Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Cagbalete Island of Mauban, Quezon

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Cagbalete Island is a "must-see" island if you're an adventurer and nature lover. The island is a complete paradise with rich marine life and full of unique plants species. Aside from swimming into the pristine and beautiful water of the island, Cagbalete is also a good spot for snorkeling, scuba diving, horseback riding, bird watching and fishing.

Shot at Pantalan Port
Cagbalete Island is one of the many paradise that can be found in the province of Quezon (Mauban, Quezon). It is a privately owned island with a diverse ecosystem. What makes this island special is during low tide, the water move far back that leaves the shore exposed. You will see amazing sand ripples and all the rock formation and corals that were underneath during high tide.

Visible sand ripples during low tide
See how pristine the water is?
How to get there?
You can take JAC Liner at Buendia going to Lucena Grand Terminal. The bus ride is around 3-4 hours and costs 210 pesos. Once you reach Lucena Grand Terminal, take the ordinary bus going to Mauban, Quezon. The fare is 50 pesos and about 1 1/2 hour trip. The 1 1/2 hour bus ride will take you through a long stretch of Quezon's scenic views of  lush-green environment so just enjoy the whole ride. Upon reaching the Mauban Terminal you may take a tricycle and head first to the wet market where you can buy your island supplies and foods before heading to the "Pantalan". The fare is 14 pesos. At the Pantalan Port, look for the ferry boats going to Cagbalete Island. Note: There are only 2 schedules per day going to the island so be there on time. The first trip is at 10:00am and the last trip is at 4:00pm. The fare is 180 pesos and it will take almost 1 hour to reach Cagbalete.

Local boatmen
Once you reach Sabang Port (Cagbalete Island), you can either trek for 15-20mins or rent a boat to reach the resorts. As for our trip, we decided to trek and get a child as our guide. There are 3 known resorts in the area - Villa Cleofas, Pansacola Beach Resort and MVT Sto. Niño Beach Resort.

Hotlines:
Villa Cleofas -   0919 220-5000 (Ed Jacob)
Pansacola Beach Resort -   0928 505-8633
MVT Sto. Nino -   0921 727-5398 (Fely)


We chose Villa Cleofas and decided to pitch a tent there. We paid 300 pesos for an overnight stay.

Cooking time! There's a grilling area however you need to bring your own charcoal

Tour highlights
Bonsai Island - is an islet that only shows up during low tide and disappears when high tide.
Baliscar Island - is a small rocky islet with a lighthouse standing on it. There is no port to the island however tourists can still land and explore Baliscar.

Baliscar Island
Lots of birds are nesting in Baliscar Island

Snorkeling/Diving - ask your boatman to bring you to the best diving/snorkeling site. Trust them because they're familiar to the place. You can rent snorkeling equiptment at Villa Cleofas.

Eteng, Baron and I together with our boatmen Tatay and Kuya Roldan
Snorkeling with my buddy Baron

others: Fishing, picnic/camping, frisbee, beach volleyball, horseback riding...

Meet our bankero - Kuya Roldan
Over exposed shot in a good way
There's something wrong in this jumpshot...
I suggest have a little chitchat with your boatman to know the must see places in Cagbalete. Waste no time. There are lots of beautiful spots in the area.

Acting 101 - My models 


Tip: Explore the whole island. There is a hidden river in this island. The river is connecting to the ocean which I found amazing. It is like a fusion of 2 bodies of water. It is also a good spot to take photographs.

with the children of Cagbalete Island
My type of gym exercise hehe
Lil Miss Philippines creative shot :P
Say WILD!!!
What are we trying to do here?
Pole dancing at Cagbalete
Aside from the river, you should also not miss star gazing during night time while in the island and as well as the beautiful sunrise.

The sun is up!
Going back to Pantalan Port
There are only 2 trips going back to Pantalan Port per day. The first trip is at 8:00 in the morning and the other one is at 1:00 in the afternoon. These public boats can fill out quickly so be sure to be at Sabang Port 30 minutes earlier to secure seat back to Pantalan Port.

Favorite shot of mine in this trip:
emo??? weh?
Favorite group shot:

36 comments:

  1. A lot local travelers have been here already. I hope there are more access to this island like frequent trips from the mainland. This island has a potential...

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    Replies
    1. I agree sir Ian! This island really has a lot of potential. Maybe the authorities just wanted to limit visitors going into the island (crowd control) and their way of doing it is to impost the "2 trips per day" schedule. Just maybe po :)

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  2. Looks great. Thanks for sharing. It's sad that I hardly get to travel in Pinas. I ought to change that.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you.

      Yeah you should travel more often. :] Btw, thanks for dropping by

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    2. I actually do travel often but not in Pinas since I've been living abroad for about a decade now. :)

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    3. Oh, i see. Its been a long time then. Come back here in the Philippines even just for vacation :]

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  3. Nice photos! I miss Cagbalete. Went here last year solo and stayed at Villa Cleofas as well. Wasn't able to explore the island that much. Hope to be back again soon! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks po! I love taking photos as I love writing my adventures.
      Just like you, I also want to come back and experience the awesomeness of Cagbalete again :] A really nice escape from the busy environment of the city.

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  4. wahhhhh! gusto ko din mag photo shoot dito... ako yung model ah! ahahaha!

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    1. Wow, nag-comment saken si famous "Pinoy Adventurista"!! Ang cool naman nito. It would be an honor to photograph you sir.

      Delete
  5. kung maka-famous ka naman! wagas! ahahaha! ako naman ang nahiya tuloy! hehehe!

    ay cge, ikaw ang mag photog sa akin.. gawan moko ng ganyang mga shots din... hehehe! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. totoo naman po kasi na famous ka. pag naggogoogle kasi ako ng gusto kong puntahan na place di pedeng di ka lumabas sa result. asteeg! sana maging ganun din tong blog ko.

      sure un lang pala eh. collaboration trip! hehehe

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  6. Hi , I would like to ask kung me contact number po kau nung bangkero??

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    Replies
    1. I'll update you in a while regarding this. Nagpalit kasi ako ng sim and nandun yung number nung bangkero. Ipagtatanong ko muna sa mga kasama ko kung naitago nila yung number ni kuya Roldan. Sana positive. Reply ako as soon as I get a reply from them

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    2. tnx .. sana meron :).. kanu pla ung island hopping nyo.. ??
      Naghahanap din kasi kmi contact ng private boat to cagbalete n mura .. maxado kasi mahal offer ng mga resort 5k balikan..

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    3. Hi ito na nga pala yung number nung bangkero: 09466762524. di ko nga lang masabi kung active pa rin siya but it's worth to try.

      P1500 yung tour namin kay kuya roldan. From Villa Cleofas to different islands near cagbalete. Please refer nlang sa blog. Back and forth na siya P1500 lang na pinaghati hatian naming 3.

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  7. i plan to go there this mar 3-4. pero wla p ko kasama. anyone who want to join me?

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  8. Ganda ng blog mo sir. I promised myself that I will travel more often this year. I'll be saving your blog in my favorites and my guide. :)

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Salamat po Sir. Sana makakuha ka ng idea for summer sa blog ko :]

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  9. this is really useful,, we're going there this weekend! nice photos!

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    1. Thanks for finding this entry useful. :] Have a great trip ahead!

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  10. hi, yung fare sa boat ride na 180php per head na ba un ngayon? Im about to go there this month, i've read sa ibang blogs na 40php lang ung fare nla.

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    Replies
    1. Hi po. Nung nakausap namin ung tricycle driver na nagdala sa amin sa port/pantalan, 40 pesos lang daw talaga un dapat pero nung time na pumunta kami (May 2012) na-invade na daw siya ng government at umabot na siya ng 180 pesos. Di ko lang alam kung until now is ganun pa din po ung patakaran dun ngayon.

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  11. hi geejay!

    Just want to ask if pano kayo nagluto dun like ng rice? and may mabibilhan ba dun ng supplies like hot water/noodles and etc?

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    Replies
    1. Sa villa cleofas po kami nagpaluto ng rice namin and if gusto nyo naman po na kayo ung gagawa or gusto nyo mag-ihaw, nagpapa-rent din sila ng ihawan. About sa supplies, pede kayong dumiretso muna sa palengke para mamili ng supplies bago kayo pumunta ng pantalan, mas mura dun kumpara sa bilihin na nasa isla. Please refer po sa "how to get there" section ng blog entry na to para sa full details ng ginawa namin. :]

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  12. hello po..your blog has bee helpful to me..me and my friends will be going to cagbalete island next week..i just wanna ask if pwede n mgpunta sa cagbalete island kahit wala po reservation s mga resorts n gnawa earlier..pwede po kaya na pagdating na lng duon?..thank you po..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi din po. Di ko po masabi if ok lang kasi summer season ngayon -- peak season. I suggest try calling the numbers on this blog para mas sure.

      Pero nung nagpunta kami nun (May 2012) di naman kami nagpa-reserve. However we only planned camping kaya may dala kaming sariling tent. So less worry kami regarding sa resort accommodation dahil ang binayaran lang namin is entrance fee.

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  13. Nice blog sir! Ive been travelling around the country also and this kind of blog help me a lot for my next d3stination! I hope i can join your group on your next gala!
    Tnx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank po Sir Leon :] Try mo po sumama sa Baroc Mountaineers (look for them in FB), minsan po sumasama kami sa kanila. Wala po kasi akong group talaga na sinasamahan, nagkakaayaan lang ng mga kabarkada pag may free time kaya nakakagala ako hehe. Hope to see you one day on their organized-trips in the future.

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  14. hello po geejay, un schedule ng buses and boats, same lang din po ba pag weekends? and kapag tent po ba, may generator naman di ba? may extension po ba for charging gadgets? thanks po :) very helpful blog.. keep up the good work!

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    Replies
    1. yup. Same lang po yung schedule araw-araw. About sa generator, do you mean ilaw po ba pag gabi? yup meron silang mga poste na medyo maliwanag na din naman ang ilaw. Then sa charging of gadgets, pwede pong makisaksak sa mismong Villa Cleofas (o kaya dun sa parang mini restau nila). Habang nagcha-charge kayo eh babantayan nyo nalang po.

      So thank you po sa pag visit. Hope nakatulong po ako! Enjoy your trip

      Delete
  15. hey there! been planning to go there this saturday. your blog is very useful and will help us a lot to our trip. I'm wondering if you could help me decide on which resorts is best for us to pitch our tent? or cheaper rooms or cottages but nice place. Thanks! :)

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    1. Hi Sophia. Thanks for viewing my blog.

      I recommend to get Villa Cleofas as this is where we stayed for this trip. It's safe and their staffs are accommodating. They also allow pitching of tents.

      Delete
  16. Nice photographs out there and an informative write up too. I'm a fan.
    Love it! :)

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  17. Hello Sir Geejay! Thanks for this nice blog! :) We're planning to go there next month. :) Just want to ask if safe ba ung pag iwan ng gamit sa tent while exploring the island?

    ReplyDelete

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