Calaguas At Last

Im back! And survived Calaguas - the Do-It-Yourself style.

Before I start, I would like to mention these people who gave me details about Calaguas, Maculabo, and Apuao Grande: Angel Juarez of Lakwatsero.com, Tutubi of Backpackingphilippines, Gael Hilotin of Thepinaysolobackpacker.com, and Andiboi of Filipinomad.blogspot.com - Thank you all for patiently answering all my queries, and I hope next time I could join you in 1 of your future travels (specially you Angel Juarez!) Ü

Now meet my travel buddies- Camarines Norte edition:
○ Leidy de Ocampo (road3pnidhy.multiply.com) - I met this girl in Sagada. For 2010 alone, she has traveled Sagada, Anawangin, Nagsasa, Capones, Puerto Princesa and El Nido. And next week she'll be in Coron. Btw, her sister Ate Beth tagged along in this trip.

○ Nina Fuentes (justwandering.org) - Oh yes! To travel with a travel blogger like her is a pleasure. Na-starstruck ako. For 2010 alone, she has traveled to Pangasinan, Zambales, Benguet, Baguio, Cagayan, Tuguegarao, La union, El Nido, and Kota Kinabalu. Next week she'll be in Nagsasa. (whew!)

○ Chyng Reyes (yours truly) has only traveled to Boracay, Roxas City, and Sagada for 2010. Compared to them, Im a home buddy! Ü

○ Calaguas Expenses ○ Do-It-Yourself Style

Excluding the airfare, expenses per head is just P1115 (if you're a group of 4)

Calaguas Island is located in Daet, Camarines Norte. We took the plane in Manila and after an hour were in Naga. In Naga we traveled to Daet by van. In this same terminal, you will also find the van going to Sabang (the jump off point to Caramoan).

While traveling, it started to rain. We're all worried because that's our main concern. How can we survive in a remote island without any tent, and it is raining?! We don't bother to bring a tent because we availed CebuPac's Go Lite fare, all the excess baggage will have an additional payment. Aside from that, we dont have any tents at all! Ü


God is good and the rain stopped. After 2 hours, we arrived in Daet. We took another van going to Paracale and that took 1 hour of travel. The driver pointed where Paracale port was and there we finally saw a body of water and lots of boats. At last!

We asked a boatman and he offered his boat for P3,000 roundtrip fare to Calaguas - Mahabang Buhangin beach. I almost agreed but Leidy was very good at haggling. She got it for as low as P2,300! Good job! Our boatman is Mang Nelson 0920.3179315 and his companion's name is Mang Lito.

Paracale Port

Before going to Calaguas - Mahabang Buhangin, we ate our lunch first in a nearby carinderia. We also bought extra food for dinner and some supplies like drinking water, cup noodles, chicha, etc.

And so our boat ride begins... Lucky us the weather and the waves were cooperative. It is best to travel in January-May because the sea is calm. From June-Dec, the waves are notorious.


After traveling by air, land, and sea, I kept saying: "this island should really be worth it." Ang haggard din magpatransfer-transfer ng rides with my big backpack, DSLR bag, and a tripod.

Two hours after, we finally saw Munting Buhangin, Calaguas.

first glimpse


Honestly, it's not that impressive at first. Yeah it's good but I kept thinking, "was this worth the travel?" It's almost sunset by the time we arrived and we didn't get to see clearly the color of the sand and water. It was good but Im not that impressed. Not yet.


There is a family who lives there and serves as caretakers of the island. Other than them, we were the only visitors in this virgin beach. We paid P100 each for maintenance fee, and P200/group for the nipa hut rental. There is also a source of fresh water and CR here, for convenience.

finally at Calaguas
the nipa hut
sleeping area

We cared to swim after the sun has set. The water was warm and very clear. The sand was white and it wont hurt your feet. There are no stones in the sea bed, purely fine sand. We enjoyed this beach! Very serene and relaxing.

After dinner, we chose to place our sarongs in the sand, lay down, and do star gazing. Very lovely scene. There were also fireflies around. Ang ganda! And right there we decided to sleep under the big sky with lots of stars!

small flashlights are our only sources of light

Thank God it didn't rain. The coldness of the night was just right. There were no insects to bother you. All of us had a good sleep (even w/out a tent!).

In the morning, the family provided us hot water for our cup noodles. Here's my breakfast:

my definition of masustansyang pagkain

And at this time, the beach looked very tempting and irresistable. The place became very very beautiful.


very tempting beach
our boat

Each island has its own beauty but there are really some which are so much more outstanding than the others!


I gave in to temptation. It's the first time I didn't care about having a sunburn.

...and first time kong mag two-piece sa beach! Ü

This is Boracay less the crowd and the seaweeds. Looks like Caramoan but with finer seabed. Comparable to El Nido & Coron, Leidy and Nina both said yes!
It's really not necessary to compare the best beaches in the Philippines, but so far my vote goes to Calaguas.


S is for Sunburn!
Reminder: we were the only guests. We have the whole beach all by ourselves! And that's the best part. Ü

best beach Ive been to

We enjoyed our stay so much in this beach. We actually had a hard time leaving this place. It's not exaggerated or anything, it's just that beautiful.

I love this beach! ♥

My shots still can not show you how beautiful this beach is. Mind you, I didn't modify the contrast, brightness, saturation, even the auto levels in these shots. The place is amazingly beautiful already. I strongly suggest you visit this place.

Worth the air, land, and sea travel? Definitely yes!

Calaguas - Mahabang Buhangin beach exceeded my expectations. Outstanding!

Up next: Maculabo and Apuao Grande

* swimwear by http://waterwear.multiply.com/

92 responses:

Chyng said...

S is for SUNBURN!

nicquee said...

Ang ganda ng beach and your photos of course! Nasa list ito ng college friends ko. Will send them your link, baka mas madaliin nila ang travel nila! Bwahahahah!

rEm said...

wow! ang ganda nga.. though im not a fan of beaches na walang electricity at nyt life... hahaha!

astig!

next trip na :P

em.em said...

as usual napa wow na naman ako! ala din electricity dito? ayush! chekchi chekchi naman! sana mapuntahan ko lahat ng napuntahan mo sis. =D

Roninkotwo said...

Ang ganda nung lugar..iba na talaga mga adventure mo Chyng..malamang pag magkita tayo hindi na ko makakarelate sa dami ng adventure mo..=)

kikilabotz said...

summer na summer na talga. ganda ng pics po. thanks for sharing

ASC said...

love it! i wish i was as adventurous as you! lalo nabawasan pagka adventurous ko nang magka anak ako. lahat ng destination dapat baby friendly (madali puntahan at may indoor plumbing!) maybe when she's 13 we can do more adventurous stuff. more than 9 years pa ako maghihintay! sana wala paring tao dyan sa beach na yan! hehehe haba comment ko masyado.

witsandnuts said...

Pristine beach!

Ang galing ng photo effect nung sa flashlights. =)

jimbo said...

bakit letter S? dapat letter J db? J for Jitims ka na naman jan. :D

maganda sya and wala pa talagang crowd unlike boracay kaya mag enjoy talaga.

mishi said...

hi chyng! hmm...kaya ka pala nananahimik lately kz u r in a travel na nmn!haha! ;)

as usual, this calaguas trip is really outstanding! picture pa lng, solve na kmi!;) kainggit nmn! wish we cud visit the place too, and wish to wear two-piece as well haha! great post chyng...as always! ;)

abeng said...

chyng like ko swimsuit..mas kabog ng mga outfit mo ung place...

Palito said...

Beautiful island! Hope makapunta din dyan soon. Ingat lagi sa mga trips :)

Jepoy said...

Panalo ang beach! Pero mas panalo ang Swim Suit (Manyak mode) ahahaha

Okay parang hindi ako kakayanin ng mini boat na ginamit nyo papunta sa Island.

The beach looks awesome. Mukang madadagdagan nanaman ang list ko. Haist ang dami ko pang hindi na pupuntahan. May promo ba ulet? LOL

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

"S is for SUNBURN!" - nakalimutan mo ba ang sunblock? I heard ang init init ngayon sa Pinas. Perfect time for a swim. Ang ganda ng photos Chyng!

kg said...

wow chyng! kinareer mo na magtravel! go! go! go!

did you go to bagasbas beach while in daet? it is one of the nicest in the philippines! super nice sand and the water is not that salty! plus, it has great waves!

calaguas is a very nice place! great waters too! ang maganda pa dun, it's a quiet place. hindi puro turista.

next time caramoan naman! :)

gillboard said...

buti ka pa, summer na summer ka na... ako next month pa!!!

Kat said...

The beach looks divine :) Does remind me Coron ;)

pusangkalye said...

ibang level na talaga to---2 piece kung sa 2 piece.lol. kainggit talaga Chyng---ang galing----nung nakita ko yung isang photo, reminds me of CAPONES---quite similar no?

princess_dyanie said...

haneeep sa pagoutfit chyng! witwiw! haha! :P

waaaah magkasama pla kayo ni nina! inggit mode haha! :P gusto ko din pumunta pero parang di ko keri sumakay ng boat na nasa pic mo. as in yun lang ba talaga ang itsura ng boat? meaning katabi mo at pwede mo na hawakan ang tubig dagat? waaa afraid haha! :P

ang gandaaa ng beach! and very healthy nga ang breakfast mo haha! :P

chyng, email mo ko re sa boat haha. yun lang ang worry ko eh hehe. thanks thanks! :)

Ai said...

Chyng!!! Kaya pala wala ka. =p

I'mma check the pix when I get home kasi blocked yun pix ng blog mo dito sa office natin e. hehehe...

Mag-invest ka na rin sa underwater digicam, dear. Dapat isa sa mga goals mo yun. It's not pricey naman e. :)

citybuoy said...

beach ready na bach ready ang katawan! haha

nakakainggit ka talaga. kayo ni plumanijepoy! ang ganda ng beach na yan. i love the hearts hearts light.

Anonymous said...

i was smiling my widest when i saw your breakfast here. i can't forget you told me in binondo that jelly ace are your favorites! but pairing it cup noodles+flat tops and tagging it as masustansyang pagkain must have been really 'you'... =)
you're really getting places, chyng! way to go! =) next destination, please...

DREN said...

my favorite part, your breakfast. OPCHORZ! alam naten yan 3, kaya naten magsurvive sa isLa na jeLLyace Lng ang daLa! hahahahaha! I stiLL remember the first tym you asked me kung anong fud ang kaya kong kainin ng pauLit uLit for a month, umaga, tanghaLi, gabi.. waLang pikit mata at pagdadaLawang isip na sagot - JELLYACE!

Pero, parang masarap yung combo meaL mo ha! hahaha!

the beach is to die for. Pupunta din kami ni 23 jan. Pero pagiisipan namin yung bangka! hahahah! dapat magpapayat muna kame

thella said...

oh wow :D beautiful beach! i like your pictures talaga. oi you can change na your profile pic. looking good in your swimwear :D sana ako rin, makuha ng prayers hehe

Manila Girl said...

Beautiful pictures!

From the photos I can guess that it's indeed comparable to Club Paradise, Coron.

I love your teeny weeny itsy bitsy yellow striped bikini as well. :)

Weekend Haven said...

Really nice! I want to go to Calaguas na. Hopefully I can fit it in my sked and budget this summer!

lechua said...

wow... chyng... really lovely blue and clear waters!! and the place looks untouched! but yes the travelling to arrive at sunset sounds really tiring..

Hoobert the Awesome said...

Wow, ate. Tinalo mo pa ako. I'm just living 4 hours away from Cam Norte but I have never been there.

I asked my classmate from Cam Norte if she knows where Calaguas Island is, and she simple answered "HINDI". Haha.

Ikaw ata papalit kay Dora the Explorer. ;o

Oman said...

S is for Sexiness. Sarap naman jan. I have never been to that part of Luzon yet and looking at your photos... wow. I just wanna pack my bags and go there now.

melvic said...

thanks for visiting calaguas :)pero maliit boat na ginamit nyo.

Arvin U. de la Peña said...

lalong gumanda ang place dahil nandiyan ka,hehe..

Chyng said...

@melvic,
palakihan ba ng boat? hihi
4 lang kasi kami. kung 20 kami baka malaking boat kinuha namin.

btw, ang mura lang pala pag DIY kesa tour package. *winks*

leidyscorontour said...

ganda ng blog chyng! btw isa ko sa mga kasama ni chyng d2, i would like to inform u guys na malaki din po ang ginamit nmin boat maybe maliit lng sa pagkuha ni chyng! pero honestly speaking malaki po sya bali 6kmi nksakay sa boat then its gud for 10pax ata eh so malaki sya.

nice meeting u chyng!im hoping na mgsama ulit tyo sa ibang travel nten, go ba tyo sa mt. pulag?hehe bsta mdli lng ako yayain ha, anytime, anywhere ako :)

i give all credit kay chyng sya tlga nagarrange ng trip nmen eh. nxt time ulit!!!

Allen said...

sige ate chyng! travel ka lang ng travel!

nalaglag panga namin ni kuya sa mga shots mo! este sa mga shots ng lugar! wahahahaha!

ang gandaaaaaa!!!!!!!

melvic said...

chyng.. for ur safety lang hehehe i started the tours in calaguas since 2007, ngayon andami na nag outfit/offering tour package sa calaguas. :) happy naman ako kahit pano, sana lang un mga pumupunta eh pakibitbit ng mga plastics at basura..

sabi nga "leave only footprints take only pictures"

Anonymous said...

Debasyo

wow sarap naman... feel the heat...

GingGoy said...

nice. you went there via paracale. wasn't able to tour the mines there but probably someday. have a friend who's from daet. so i'm also a homeboy compared to your travels lately :(

Happy Trails said...

wow beautiful photos! and you are so sexy =)

Chyng said...

@melvic,
ok, what's your point? pag tour package wala kayong kalat?! at pag DIY tourists ang nagkakalat? haha!

going Calaguas (plus riding that boat and sleeping WITHOUT a tent are all our CHOICES. risk more, enjoy more! Cheers! Ü

jimbo said...

@melvic - you live only once kaya dapat you should risk more and be more adventurous.

kung gusto nya maging safe sana di na sya umalis ng bahay! hehe

escape said...

ang ganda talaga ng beach ng calaguas. kahanga hanga. so kelan ang tandem trip natin sa isang beach?

teka sino yung model mo diyan? hahaha...

dyosa said...

Incredible photographs! So picturesque. Galing. :D

Chyng said...

@kuya jimbo,
isang malaking CHECK!

JTG (Misalyn) said...

wow! ganda ng mga pics at siyempre ganda mo girl! Galing ka pala sa bayan ko, taga Camarines Norte ako. Marami talagang magagandang beaches ditosa amin, hindi pa nga lang nae-explore lahat.

Kaya ngayong bakasyon ko (weeeeeeeeeeen narito ako sa Pinas!) gala ever ang drama ko hahaha.

bleue said...

Wow! Thanks for the mentions.... hehehe! Who would not love Calaguas?

I failed to mention pala to you before your trip that the boat from Paracale to Calaguas should be 2K only.

Anyway, I hope to travel with you on your future trips. Ingat parati, stay safe and more travel to come!

Thanks again Chyng!

Thelostrays said...

woow, nice summer getaway!!! great adventure coupled with a nice blog at nice photos din, galing!

Yj said...

OMG Chyng... gusto ko makapunta jan.... :)

Chyng said...

@bleue a.k.a lakwatsero.com,
eto naman di agad sinabe 2K lang pala bayad sa boat. hihi pero actuall ok lang. those boatmen gave us fish to eat. plus they even offer us their homes back in paracale port para makiligo.

i so love this place! next year ulit! ♥

Unknown said...

Wow, hmm. I'll surely take note of Calaguas in mind. Thanks for the boutiful of info. This could be one of the best beaches to visit.

Kaunti na lang ma'am, pwede ka nang magsimula ng travel and tour business. :D

Unknown said...

I love the second shot... Galing! Gusto ko na din mag-beach.

thepinaysolobackpacker said...

yahu! ayan! nahanap q na ang comment page! ba't d q toh naqta date. haha anyway, m glad u enjoyed ur trip. I hope to travel with you too Chyng someday! thnx din for the credit. pede mu ng i-highlight yung sa to do list mu for 2010--> travel with a travel blogger. wow! =)

Chyng said...

@gael,
lets travel this year! Ü

carlotta1924 said...

grabe ang ganda! mahihirapan din ako umalis diyan pag nakapunta din ako. :)

uhuhuy, love ko ang definition mo ng masustansyang pagkain. ;)

Chyng said...

^
ha! kita mo naman napaka-healthy ko na. agree? Ü

lakwatsera de primera said...

nice pictures, now that inspired me to really do a cam sur and cam norte exploration already :-)

Anonymous said...

was there last yr..and going back Apr 15..we bring only our clothes & tents and our friend (who owns a nearby island) provides the rest..food,boat & waiters to boot. i hope these group of islands won't turn into another Boracay

jeremy said...

ganda pero parang nakakatakot. hindi ba malalakas at malalaki ang alon dahil open sea?

Chyng said...

hello Jeremy!
The sea is calm from Jan-May. Notoriuos from June-Dec.

So punta na, now na! Ü

Anonymous said...

hi,did the boatmen stayed with you on the island or they just came back to fetch you the next day?--kaye

Chyng said...

Hi Kaye,
One of the boatmen stayed with us. The other one left and just returned the next morning.

If your concern is safety, the place is safe. I slept in the shore while I left my DSLR in the nipa hut. Seriously! Oh well I can do that because we were only 4 in that beach, otherwise I wont do that. Ü

BJ said...

Hmmm sa swimsuit... di bagay ang stripes. Dapat light colors....hehehe jk lang.=)

Chyng said...

^ hi BJ!
haha thanks sa gatorade and headlamp. binuhay moko sa bundok. Ü

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

Wow! Nice photos!
It's a beautiful place. Looks like heaven here on earth...

Nicole said...

hi chyng! =)
Maraming salamat! =) ganda sa calaguas! =) muah!

7a'faR said...

wonderful beach..!!

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz~

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

you directions and breakdown of the costs ang pinaka maayos na description na nakita ko from all of the blogs.. am going to calaguas with 4 other peeps this july 8-10 2010... sana di masyado maulan... thanks for the post... nagaaway kami if caramoan or calaguas... pero i think calaguas would be worth it!

Vena said...

Ang ganda!!!!! Grabe! Thanks for the very informative post, kelangan ko mapuntahan ito :)

doi said...

wow! super nice post and very informative! can't wait to get to this place na this march! :D

ganda ng pictures!

Christian | Lakad Pilipinas said...

Parang ang sarap ng buhangin!.. at nang breakfast mo hahaha =P

Anonymous said...

hay..ngayon napatunayan ko na na gusto ko mag take ng photography as my course in college...but second course ko lang yun..IT una:]

Anonymous said...

hai..ngayon napatunayan ko na, na gusto ko mag take ng photography as my course in college.but second course ko lang ang photography, IT ang first course ko:]

Anonymous said...

hai..ngayon napatunayan ko na, na gusto ko mag take ng photography as my course in college.but second course ko lang ang photography, IT ang first course ko:]

Chyng said...

hi Ann!
ako naman Scuba Diving Course gusto ko i-take! hihi

nino said...

sobrang maganda.. nice blog and pictures..ahhh..calaguas..akin ka na lang..must go there..

Anonymous said...

hi chyng! thanks for this comprehensive blog. i would just like to know if you have the contact numbers of the island caretakers?

we plan to go there this 21st to 24th april (DIY), and wanna check stuff from the family that lives there.


thanks,

banggigay
banggigay@gmail.com

kai said...

hi ang ganda ng mga kuha mo... curious lang anong gamit mong lens? thanks!

Chyng said...

hi Kai!
maganda lang talaga yung lugar. anyway, my camera is Canon 500D, kitlens. =)

Christian | Lakad Pilipinas said...

hmm sa camarines norte pala to.. i'll be at camsur this wednesday, parang napaisip ako dito ah

eeggee said...

Wow ang ganda-ganda! Ako din, hindi ko na-appreciate yung island nung first day, di maganda yung araw. Nagbagong anyo siya nung next morning na.

Mura nga yung DIY niyo.. hmmm yung tour package na nakuha namin kay Darius of northlink.ph, 3500.. lahat lahat na yun. Hanggang sa room/cottage sa Bagasbas surfing sa Daet. :-)

Nabitin ako sa stay namin diyan. Parang 23 hours lang kasi.

Share ko lang video namin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDxriGAO7Cg

Anonymous said...

Hi MsChyng!

great blog! im planning to go to calaguas next month with 8 other people inclusive of 3 kids, may number ka ba nung caretaker sa Calaguas? :) thanks much!

Best,
bhaby
bedvaldez@gmail.com

Wayne Ann said...

Hi! ask ko kung ano name & number nung caretaker ng calaguas?

Anonymous said...

im from daet, ang calaguas po ay sa municipality of vinzons..hindi po sa daet...

Island Explorer said...

Wow, I miss Calaguas. Been there three years ago na. I enjoy the way you write. I've never travelled with other travel bloggers, parang gusto ko ata i-try. Anyway, check my site, theislandexplorer.blogspot.com.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
juandefulpinoy said...

wow ang sexy... Namiss ko ang calaguas.... Ganda talaga

juanderfulpinoy said...

i like your definition of masustansiyang pagkain haha masustansya nga . Nakakamiss ang calaguas

Anonymous said...

Very informative!..Thanks sooo much Ms.Chyng.....

Tutubi said...

ei chyng, heard there's already a resort with bar and videoke there, is it true?

if true, then i was right after all

dapat talaga di na blog yan :(

Girl Travel Factor said...

Just visited Calaguas Island last weekend, and its one of the best beach I had been to. Sobrang ganda ng tubig at buhangin. We also had unexpected experience there, we saw bioluminescent phytoplanktons, like the glow in the dark beach in Maldives. Never heard anyone saw that in any Philippines beaches, hope you saw it too.

Chyng said...

^ hello!!
thats awesome! i didn't see any of those planktons. but i saw them in Buntod Reef in Masbate. they were unbelievable! =)

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