pooping.  No free water for rinsing, one container of water not purified is 50.00 pesos. That’s why before you go to this island better bring your own water, what we did was we used the purified water that we brought. Purified water is 55.00 pesos in Vista Playa, asked your boatmen to buy some for you. At night there were mosquitoes because there is a swamp in the middle of the island where mangroves are. Don’t forget to bring your own lights/rechargeable lamps for there is no electricity, extra batteries for gadgets and camera, mosquito repellent and sunblock cream too. The irony was that the signal of the smart telecommunication company (3G) in this island was strong that we could do live streaming and video calling, different from Manila. 
Have Fun and Enjoy your stay in this island.

Borawan-Dampalitan-Puting Buhangin (Kuwebang Lampas) Islands Adventure Quezon Province

All of us in the group were ready to embrace the adventure in this part of the province, like survivors do. At that time it was low tide so we walked few meters to the boat and we noticed a lot of starfish in the hallow sand, there were little fish, crabs, blue jellyfish too.

Our boatmen suggested that we should take kuwebang lampas first and spend the night in there because it’s a nice place, not crowded. We told them we can do that since they know more the place than us. Not so crowded place so that we can enjoy our stay. It was more or less than hour trip to kuwebang lampas. Along the way we were enjoying the scenery. I noticed the islet with two stones so I asked the tour guide what was the name of that islet, she said that is Mag-asawang bato (couple stone). It is a nice location for pictorials.

As we were approaching the kuwebang lampas  we were all in awe. Beautiful Island with white pristine sand. I couldn’t wait to reach the Island. LOL I wanted to jump right there and then. The water was clear and I could see from the boat the sea urchins, crabs, and fishes swimming even in a hallow water. We stayed the night in this island. This island is good for  snorkeling, diving, swimming, trekking and other fun water activities.

The following morning our boatmen arrived transferred us to Borawan Island. The island has its own beauty, stunning view, long shore line, white sand. We stayed there for a lunch. The water in here is not as clear like in Kuwebang Lampas. Although we still swam with fishes.

Around 2:00pm our boatmen came again to transfer us to Dampalitan Island. Another Island with Agoho trees, white pristine sand too although with broken corals. Fishes can be seen even in a hallow water. There are live seashells that can be collected by the seashore.

This adventure was a real adventure. Those who are going to take this tour, bear in mind that there is no electricity in the island. Solar charger for your gadgets if you have it will be of great help. Extra batteries are badly needed to capture every moment. Cooking stove for camping will be beneficial. Mosquito repellant and sunblock cream are a must. Bring Shawl, Malong, thin long sleeve clothes or anything that can cover you from the sun light

Discount deal for Borawan-Dampalitan Island Adventure from Cash Cash Pinoy

Our coworker saw a deal from CashCashPinoy  for an adventure in Borawan –Dampalitan Island Adventure and the price is just 599.00 pesos and 5 vouchers required. It sounds affordable, right? So we rushed to book, 7 of us purchased. We looked for the right dates to book because we are all working and we can’t go on tour together. August was our target month because there was two holidays but the agency told us that July to August they don’t accept tours for weather condition is not good during those months. Last October 27 and 28 we had the chance to book because of the Barangay Election.

We got early and contacted the agency for she gave the instruction that we should text or call when we reach Vista Playa. The agent told us to contact a certain person, who was going to meet us. Funny she asked us  to contact a person, when she should be the one arranged it for us, why we got an agency if we would contact others too? We learned that the agency in the deal is not based in the area; they just have contact in Padre Burgos.

While we were waiting for the local contact we took pictures and had our breakfast in the restaurant.

Finally after less than an hour, the local contact arrived. She offered us to take a side trip to Putting Buhangin also known as kuwebang lampas. We had to add 600.00 for that plus 80.00 pesos per head as entrance fee for the island. We were asking for discount since we paid 4,193.00 for 7 persons. But she refused because the agency just sent the local contact 2,300.00 and it is still lacking. It’s an internal issue don’t know what their agreement, so we took the side trip instead.

Just a tip for those who are looking for a discounted tour better check the local tours first, that’s what we learn from this trip. Especially if the price sounds cheap, you don’t know it could be cheaper if you would directly book a tour from the local agency.

Like in our case we paid 4,193.00 pesos for the deal plus 600.00 for the boat and 560.00 for the entrance in Kuwebang lampas a total of 5,353.00 pesos. Unlike if we could have directly taken a tour from a local contact, we could have saved more:

Boat rental for the three islands (Borawan-Dampalitan-Kuwebang Lampas)– 1,800.00

Entrance fee for the three islands (80.00 per island) – 1,680.00

Overnight Stay in Kuwebang Lampas with tent good for two to three persons additional of (100.00/per person) – 700.00

So we could just have spent a total of 4,180.00 that’s for 7 persons already. But well it’s a lesson for us discount is not always a discount. The deal said 599.00 instead of 1,200.00. It was a false deal.  The fees are fixed mandated by local tourism so no overpricing with the local agents. Well it’s our fault we didn’t check first. So you guys next time check it first too.  Don’t trust the discounts. 

How to get to Borawan, Quezon Province

Mostly those who want to go to Borawan take Lucena city then will take a bus from there to Unisan or Mulanay. But someone told us that there is a bus going straightly to the place of the port in going to Padre Burgos from Alabang, Muntinlupa. It was not clear what the bus name was. Since, we are living near the area much easier for us.

We were on our way to Alabang around 3:00am because it was a day before the Barangay Election we didn’t like to be trapped in the traffic. Around 3:30 we were already in Alabang, asking some drivers and conductors what bus would take us to Padre Burgos but all of them said we should take Lucena city bound buses. All of a sudden a middle age guy told us that there is a bus in Metropolis Mall Parking lot that goes there regularly. True enough there is a bus, Barney Auto lines, the signage should be Unisan. The first trip to Unisan usually 6:00am but since the bus filled up earlier we left Alabang at 4:42am

We told the conductor to drop us in Vista Playa since that was the instructions of the agency we were booked. The conductor didn't know that place so he called someone. We could have just say Marao. Because the Vista Playa is on the right side and could be seen right away. 

 1.  From  Alabang to Brgy. Marao, Padre Burgos the bus (Ordinary) fare was 221.00 pesos (The guy in Vista Aplaya said it should be just 180.00, he said it was overpricing) 

Vista Playa is a name of restaurant that has been changed into Konotum Restaurant. There are some would offer tour and the good thing the tour rate is standard so no over pricing.

There is no bus that could take to Manila straightly from Marao, the buses are usually filled already so we had to go to Lucena city.

2. Marao to Lucena city (ordinary fare ) the bus  fare is 35.00 pesos.

3. Lucena City to Alabang, Muntinlupa (ordinary fare) the bus fare is 147.00 pesos.

You can find some alternatives in going there. Its better take this tour with a group, the more the better and the cheaper.

Tikling Island, Matnog, Sorsogon

It’s a private island, but tourists are allowed to use the beach for free. There is a tree house, which I personally tried to go up. We enjoyed the swing. Since its the last stop for our island hopping we stayed longer and enjoy the water and the place per se. What caught my attention was a vast of broken coral on the seashore. It showed that the dynamite fishing was active before, because according to my friend dynamite fishing is prohibited now in Matnog. Hope so for it’s the next generation will suffer more from this illegal activity. The long white shoreline is pristine. It’s really a haven and hope the people of Matnog and the tourists continue to appreciate and take care of these beautiful islands. Thanks my friend for a wonderful treat...till next time!

Juag Lagoon in Juag Island, Matnog, Sorsogon

Our Second stop was in Juag Lagoon, a place where one can experience swimming literally with different fishes because it’s a sanctuary. We had the chance to encounter with big lobsters and turtles. Fish feeding is one of the highlights in visiting this haven. There are souvenir items for sale in there too.

La Playa Rosa or publicly known as Subic in Matnog, Sorsogon

Matnog is just adjacent to my hometown but I had never been to any of its island. It’s been quite sometimes that I and my sisters were planning to explore the islands of Matnog, Sorsogon. I heard and read about how beautiful the islands are and I got interested in exploring it since I’ve been to different islands of the Philippines. One of my classmates is a teacher in the said town and good enough she treated us, her classmates from high school for a day of an island hopping.

Our First stop was in La Playa Rosa Island, an island with powdery and pinkish sand. We were the first batch of tourists to arrive; it was like we owned the island. The kids and kids once more enjoyed the crystal blue water. Snorkelling and swimming are the best to do in this island. Some tourists do camping here although one cannot expect good amenities like in Boracay in aklan, Pagudpud in Ilocos and other well known destination. This place is nice for adventurous and nature lovers.

Bugtong Beach - Caramoan Peninsula

This beach is just adjacent to Nippa Beach. Less than half kilometer away. It has a rocky portion that makes it more beautiful. The sand is like that of Nippa Beach. The locals said that Bugtong beach has a hidden island because during low tides this island shows up. According to them the sand is more fine than what we seen. We were unable to see the hidden island because we were running out of time. Nevertheless our experience in Bugtong Beach was really great. Hope to be there again someday.

Nippa Beach, Lahuy Island-Caramoan Peninsula

Long pristine fine sand beach. Blue Crystal water. Seldom to be visited that's why it is not polluted. Actually we were the only tourists when we were there. We felt as if we own the place. Footprints were exclusive from us. The place is very serene and peaceful.

Caramoan Peninsula – the Hidden Paradise

We stayed in Lahuy Island the whole night, and when the morning came we were a little bit apprehended to do island hopping for the weather was still bad. It was Good Friday, but the weather was not in consonance with what the day should be. But still we prepared because Jun and his companion told us that the weather will be nice later on. We were praying silently that may the Good Lord give us the weather that we need. We left the rest house half-hearted, because the day was gloomy plus the rain was still pouring. Our boat men told us that we would explore the beautiful islands of Caramoan, the exotic ones which barely reach by tourists. While we were on our first stop, Manlaui Island, we saw group of tourist on top of Daraga Hill still part of Lahuy Island. They stayed the whole night there and they seem to be wet and soaking. Their things were hanging on the trees. The heavy rain really poured. Before we reached our first stop the sun rose.
Manlaui Island is a white beach no residents with lots of coconut trees. The sand is fine, and of course the water is perfect for swimming and snorkeling. On its right side u can see the Guinhaoan Island, our next stop. We were lucky because one of the owners of the Island, Manuel Lara was there so we accompanied by him to let us see the beauty of the island. It’s a private property. Part of the Island is the Abba, rocky beach, black rocks and rock formation. The scenery is a really breathtaking. I felt I was really very lucky and privilege to see this wonderful God’s creation. At the top of the island, is really once of the best part. It is a ranch with wonderful, awesome, breathtaking view of Pacific Ocean, Catanduanes Province, Taiwan. Liwan beach can be seen from there, it has a white long shoreline, perfect for swimming. We wanted to stay longer but we couldn’t.
Nippa Beach is still part of Lahuy Island. It has a long and wide white shoreline, nice blue crystal water and warm people. Adjacent to this beach is the Bugtong beach, which has speckled black rock formation. This beach has a hidden islet; it comes out whenever there is a low tide. Beautiful white and fine sand islet. We had our lunch here.
Before three o’clock in the afternoon we reached Brgy. Tagbon. In this place we had more or less 600 steps before we reached the Our Lady of Peace Shrine. The view from the hilltop of this Shrine is really amazing. We could hear the seven last words while we were feeding our eyes of that wonderful scenery. We learned that there is a cave in this place but since we were running of time maybe next time we could. Our tour guide let us got near to Gota Beach, where there were lots of military men guarding the island, to see the rock formation. Good enough the local government opened Sabitang Laya Island for the tourists although still guarded by the military men because it is near the Gota Beach where the French Survivor was held. Sabitang Laya Island is perfect for snorkeling, swimming, camping and bird watching.
Next time we explore Caramoan Peninsula we will allot ample time to really explore the other islands. While we were boating we saw an island, which has black sand. There were group of scuba divers. It is the National Park, where u can find really exotic beaches. If you are looking for a total nature adventure Caramoan is the place for you.

The Hundred Island National Park, Alaminos, Pangasinan - The Barren Islands

We’ve seen hundred islands from postcards even when we were young. Personally I was fascinated by the view. I’ve browsed from the internet how can we go there. Last April we decided to have a nature trip there since we had vacation for two days. We were four girls went there by Five-Star Bus. We departed from Pasay at midnight and we reached Alaminos early in the morning. The waiting shed where we were dropped has tricycles that are ready to transport us to Lucap Wharf. The special trip cost us 100 pesos. We were so early to arrive actually there were few people on the street. There was a restaurant and lodging house open and we decided to have a cup of coffee but the funny side was they were not yet ready to serve. Then we stayed in a waiting shed area. There was a tricycle driver who offered us a boat that would transport us to one of the islands but the group decided to wait for other boatmen so that we could haggle for price of island hopping, because according the HINP the boat rental ranges from 1,500.00 up. Aside from that we would like to witness the sunrise while we are riding on a boat. True enough one boatman agreed us to be our service for our island hopping and he was our tour guide too. The ride while the sun was rising was really a breath taking. It was really one of the wonders of God. Very relaxing and felt blessed, especially for us who are working and seldom to unwind.

Our boatman told us that we will do island hopping while we were on our way to Quezon Island, where we planned to stay overnight. I was thinking that every island could be explored like the usual island hopping that I know, but I was little disappointed because the boat man would just point and told us what was the name of the island. Most of the islands cannot be explored. Islands are almost the same, there is not much vegetation. The first stop we did was in Children’s Island, the water and the seashore are nice really suited for children. I love the view from the top. Don’t forget to take time to explore the island. Before lunchtime we were already in Quezon Island. This island is quite congested of tourists, foreigners and locals. The first thing my sister and me did was explore the island. Since there were no available cottages left us, we opted to stay on the sand where kayaks stocked at the top of the area are the stores. This was the scenario that made us pissed and at the same time turned into a blessing. We had to make it funny otherwise our vacation would be ruined. While we were lying on the sand resting my co-worker and me decided to explore more the island even the sun was high. We were teasing the other two who were sleeping when suddenly from the top someone throw a water with fish scales and blood. It was really ewwww, very yucky the blanket was wet together with our other belongings and even us. We were waiting for someone to go down and say sorry and check what happened. But sorry for us the one who did it was never human enough to say sorry, she was really arrogant. We were already complaining but she never went down to check. We washed our wet belongings in the sea water just imagine how pissed we were. The good thing is that we are used to wrap our clothes in a plastic when we are on our nature adventure for safety purposes. There was a huge rock, which has small opening, so we dig the sand till we could lay down there. We planned to swim in the afternoon but since we are already soaked in fishy water, we had no choice but to swim. Good enough we had a shelter all day long under the rock. Other tourists would look at us because we were having fun under the rock. It was a misfortune turned into a well deserve day. As the sun went down we did kayaking, it was the first time I did it. It is tiring but enjoyable water sport. The island is perfect for snorkeling, swimming and of course kayaking. While we were swimming little fishes swam with us too. We have two tents but we decided to use one. The cost for every tent is 200.00 plus the overnight fee of 40.00.

The next day very early in the morning we went island hopping before we heed to Lucap wharf to go home. The first stop was in Romulo Island, where we tried to explore the cave but we can’t because of the bats. The island has white sand. Quezon Island is the last island we explored; I think it is the biggest island among the hundreds. This was the island I enjoyed most because we did a little bit hiking, caving and swimming.

Don’t forget to bring potable water, sun block, snorkeling gears, cameras and food to explore these islands.