Langyaw: From Catanduanes To Caramoan And Back

Binurong Point, Catanduanes

First Day
Chance is risk positively interpreted. And when it comes to chance, I could be stubborn to the point of irrationally ignoring the risks. I would ignore reason in exchange for a chance to see another beautiful place. And, I should have to rethink this.
This was a struggle during the trip to Catanduanes. It always is when you go for places barely touched by destructive progress. Still.
Lucky would be the best word to describe how things worked for me and my friends. We left on a Sunday evening, as two separate groups. We were to meet in Legaspi City, where we'd have breakfast before leaving for Tabaco to take a ferry going to either San Andres or Virac in Catanduanes. But since it was vacation period, with the Holy Week starting in just a few days, it was almost impossible for anyone to get bus tickets to anywhere. The other group could not chance on any bus going south, so they took the van, which got them to Legazpi 2 hours later than our group. So breakfast became lunch.

Mamangal Beach, Catanduanes

Catanduanes is not hard to get to. If you are taking the plane, it takes less than an hour. But we took the "safer" (yes, I am still scared of flying even at this age) route of doing a land, then sea trip. Land trip could take 10 hours if you go directly to Tabaco from Manila, and then a ferry that takes 2 to 4 hours (2 hours if you take the fast craft). We got to San Andres at 2pm, but had to take a tricycle to take us to our first destination in Catanduanes- Mamangal beach.
We arrived just before sunset. The ride took two hours and it was far from comfortable. But that was easily forgotten when we saw how beautiful the sunset at the beach was. I could see Mt. Mayon towering in Legazpi. As for the beach itself, it's one of the best beaches I have seen.

Caramoan
We had not firmed up our itinerary for the trip when we got there, so after discussing our options, we decided to go to Caramoan the next day.

Caramoan is two hours away if we took a boat from Codon. So we went to this town and found

Enchanted Lagoon at Caramoan

someone with a boat, who could spend the night with us in one of the islands. We were lucky, since most of the time, island hopping is just for a day, and if it is an overnighter, you would have to pay twice. After haggling with the boatman, he finally agreed to give us a good deal.

I was surprised by how the islands in Caramoan are very much like the ones I saw in Palawan. The limestone rock formations are very similar, even the water and the beaches. We saw two hidden lakes, one of which is home to a gigantic milkfish that's rumored to be enchanted. Every island we visited was amazing and the beach and the water very inviting.
We stayed in Matukad island for the night. There, we found out that starting the next day, spending a night in the islands would no longer be allowed. According to the man selling buko at the beach, it was because a lot of the campers leave their trash in the islands.
We left Caramoan feeling very satisfied and burnt. No sunblock lotion could have saved us from the clear water and white beaches of the islands we went to. Our boatman invited us to his house back in Codon, so we could wash ourselves with fresh water and have lunch- sinigang and fried fish. Just perfect.

Puraran
From Codon, we had to take a tricycle to Virac, where we could take a jeepney or a van to Baras in Puraran. We were told that we needed to get off at the municipal hall and then take another tricycle to the beach. We should have asked around some more, as the jeepney actually passes by the road going to the beach. We had very light bags with us, so we could have just walked to the resort, saving 200 pesos for the tricycle ride.

Puraran, Catanduanes

Puraran beach is huge. I think it could sit 50 beach volleyball courts easily. The sand is beige and fine enough and the water very clear. But the attraction of this place is its wave. This time, however, it is more attractive to beginners, as they are not too strong for first-time learners.
We decided to sleep it off for the next two days. If only we had reserved rooms weeks before, we would have had an even better stay at the beach. The only resort that still had available rooms had bad customer service and a sub-standard accommodation. This was not much of a concern until the whole building ran out of water. Staff at Puraran Surf Beach Resort truly has a lot of things to improve.
The next day, we decided to go on a tour of some of Catanduanes. We hired a tricycle that would take us to Maribinia falls, Bato Church, PAGASA weather station and Binurong Point. Maribina, two hours away from Puraran, is a cascading waterfall. Among the many beautiful waterfalls in Catanduanes, this one is the easiest to get to. On the way back, we visited Bato Church, which was filled with devotees. In contrast, the weather station was quiet. With its great view of the beaches of eastern Catanduanes, it was fascinating to just sit and an enjoy the breeze.

Binurong Point, Catanduanes

The sun was already high up when we got to Binurong. Trekking there during midday is not a good idea. The hike takes just a little over 20 mins (for people who are used to hiking), but the heat makes it challenging, especially since trees are sparse if not totally absent along the trail. According to our guide, the best time to trek is around 4:00 a.m. You'd get to the point just before sunrise, which is spectacular. But I think that this place is beautiful any time of the day.

Going Home
We left for home on a Saturday morning, but got stranded for 7 hours in Virac. A typhoon was on its way out of the country, and PAGASA had placed the region under signal number 1 (sea travel not allowed). We though we had to stay another night in the capital of Catanduanes, but the ban was lifted just after lunch. From Virac, we headed to San Andres port, having found out that the ship would leave two hours earlier.
Aboard, the waves could not be ignored. The ferry felt more like a ride in an amusement park, but it would have been much scarier if not for the hangover we had over the amazing time we spent. It was also because of this that we found the courage to take this chance, ignoring the risk.
I know that it would be a shame to not go back to rivet our eyes on the gems of the islands of Catanduanes and Caramoan.

Caramoan

Travel Notes

Manila to Tabaco
* We took a bus to Legaspi, since the bus to Tabaco is fully booked.
Fare to Legaspi: Php 820
Fare to Tabaco: Php 50 (van)

Tabaco to Mamangal Beach
Fast Craft to San Andres: Php 320
Terminal fee: Php 30
Tricycle to Mamangal: Php 250
Cottage: Php 600/day
* We brought our own stove, so we could cook oir meals. Before we went to the beach, we stopped by the grocery store and wet market in San Andres.

Mamangal Beach to Caramoan
Tricycle fare to Codon: Php 400
Boat: 4500 (overnight; to 5 Caramoan islands and back to Codon)
* Boat fare could change depending on how you negotiate with the boat man.
* Staying overnight in the islands might no longer be allowed. Also, there's no bathroom/restroom in the islands, so we washed at the boatman's house. He also offered to cook lunch for us.

Codon to Puraran
Tricycle to Virac: Php 500
Jeep to Baras: Php 35 (you have an option to take the van, Php 70)
Tricycle to Puraran: Php 200
* I suggest you ride the jeep/van all the way to the junction to Puraran instead of getting off in Baras municipal center and take a tricycle. You could save that way. Besides from the junction to the beach, it takes just 15 minutes on foot.

Puraran
Accommodation: 700/night
Tricycle: 1500 (tour- Maribina falls, Bato Church, PAGASA weatger station, Binurong Point)
Entrance Maribina falls: Php 20
Registration: Php 20 (Binurong point)
* surfing in Puraran costs Php 200.