A Walk to Remember, in Cagbalete Island, Quezon

“Geez, a man walking on the water . . . ” He’s just some beach-goer walking on a little island of white sand not too far from the shore of Cagbalete Island. In the afternoon, the low tide exposes the fascinating vast space of fine sand and some rocky parts, so you can literally walk to another small island across. Just a few hours away from Manila, you can visit this gorgeous beach that rivals with Boracay in terms of white sand and clear waters. Experience a place equally stunning as the popular beaches in the Philippines . . . nature, peace and freedom await the travelers.

Getting There:

It’s best to board a bus going to Lucena in Buendia (Manila) early in the morning (2:00 am is the first trip) so you could get to Cagbalete by noon. After 2 to 3 hours you can catch a bus bound for Mauban in Lucena Grand Central, and this will take 1.5 hours. From Mauban you can hop on a passenger boat going to Cagbalete Island, which is about 1 hour. However if you’re a group of travelers, you can also hire a private boat and share the rent as the public boat can really be full-packed with passengers. There are already some resorts in the island, and one is Villa Cleofas. This resort is recommended as the owners are hospitable and helpful to their visitors. The private boat can take you directly here, and after an hour of noisy boat ride, you’re already on the shore of Cagbalete.

Notable Things:

The wide open space of fine white sand during low tide.

Clean and clear waters

Bonsai Island, which you can reach by foot from the shore during low tide

The narrow walkways going to the locals’ village

Far left of the resort, the cove-like stretch surrounded with trees and gentle waters

Budget Matters:

The resort also offers catering service for group of travelers starting at P200 per head for a meal set. If you didn’t request for this in advance, then you have to look somewhere else for food. Lucky for you if the resort has still some left-over food from catering. If you run out of something to eat, take a long walk up to the local village and look for some small eatery.

Villa Cleofas offers accommodation for group of travelers, just make sure to reserve in advance. You can rent a cottage good for 8 people for P2000 or rent a tent for P300 a night. Better yet, invest on camping supplies, cook your own meal, bring your own tent and save a lot of money.  Just don’t forget to pay an entrance fee of P50 per head.

Villa Cleofas' contact #: +639178143475, +639178140496 (For boat ride and room reservation)

And for the transportation costs:
(Prices are subject to change)

Bus from Buendia to Lucena - P260

Bus from Lucena (Grand Central Station) to Mauban - P60

Boat ride from Mauban to Cagbalete - P1000 for rent a boat (4 pax), P40 for the passenger boat

Nuisances and Joy Killers:

Garbage is the consistent nuisance everywhere. You might find some pile of trash just right behind where you camp in the resort. There will never be a replacement for a beautiful beach like this, so everyone has responsibility to save the environment. The resort owner should put more signs telling people not to throw their garbage or even cigarette butts on the beach sand. Local people in-charge of the island should strictly implement proper garbage disposal and promote some environmental projects around.

Local villagers said that some visitors have lost some of their belongings in the island, a basic precaution anywhere else in the planet - be mindful of your things. If you are going to swim, leave your cameras, gadgets somewhere where you can still see them.

You’ll see some kids working around the island, offering to carry your bags, push the boats and all that, but yeah they are not really annoying. At their age, they shouldn't be working that hard to earn some money. At times you might be bothered when some people are calling you or staring at you like they've never seen a human before. 

At the end of it all, don’t focus on the things that will spoil the moment. If there’s anything you can do to change it then do your part. Just look at the beauty of it all and enjoy.

Posted by MissForlorn, Photos by Peregrine