Padre Burgos, Quezon | Hidden Gem of Luzon

Drifting away from the usual weekend of hiking, trekking and climbing, our group decided to take a trip to Padre Burgos, Quezon.

We would go to 3 beaches on the same day and camp wherever we may like.

And because of the one-hour journey, we decided to make ‘puting buhangin’ beach our first destination.

I was kind of surprised to see a white sand beach with crystal clear blue waters in Quezon. My expectations were low but it suddenly hit me after seeing the beach from afar.

It was a hidden haven for guys like me such that I really have this thought of coming back to the place in the near future.

Aside from the caretaker, there was nobody there when our feet touched the sands at the seaside. It was like having a private beach with the whole lot of camping grounds just for our group.

Nonetheless, we opted to camp either on Borawan or Dampalitan as they were much closer to the mainland.

We stayed at ‘puting buhangin’ for about 2 hours. We spent most of the time swimming until we found a cave which connects to a cove opening to the main sea. Bryan, a true climber that he is, traversed the hill from the other side to the cove.

The feeling of relief after lounging under the blue sky did not stay for long.

Thick clouds began to hover over the place. It seemed inevitable that rain would pour so we decided to go to the other islands.

Borawan was the island I was looking forward to but, sad to say, I was disappointed. For me it was not as captivating as the 2 other islands, so we thought pitching tents there would be a very bad idea. 

Finally, we decided to take dampalitan as our campsite. 

20 minutes from Borawan is Dampalitan. There, we could see other groups pitched in their own grounds. 

We found a good spot and immediately unpacked. Bryan and Agnes gutted the fishes for cooking. Without much ado Ron and I started pitching the tents. 

It was a fun day. At sundown we prepared our dinner while our campfire started to grow. We traded stories, made fun of others who were not able to go. There were times when we just sat and stared at the beach, until we felt rain drops falling.

Our gathering was cut short. We had to go inside our tents and sleep.

The next day, still raining, we packed our things and went back to the mainland. 

Even on a simple beach camping, we had to endure the rain. Little did we know that the pouring will eventually turn to a Typhoon named 'Bebeng'. It's kind of a curse for our group that at some point in all our climbs and trips, no matter how good the weather is, the skies would turn for the worst and give us a downpour.

But even though we were soaked and wet, it was still a good trip and an astonishing experience as well.

It has been my slogan never to underestimate the mountains. Well, I have a new one.

Never underestimate the beauty of the beach until you've been there because at one point, your ignorance may betray you and your low expectation may push you not to bring snorkels – and this you will regret for the rest of the trip.

Group Itinerary

day 1

00:00 - meet up at Jac liner Buendia
01:00 - departure from Manila to Padre Burgos, Quezon
06:00 - arrival at  Quezon, breakfast, buy food, arrange boatman and guide
08:00 - departure from Mainland to puting buhangin
09:00 - arrival at puting buhangin, do activities
11:00 - departure from puting buhangin to Borawan
12:00 - arrival at Borawan,
12:30 - arrival at Dampalitan, prepare lunch
13:00 - lunch
18:00 - prepare dinner
19:00 - dinner, socials
23:00 - lights out

day 2

08:00 - wake up call, breakcamp
08:30 - departure from Dampalitan to mainland
09:00 - arrival at mainland, tidy up, rest, heavy breakfast
11:00 - departure from Padre Burgos to Manila
20:00 - arrival at Manila (We were ravaged by bebeng causing the delay)

How to get to Padre Burgos, Quezon

Take a Lucena-bound bus at Cubao or Buendia Bus Stations and get off at the Grand Terminal in Lucena.

Then take a mini bus bound for Unisan and get off Vista Playa Restaurant. You can contact Kuya Uro at 0918-2550875 or you can just ask a boat at Vista Playa.

For JAC Liner Lucena–bound Buses, you can check their schedules and terminals here: http://www.jacliner.com/



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