Cagbalete Island

Summer is here! And what better way to 'beat the May Weather?' Lounge by the beach or be soaked by the waves!

Hiking, camping, or long drives are the thing now. Hiking's a bit pricey and requires some kind of preparation physically, so I had to cross that out of the list. Meanwhile, with long drives, I actually need a vehicle for that, so put an 'x' mark on that, too. What remains? Camping!! I'm all out going 'gadgets off,' social media and electricity out, and going back to the good ol' ways of cooking food using fire and stuff like that.

So off we went to Cagbalete Island! This island is located 6 km from Mauban town proper and northeast towards the Pacific Ocean. Measuring around 1,640 hectares of mangroves, trees, long coastline of white beach, and tranquility, this island is one of the best places to be for people who seek serenity and or adventure.

Cagbalete Island from afar

Getting There:

MNL to LUCENA

Ride a bus at JAC Liner Buendia Station bound for Lucena Grand Terminal. The buses there leave at an hourly schedule, so no need to worry about being left behind by the bus. The first bus leaves at 2 am. Each regular one-way ticket is priced 209.50 pesos. The ride lasts for about 3-4 hours. During our trip, it was Pacman's fight against Mayweather, so the road was literally ours. We took off from Buendia at around 530 am, and were already at LGT at around 830 am.

From MNL, you will pass through the following towns and 2 cities: Sto. Tomas - Batangas, Alaminos - Laguna, San Pablo City, Tiaong, Candelaria, Sariaya, and Lucena City.

LUCENA to MAUBAN

Upon arrival at LGT, board an NCR Rienton Liner bus bound for Mauban. Each one-way ticket is priced 54 pesos. The ride lasts for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Tell the conductor to drop you off where you can ride a tricycle towards the tourism office. Or if you're too shy to ask, you could just get off at the station since the tricycle ride is still 10 pesos per person anywhere at Mauban.

Or you could ride a bus that goes straight to Mauban from Buendia Station, which is only every 12 nn, or from JAC Liner Cubao Station, which has 2 trips per day: 5 am, and 12 mn.

There are also air-conditioned vans available at SM City Lucena and Metro Gaisano, Lucena City, which arrive faster at Mauban than the buses which have multiple stops to pick up or drop off passengers along the way.

TOURISM OFFICE REGISTRATION

Upon arrival at Mauban bus station, ride a tricycle or walk towards the Tourism Office which is located by the bay. You have to register at the tourism office before you go to the island. Registration is 50 pesos per person, for the environmental fee. It is also where you would pay for a ticket and wait for the passenger boat bound for the island.

After registering at the office, you could walk along the bay towards the port where you'll ride the boat. You will, and thus can pass by, the wet market to buy food and other stuff. We bought food there since we're going to cook our lunch and dinner for the 1st day, and breakfast for the 2nd day.

MAUBAN PORT TO SABANG PORT 

At the port, lots of people would want to try to assist you in carrying your things towards the boat. They would just ask for a tip afterwards, and it's up to you how much you're going to give.

The passenger boat that travels from Mauban port to Sabang port only has 2 trips per day: at 10 am, and at 4 pm. Although this schedule is not usually followed because the boat leaves earlier when it's already full, so better be there at least 1 hour earlier than the schedule. The one-way ticket is priced at 50 pesos per person. The boat leaves Sabang port each day at around 7 am and 1 pm.

For private boats, for 4-6 pax, it's priced at 1500 for one-way ride, and 2500 for round-trip. Check out their standard rates, which depend on the number of persons boarding the boat, at the tourism office.

SABANG PORT TO RESORT

Unfortunately, since there are no other form of transportation inside the island, after you are dropped off at Sabang Port, you have to trek towards your resort. See the map below for the information on the distance from the Port.

Island Map

Peripheral distance from:
a. Sabang port to Green View: 250 m
b. Green View to Pansacola: 880 m
c. Pansacola to Dona Choleng: 1.4 km
d. Dona Choleng to Villa Noe: 250 m
e. Villa Noe to Joven's: 350 m
f. Joven's to Villa Cleofas: 244 m
g. Villa Cleofas to MTV: 1.7 km
h. MTV to Nilandingan: 550 m

We booked 2 nights worth of accommodation at Nilandingan Cove, which is actually the resort that is located farthest from the port, and would take you 30-45 minutes to trek, depending on your pace. We opted to take a private boat which would take us from Mauban port straight to Nilandingan Cove, and vice versa, because it is more practical than to take the passenger boat and trek to the resort. The pros would be: you don't have to rush to catch the passenger boat, and you don't have to trek within the island. Take note: there are no paved roads inside the island, there's just a path that you would follow, which sometimes include swampy areas, or mostly surrounded by thick bushes of plants and trees. Con: for a price, which is actually still relatively small since the boat fee will be divided among you.

The boat ride from Mauban port to Sabang port usually lasts for 45 minutes to 1 hour depening on how rough is the sea. We took off from Mauban port at around 930 am and arrived at Nilandingan Cove at around 1130 am.

AT THE RESORT: FINALLY!

 The sun was already high up the sky, and it was low tide. So, upon arrival near the cove, we had to walk from the boat through the below-the-knee high water to the resort. Don't fret! The welcome by the staff was as warm as the weather! We were greeted by the owners of the resort themselves, with matching refreshing drinks.

Now, it's time to relax, and enjoy the beach life!

For more information, visit Mauban's Tourism Site.