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/

Misadventures in Pagsanjan

7 things that made our Pagsanjan Trip one crazy ride!

1.       Sleep deprived friends on their way to Pagsanjan Falls, most of them already taking a nap when the bus had a flat tire in the middle of SLEX. Instead of being irritated, they took pictures of everyone waiting under the heat, running around like toddlers on the loose and making the “para” sign to all vehicles passing by.

2.       Almost got lost upon arriving at Laguna because no one bothered to print or draw the map but since our inquisitive skills got the best of us, we just asked the jeepney driver and we scored a private ride to one of the banca rents.

3.       Our group composed  of 1 average built gay, 2 “voluptuous” ladies, 1 skinny bitch, 1 big boned lass and 1 Ms. Minchin. Maybe we were just excited but we didn’t thought about our ratio so just imagine the hardship that the manongs have to go through maneuvering a banca with the average built gay and the “voluptuous” ladies and the laughter and shrieks echoing from the other group and bantering remarks from the skinny bitch.

4.       Singing Pocahontas’ “Just around the river bend” all throughout the banca ride —-> you would get the joke once you experience the ride

5.       (Disclaimer: I’m not dissing any Koreans and I was once a certified KPOP fan girl so please don’t take this offensively) We all know that Koreans have porcelain white skin, have a strict regimen about skin care and they have the cutest sense of style when it comes to clothing. But imagine this, 2 cute Korean girls, wearing red stilettos and are fully covered with matching umbrella riding the canoe, fear of the sun is evident in their eyes. Or 2 middle aged men in their office uniforms (khaki pants, leather shoes and polo shirts) also riding the canoe and before we even realize what’s happening, almost everyone on that day were Koreans in their stylish and even work outfits. With our flip flops, swim suits, board shorts and t-shirts, we felt we were the one out of place. (I still wonder if they were just enforced or if the travel agency just forgot to tell them the proper attire or what not :P) —> Sorry I wasn’t able to take any picture but I found this one in google 😛

6.       Upon arriving at the Pagsanjan Falls, the raft was full of Japanese and Koreans, we felt like we are in an actual Takeshi’s Castle set-up (hahahahaha!!! I really laughed hard on this one because one of my friends kept commenting, “Para tayong nasa Takeshi’s castle.” Even though they don’t understand tagalog, I’m sure they are fully aware of our side comments)

7.       We ate our dinner at “Kamayan sa Palaisdaan” somewhere in Laguna and because we were so hungry and the ambience was really nice, we didn’t take note of the time. It was already past 8PM when we finished our dinner and we just realized that the restaurant is the only establishment in the middle of a vast rice field, there were no street lights and only a couple of vehicles past by. We were scaring ourselves with images of sukob, texas chainsaw massacre and other scary movies. We waited for more than 30 minutes before a bus to Alabang had arrived and the driver told us that it was the last trip for that day and no other buses goes along that route 😛

Despite all the mishaps, this was still one of the memorable trips I had because this was the start of how I became a “travel bug” 🙂

Some pictures were taken from google images and flicker. Please feel free to email me if you are the owner of the pictures and want them removed from my website

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.

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.

we are sole sisters

http://www.wearesolesisters.com/

I have stumbled upon this travel blog from Sarah and lo and behold, they are the same women featured in Smile Magazine that I read during my flight at Cebu Pacific. During my recent trip to Cebu and Iloilo, I read an article about 2 successful career women who after quitting their jobs had travelled to 6 countries in Southeast Asia. I somewhat envy their courage because who wouldn’t want to just quit their jobs and go where your hearts desire??? (me… me… MEEEEEEE!!!!). But like I said, no work=no funds 😦

happy 2nd year anniversary

to my beloved best friend/boyfriend…

Happy 2nd year Anniversary. Thank you for taking care of me, for accepting me for who I am and for being my constant pillar of strength. I look forward to all the days, months and years to come. I love you so much ♥

PS. Thank you so much for agreeing to all the mishap adventures in Iloilo… till our next getaway 🙂