Concepcion, Iloilo

If you are a certified backpacker, or you do not mind long hours of bus ride and you don’t want large crowds, I highly recommend going to Concepcion Islands. This quaint paradise is not yet commercialized and you can enjoy mother nature at its finest.

Concepcion is located at the northernmost part of Iloilo and has 16 picturesque islands to boot, most have white sand beaches, others are rich in marine life

These islands are Pan de Azucar – the biggest and most popular among the islands because of Mt. Manaphag which is one of the tallest peaks in Panay. Agho – known for its white sand beach area with the magnificent view of the sunrise and sunset. Tago – nearest to the mainland, Bag-o Isi – has a shifting snake-like sandbar that points to Pan de Azucar. Bocot – located at NE of Bag-o Isi. Colebra – located at the northernmost frontier of Concepcion. Sombrero – from the term itself, it looks like a hat if you view it from above. Bag-o Sipol and Chico Island – 2 uninhibited islands found on the further east. Malangabang – the most populated island in Concepcion. Igbon – the best diving spot within the area. Botlog – island which has an eggnog shape. Bag-O Abo – which is perfect for snorkeling. Bulubadiangan – known for its shifting white sandbar. Danao-danao – known for its interesting natural stone formations. Tagubanhan – which shares the border with the adjacent town of Ajuy and Baliguian – the only coral atol in Concepcion and also the farthest island from the mainland.

How to go to Concepcion???
– From the airport you can ride a taxi or shuttle to Tagbak Terminal in Jaro District, Iloilo. Standard fare is Php 500.00 so it is better to opt this route if you are in a group.
– Once in Tagbak Terminal, ride the HPQ bus to Concepcion. Fare is Php 120.00 but beware of the lengthy bus ride (it takes approximately 3 hours)

– The bus would drop you off at the Concepcion Plaza, if you are staying at the mainland then you can either walk or ride a tricycle towards your hotel but if you want to stay in Sandbar Island Resort, then you have to rent a small boat which is usually Php 800.00, you can make the necessary arrangements from the Municipal Tourism Office also located in the Plaza . (see below for details)

Where to stay???
-If you are as adventurous as you say you are, then I recommend Sandbar Island Beach Resort located in Bulubadiangan Island. Room rates usually cost around Php 800.00/night or you can rent out their tents for around Php 300.00/night. But heads up, there is electricity but it only powers the light bulbs so make sure all your gadgets are fully charged. Also, make sure that you buy all your stuff (food, condiments, utensils etc)at the town proper as there no stores or restaurants in the Island. You can also buy fresh seafoods and just have them cooked in the resort.

-If you still want the comforts of a real bed, an airconditioned room, a restroom and you want electricity! 😛 then I suggest Hotel Junbee situated at the town proper. It is only a 5 minute tricycle from Concepcion Plaza and room rates ranges from Php 800-1,500/night. It is the only DOT accredited place in the area and the hotel owners (Mr. Jun Garavilla) is really really nice and accommodating. You can just arrange boat rentals directly form them so you can have a tour of the islands.

What to do and where to go???
There are 16 islands to choose from for your Island Hopping but it is impossible to visit all in one day. Boat rentals also cost Php 1,500.00/island and you’ll just have to add Php 500.00 per additional island. I highly recommend visiting the following:

Agho – We just fell in love with this place and I wished that we could have spend more time lounging at the beach. You have a great view of Mt. Manaphag and this is a great place to have picnics with your family or friends. There are nipa huts situated throughout the island and you can bring your snorkeling gears since there are nearby corals and reefs. This place is perfect for your photo ops.

Pan de Azucar – This is the largest island in Concepcion although the shoreline is not recommended for swimming since this is where the fishermen park their boats. You can ask a local to give you a tour around the area. Although Mt. Manaphag is only a 3-4 hr climb, it is not advisable for beginners since it is one of the steepest mountain in the Philippines and the locals would only allow you to climb it if you are a professional. Aside from the tour around town, you can ask the local to bring you to Hampangan rock. Once you are on top, you’ll have a 360 degree view of the neighboring islands and you’d be as near as you can be to Mt. Manphag

Bulubadiangan – If you are staying at the town proper, then you’d definitely have to visit Sandbar Beach resort and just like in Agho, you can also lounge at the sprawling white sands and the water is not too deep so you can definitely go for a swim. A lot of locals go here to offer freshly caught sea foods to tourist.

Malangabang Island – If you are staying at Sandbar and missed to buy some stuff, there are a few sari-sari stores and fish vendors on this island.

You can contact Concepcion Municipal Tourism Office for more information.
Contact Person: Mario Lazarito, Municipal Tourism Officer
Mobile: (+63)9194588451, (+63)918311923

And if you want to stay in Hotel Junbee, you can email them at garilvajunbee@gmail.com

Hope this article help you guys. This was based on my recent trip to Concepcion and also from these two websites that helped me a lot in planning my trip 🙂
www.ambot-ah.com
www.exploreiloilo.com

The Hidden Treasure of Concepcion Island

Do you believe in love at first sight? Well I do ♥ While browsing the internet for places to go in Iloilo, I stumbled upon numerous websites featuring the Islands of Concepcion and just like that, I instantly fell in love with the place and I knew this is where I wanted to celebrate our second year anniversary.

We went to Iloilo last March 4,2012. Upon arriving at the airport, we rented a van that would take us to Tagbak Terminal in Jaro District which took 40 minutes and from there we rode HPQ bus to Concepcion which took almost 3 hours.

I was glad that both my boyfriend and I are sleepy heads so we were able to catch a snooze during the bus ride but I still didn’t expect for the travel time to be that LONG! We arrived at Concepcion at around 10 AM and we went straight to Hotel Junbee which is only a 5 minute tricycle drive. The room we were assigned is a bit shabby but who am I to complain? Our room rate was only Php 850.00/night and just to be fair, it is the only DOT accredited place in the whole island and there is an outdoor pool which is a plus for me. We just took a rest for 2 hours and after that we went straight to the bayan to meet our boats men.

The boat we rented for our island hopping is quite big for 2 lovebirds and 3 boatsmen but that was the only one available that time. It was also quite expensive because it is rented per boat and it cost us Php 2,000 for the whole trip (Php 1,500 – 1 island plus P500 for each island).

We first went to Agho island which is almost an hour from the mainland. As soon as we reached the place it already felt like paradise. The island is uninhibited apart from the care takers, the whole beach was covered with pure white sand and the shoreline is ankle to knee deep for at least 10 meters. But what’s extraordinary about Agho is its magnificent view of Mt. Manaphag located at Pan de Azucar Island. The mountain is the highest peak all throughout Concepcion and it appears as though half of its height is submerged in the water. The entrance fee is only Php35.00/pax and we spent almost an hour there. It was almost perfect except for the fact that it was cloudy that day and I was expecting the sun high above us and the blue skies to provide a picturesque view of the surrounding but nevertheless it was still worth.

overlooking pan de azucar

We then went to Pan de Azucar which is the largest and one of the most populous island in Concepcion. Unlike in Agho, you won’t be able to swim because of all fishing boats parked in the shoreline. A nice local welcomed us and became our tour guide all throughout and he even challenged us to climb Hampangan Rock that has greatest view of all the islands as well as Mt. Manaphag (which is the tallest peak in Concepcion) The climb itself is a bit challenge to us because of the steep height and also because both my boyfriend and I are quite hungry already but our weariness vanished as soon as we were on the top because the spectacular and breathtaking view.

It was already 4 PM and as soon as we got back in the resort, we ordered our lunch/dinner and gobbled our food in a matter of minutes. We planned to swim in the pool but because we were both dead tired, we were already fast asleep before 8 PM. So much for tagging ourselves as an adventurous couple…

learn more about Iloilo through this website. It helped me a lot during the planning of the entire trip 🙂
http://www.exploreiloilo.com/

Been Here, Done That. Filipino Style

So these are the places I’ve been to… It seems like I still have A LOT to cover before I go International ♥

My Lakbayan grade is C+!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

The Paradise which is Lake Pinatubo

I have always dreamed of climbing Mt. Pinatubo. Despite the catastrophic eruption in the early 90’s, it has since tagged as dormant and the once deadly volcano now became a world renowned tourist destination. I first stumbled upon the existence of this place back in 2008 when one of my FB friends posted their pictures of their then recent family trip and I was immediately awed by its beauty.

I wanted to climb it as soon as possible but I didn’t have the time back then. Fast forward to April 2012. Another friend of mine also climbed Mt. Pinatubo and she gave me the contact number of the travel agent who arranged their trip, Tripinas (visit their Facebook page ) so I contacted them and asked for their itinerary, I invited all my friends and before our travel date of April 22, 2012, 12 already confirmed. (My college buddy finess brought 5 of her work friends while I brought 5 of my CVG friends).

One of the “things to bring” is your happy self and we made damned sure we brought it. All of us can’t contained our excitement and as early as the meet up point at 3:00 am in Mcdo Quezon Avenue, we were so hyped up and “trek ready”.

All smiles during our 4×4 ride towards Mt. Pinatubo

Upon arriving at the base camp at around 6:00 am, we were assigned 3 4×4 vehicles and once we rode it, I knew it was the start of an uber tiring but uber fun adventure. The 1 hr ride was bumpy, there were no seat belts and the road we took was once a river but was now covered with lahar and stones which made the ride very dusty (fyi: make sure to bring a dust mask or cover your entire face).

Once we were at the start of the trek, I felt excited and scared at the same time. I was in no shape to walk an almost 10 km trek and I was soooo hungry (it was already 7am and I always eat 4-5 hr interval). It was one of the hardest and physically enduring 3 hrs of my life. It wasn’t a simple mountain climbing but it was a “death walk” full of stones, lahar and creeks. The only consolation that I felt was I would lose weight big time, I was in the company of close friends and I would finally see Mt. Pinatubo 🙂

We also found out that the climb to Mt. Pinatubo usually takes 30 minutes only. There was once a short cut called “Skyway” that would allow the 4×4 to reach up until the foot of the mountain then it would be the start of the hike. However since the Ondoy storm hit Tarlac and Pampanga, the skyway was destroyed so the trek was now almost 3 hrs long. (So it was Ondoy that made every ones’ life yet miserable—again!)

Don’t be fooled by the signage, I asked everyone and they timed themselves that it also took them 30 minutes just to reach the crater. (maybe because we were already tired)

They say that at the end of the rainbow there is a pot of gold or at the end of every suffering there is happiness.My take on this is that at the end of this 10 kilometer death walk, there is paradise. And Lake Pinatubo is indeed paradise.

No amount of words or no photoshopped images can give justice to this breath taking and picturesque view of the Lake Pinatubo. It surpassed all my expectations and it made me humbled myself to our Lord to create such heavenly wonder after a catastrophe.

I would love to take pictures as soon as possible but my stomach was grumbling like a volcano ready to erupt so I asked, actually I plead to everyone that we eat our lunch first!

After gobbling the food within 10 minutes I was back to my happy and hyper self and because of the heat, I just wanted to dip in the water and take a swim. I thought the water would be like a hot spring but of course it was an inactive volcano *facepalm* and to my surprise the water was refreshingly cold. I honestly believe that I was a mermaid in my past life because I see to it that every destination I go, there would be a body of water that I can swim. May it be the ocean, river or even a swimming pool and Mt. Pinatubo is no exception! I immediately jumped in the water and it took me 15 minutes to convinced everyone to swim. I was like a kid on her newly purchased kiddie pool, but mine was bigger.

Our stay at Lake Pinatubo was extended from 12:30 to 2:00 PM because there was an ongoing Balikatan Exercise and no one is allowed to cross Crow Valley until 5:00 PM. As much as I would like to have my stay extended and maybe camped for the night, it was time to go and so I bid Lake Pinatubo goodbye and even though I already know what to expect during the trek back, I was nervous yet again because I was already dead tired. Even though the route back was faster, it still wasn’t that easy and all of us were already exhausted and just wanted to drink a glass of Coke to quench our thirst. Just imagine our excitement when after 2 hours of walking, we saw our 4×4 and the drivers patiently waiting for us. I literally jumped for joy because I know we are about to go home.

True enough, as soon as we arrived at the base camp, we bought ourselves coke in cans and it was like our mini prize for a job well done *pats myself at the back*

I would never forget this experience. It made me love nature more and be thankful of this wonderful world that I live in. As tiring as it was, “maybe” I’d go back here someday. (Hopefully the skyway would be fixed at that time.) I can’t wait for my next summer getaway 🙂

And as the new Philippine tourism slogan goes…

Confessions of a Travel Junkie

I am always fascinated about the idea of travelling, may it be short out-of-town trips, long bus rides or even if it is just an overnight stay in Pansol Laguna or Batangas, I’m always on the go for it.  My friends know that I am a certified “lakwatsera” and they would only have to invite me once and I’m off packing my bags and bidding a goodbye kiss to my Dad.

I was lucky because when I landed my 2^nd (current job), my new-found friends have the same passion for travelling. We would have our team buildings in Batangas, our Summer escapades in Camiguin, Camarines Sur and Davao and even spur of the moment trip to Pagsanjan Falls just after our shifts. My college friends also have their share of wanderlust amongst them and because all of us don’t rely on parents’ allowance anymore, we always plan our get together in Coron, Cebu and San Vicente.

Most of my relatives would always comment on my spending habits especially those out of town trips saying that I should be saving more, I’m not getting any younger… blah…blah…blah… but what they don’t understand is that travelling gives me more excitement and pleasure more than anything else in the world. I have that daily yearning to discover new places, meet new people and experience different cultures. My body is always craving a great adventure. It wants to swim in clear waters and bask under the summer sun. My feet want to feel the sand in between my toes and conquer the highest peaks and my eyes wants to set its sights to the most beautiful and breathtaking sceneries on earth.

Most people view travel as a luxury, something that is more of a want rather than a need, but for us travel junkies, it is the food to our souls. It is what satiates our palate for life.