SUMMER HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED! (Well I believe so, because everyday it rains...) Thank God I was able to snatch a few days from my busy work schedule and hit the beach before Mr. Sun bid farewell… *sniff* It was never my plan to visit an island though, because actually we are (with my travel buddies) eyeing for a tour in a northern province instead, since I’ll be on leave for almost a week. But due to unforeseen events, we were forced to look for other options…then finally settled with Calaguas.
And it was one of the happiest summer getaways I ever had! *widest smile*
So in this post, I’ll just be sharing my experience, some travel tips and a lot of pictures to make you drool over this beautiful place and visit it soon! Forget about Boracay and El Nido, experience the real island life in Calaguas!
BOOKING
We booked our Calaguas Tour with Travel Galore travel and tours for only 1, 899.00 php each (4 pax in total). It was a 2 days - 1 night island tour last May 13 to 14, 2017. We paid half of the total credit 7 days prior to the travel date, and paid full on the day itself. They gave us the details right after settling the down payment and a travel voucher two days before the said tour. All the communications were made thru Facebook messenger which made it really convenient for me.
DEPARTURE
A van picked us up at SMEX convention center (Mall of Asia) at around 10:50PM (we actually waited for almost 2 hours since we arrived before 9PM). There were only 11 of us inside, so basically it was not congested, which is good. I just slept during the 9 hours trip (with sore butt and aching back after!) which I believe was quite long and beyond what was stated on the itinerary. Anyway, no worries though because there were a couple of stop-overs along the way so you can stretch, buy food, or use the toilet.
ARRIVAL
We arrived at Paracale (Daet, Camarines Norte), the port to Calaguas Island pass 9AM. We had our breakfast in a carinderia (which surprisingly sells very expensive food!) and attended to our personal needs. After a couple of minutes, we were told to place our bags and other stuff inside humongous plastic bags (not for free, they sold it to us for 17.00 php each) so they won’t get wet during the boat ride. After sealing the bags, men carried each and stuffed them all in a compartment inside the boat. We all hopped-in and waited for the other group to arrive.
We were on sail at exactly 10:30AM; sun is hot but the cool sea breeze made it tolerable. Since we’re going against the current, the waves splashed inside our boat, leaving us all drenched in sea water! It was a super fun ride but definitely a long one. We stayed floating on the sea for almost two hours, seeing nothing but the minute view of the islands and the vast water surrounding us. As the island grew closer, I was so amazed by how white and fine the sand is! The water is so clear as well!
SETTING-UP
We need to wait for our things to get unloaded from the boat so we stayed in a cottage for a while. There were no fancy rooms nor closed cottages but only tents, and you need to pitch it on your own. It was my first time to stay inside a tent on a beach! We took our lunch and settled in a cottage for a few hours, since it was too hot to swim yet. At around 4PM, we were called for the island hopping activity.
ISLAND HOPPING (TREKKING + SNORKELING)
Since it was not part of the package, we paid an additional 300.00php for the island hopping. First stop was a nearby island where you can go trekking. You’ll see the entire view of the marvelous place on top of the hill and it was so breath-taking! We took a lot of pictures and climbed on the large rock formations.
After that, we went back on the boat and get ourselves ready for snorkeling. We don’t have our own snorkels though, but they provided us with life vests. So literally, it was not a snorkeling activity, but just a dip in the middle of the sea. We enjoyed it anyway, because with goggles alone, you can still take a glimpse of the wonderful sea bed! So beautiful! And as we chase the sunset, I seated on the extensions of our boat while appreciating the beautiful view.
SWIM, SWIM, SWIM!
We spent the night immersed in the waters, enjoying the light waves and the very fine sand tingling our feet. After an hour or two, we got back to the cottage, took our supper, changed our clothes and rested inside our cozy tents.
Rise and shine for Day 2! But what to do? Oh come on, swim of course!
We were back on sail before lunch time, set for another two-hour boat ride bound to Paracle. When we arrived there, the boat crews unloaded our things and we were fetched by our driver. We stopped in a fancy carinderia and took our lunch. They sell very affordable food which are all delicious! After the sumptuous lunch, we went to a souvenir shop and bought a few stuff for pasalubong.
Super helpful tips!
1. Pack light. Since you’ll be travelling with a group, bringing one bag will save space inside the van. Bring only the necessary items; creating a checklist will help you on this.
2. Bring your own food and utensils. On the island, there’s only one store to cater your needs. However, they only sell canned foods and noodles (with other basic grocery items) which are surprisingly expensive. Good thing we brought disposable utensils with us and some canned sardines---saving ourselves a few bucks!
3. Secure a waterproof bag. You cannot leave your valuables inside the tent, unless you’ll leave someone to watch over your spot. A waterproof storage for your gadgets is essential during the island hopping activity.
4. Bring your own drinking water. They sell drinking water on the island, but a 1000ml bottle costs 50.00 php! Better bring a few gallons with you and just buy some ice (for only 5.00 php).
5. Wear slippers instead of shoes. I know you would want to travel in style, but please skip the shoes for this travel-venture. You don’t want to bathe your fave sneakers in salt water and fine sand, don’t you? Trust me, you’ll spend most of your time bare-footed!
It was a tiring trip but definitely a memorable one. There was no signal on the island, so I had no access to my social media accounts for two days. I just spent the days enjoying the gift of nature and it was surreal. I hope I can visit more islands soon! Philippines is truly a beautiful country that we must explore!
Remember to always smile as bright as the sun even on a rainy day :)
Remember to always smile as bright as the sun even on a rainy day :)
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