Calaguas Island | The Best Beach in The Philippines

I woke up at 6 in the morning and immediately went outside. It was a bright sunny day with clouds roaming beneath the blue skies. Yes, I knew it was a blessed day.

Nowhere in our film can you see a single frown. Yup, we were ecstatic - ecstatic to be on that glorious island.

But beyond that ecstasy was the feeling of gratitude. We were so thankful to have passed all the odds with body and spirits still complete and intact, looking forward to see another day in our life.

Before we were able to touch the sands of Calaguas, we had to go through a backbreaking 8 hour bus ride to Paracale. Aching back and all, we prayed for a butt load of luck that at the end of this long and winding rough road, a calm sea would be waiting for us. 

But it was not meant to be, for in our journey we seemingly endured the worst. Our pump boat was battered by waves up to 10 feet high, eternally pushing us up and down, making a space shuttle ride look like a walk in the park. 

Through 3 hours of gruesome weather, cold gusts of wind and sickening motion, we sat on the boat clinging on firmly to any handhold within our reach. 

But fortune had not totally abandoned us. Instead of aggressively driving through the waves, our boatman masterfully glided the boat over the waves. 

The glee of riding over the waves did not stay that long however, for the whole time we were shivering. Splashes of water running through our faces added to the burden of headaches over our battered bodies. As we started to suffer from stage 1 hypothermia, the beach was finally within our eyesight. 

Like a mirage, we saw paradise looming from a distance with blue skies atop. We were stunned by the beauty and at the same time puzzled why the weather was friendly on that one particular spot. 

Short of a hundred meters to the beach, we were like little kids giggling. We jumped to the water as soon as the boat was firmly anchored… ahhh it was heaven! 

It was a virgin island. The beach so pristine with white sugary sand gently pushed by the waves of bright blue ocean waters which out of the blue was being complimented by the blue skies above.

It was our reward. 

We had gone through the worst conditions but still, it was worth the suffering. If we would need to undergo such an ordeal again, maybe we would think twice on coming back to this island but deep in our hearts we know we can never resist Calaguas and still, we would push through

ambot-ah.com's blogger marcos with ate lyn

sunburnt bodies

other side of calaguas

Group Itinerary

day 0

20:00 - meet up at Quezon Avenue-Edsa Mcdonalds
21:00 - departure from Manila to Paracale

day1

07:00 - arrival at Paracale, arrange boats
08:00 - departure from Paracale to Calaguas Island
11:00 - arrival at Calaguas, prepare lunch**
12:00 - lunch
18:00 - prepare dinner
19:00 - dinner, socials
*we actually had no lights out, we slept at around 4:00 am the next day

day 2

05:30 - wake up call, prepare breakfast
06:00 - breakfast
10:00 - hike up the hill
11:00 - back at camp
13:00 - break camp
13:30 - departure from Calaguas to Paracale
15:00 - arrival at Paracale, departure to Quezon **
19:00 - dinner at Quezon
20:00 - departure from Quezon to Manila

*arrival at Manila by 01:00 AM
**arrival time depends on weather

How to get to Calaguas Island, Camarines Norte

Take a Daet - Bound bus at Cubao or Pasay Bus Stations.

From Daet, there are 2 way to Calaguas:
Via Vinzons: From Daet - take a jeepney to Vinzons and get off at Vinzons fishport. You can hire a banca from Vinzons Fishport to Calaguas Island.

Via Paracale: If coming from Manila, you can get off at Barangay Talobatib in Labo town and ride a bus to Paracale town and take a trycycle to get to the Paracale fishport. To rent a boat there, you can contact 09176262242 or 09285842052.

I would say that Vinzons is a much better jump off to Calaguas since more private boats in Vinzons have safety vests compared to Paracale.  But of course, renting a van from Manila is the best option to cut the hassle of public transportation in getting to Calaguas and maximize your time.

For Philtranco Daet – Bound Buses, you can check their schedules here:
http://www.philtranco.com.ph/


*we would like to thank Agnes Navales for orgranizing the trip and for the photos included in this post