Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon: The Cheapest Ways to Get There.

Marso na! Summer is here! I’m pretty sure you already have plans for the 2013 Summer season, and let me add to your list a beautiful destination located in the province of Sorsogon. It is a semi-pink colored sand beach at Calintaan Island, in the town of Matnog. The beach is called Subic Beach. It is currently being promoted by the provincial government as another tourist destination in Sorsogon. The province of Sorsogon is well-known for Butanding in Donsol town and Mt. Bulusan in Irosin town, but there are really a lot of beautiful places in Sorsogon and one of them is Subic Beach.

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

Since Subic Beach is already known to many tourist, and since this destination is already drawing a lot of tourist especially during long weekends, the boat rental fee have already soared from cheap to a little bit expensive compared to the boat rental fee 3 to 5 years ago. But don’t worry, you can still enjoy this beautiful beach without spending a lot. Maraming paraan para hindi mabutas ang inyong mga bulsa.hehehe! Ika nga, kung gugustuhin, maraming paraan.

I’ve been to this beach for two times already. Last December pumunta kami ng Subic kasama ko mga kaibigan ko pero yung unang beses kong pagpunta sa Subic Beach, solo lang akong pumunta sa isla, at sa mga kalapit na isla ng Subic Beach. I rented a big boat for 1,000 pesos ata and that boat could accommodate up to 50 passengers. But now, it would be impossible if you can rent a boat for that amount. Medyo mahal na ang bangka sa Matnog. It would cost you around 1,500 to 3,000 pesos to rent a boat in Matnog. Pero kagaya nga ng sabi ko, you don’t need to worry kasi marami naman paraan para makapunta ng Subic Beach without spending a lot of money.

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

location map of Subic Beach, Matnog

Let me now guide you on how to reach Subic Beach the cheapest way around. If you’re coming from Manila, just ride a non-airconditioned bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. The Matnog town is the jumpoff point to the Visayas area. A ferry ride connects the mainland of Luzon to Northern Samar and the rest of Visayas and Mindanao. The non-airconditioned bus fare from Manila to Matnog ranges from 400 to 600 pesos. It is a 12 to 15 hours bus travel so iexpect nyo na mamamanhid ang mga puwet nyo at magiging matigas ang mga buhok nyo dahil sa byahe, alikabok at hangin.hahaha!

Upon arriving at Matnog town proper, you can proceed to the public market and look for the barangay hall near the public market. From there, makikita nyo na ang pantalan. You can ask for passenger boats that are bound for Bon-ot. It is a barangay near the Calintaan Island. Ask them if they are going to drop by Barangay Calintaan. The fare ranges from 20 pesos to 30 pesos. You can also ask the locals for the passenger boats that are bound directly to Barangay Calintaan, which is about 15 to 25 minutes walk going to Subic Beach. The boat fare is 15 to 25 pesos. The travel time from Matnog town proper to Subic Beach is 30 to 45 minutes. Subic Beach is located in Barangay Calintaan which is located in Calintaan Island. To go back to Matnog town proper, you can just ask the boatmen for the boat schedule of the return trip to the town. Usually ang mga residence ng Barangay Calintaan ay may mga sariling bangka and pwede ka naman makisabay sa kanila pabalik ng town. But for the passenger boat schedule, usually they only have one to two trips per day, one during the morning and one during the afternoon.

Matnog port

Ang usual na ginagawa ng mga tourist na gustong pumunta ng Subic Beach ay magrent ng bangka sa may pantalan near the public market. The boats that you’ll be renting for Subic or for island hopping are being managed/coordinated by Barangay Camcaman so you’ll need to go to the Camcaman barangay hall to negotiate for a boat. The barangay hall is located just beside the public market. Please remember that the Matnog port/pier is different from the pantalan. The Matnog port/pier is the bigger port na may mga barko na papuntang Allen, Northern Samar. Ang pantalan naman ay nasa katabi lang ng Matnog Public Market. Sa pantalan naman doon dumadaong ang mga bangka going to the coastal barangays of Matnog and to the island of Capul, San Antonio and to San Vicente town, which are all part of Northern Samar province.

the sand of Subic Beach, a white sand with crushed red corals

Another cheap way to reach Subic Beach is to go to the nearest barangay near the Calintaan Island. From the Matnog town center, you can rent a tricycle to Barangay Poropandan. It is about a 20 to 30 minutes tricycle ride. From that barangay, makikita mo na ang Calintaan Island or Barangay Calintaan. Just rent a boat at Barangay Poropandan, which can cost from 300 to 400 pesos. From that barangay, it will only take about 10 to 15 minutes boat ride to reach Subic Beach.

If you don’t want to rent a tricycle, then just look for the tricycle terminal where passenger tricycle ply the route of Barangay Poropandan. It is near the public market. The fare is 20 to 30 pesos. You can also look for the jeepney plying the Barangay Poropandan route. The jeepney terminal is located near the town church. The fare range from 20 to 30 pesos. From Barangay Poropandan, just rent a boat to Subic Beach, which will cost around 300 to 400 pesos and it is just a 10 to 15 minutes boat ride. The jeepney travel time from Matnog town proper to Barangay Poropandan is 20 to 30 minutes.

Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog

Subic Beach, Matnog, Sorsogon

So there, naishare ko na sainyo ang mga paraan para marating nyo ang Subic Beach. But for me, mas maganda kung madami kayong pupunta ng Matnog para maenjoy nyo talaga ang lugar at madami kayong maghahati hati para sa boat rental fee. Mas maganda kasi kung mapuntahan nyo pa din yung apat na isla sa Matnog. The advantage of renting a boat from Matnog town proper ay mas madami kayo na pwedeng mapuntahan kagaya ng Tikling Island, which is only about 15 to 20 minutes boat ride and also you can visit Juag Marine Sanctuary, which is about 20 to 30 minutes boat ride from Matnog town proper or 10 to 15 minutes boat ride from Subic Beach.

So ayan, alam nyo na kung paano pumunta ng Subic Beach ng hindi masyado nabubutas ang bulsa at wallet nyo.hehehe! Enjoy your beach vacation sa Subic Beach, Matnog!!!

On my way home. Davao City to Camarines Sur.

For the past few days, me and my friends have visited some of the best destination in the CARAGA Region. We’ve visited a lot of beautiful places. I’m pretty sure I’m going back to this region to visit and explore other beautiful beaches, coves, islands, caves, waterfalls, et cetera. There are still a lot to visit in CARAGA Region. So far, we’ve visited the Surigao City’s Basul Island and Mapua Pebble Beach. We’ve also visited the Bucas Grande in Socorro. We also visited Hinatuan’s Enchanted River and Bislig City’s Tinuy-an Falls. We did a lot of adventurous stuff. We did a lot of funny things. Sumakay ng skylab or that habal habal na may katig. Madalas din kami naiiwan ng mga last trip ng bus so we always ended up looking for other means of transportation in order to reach our destination.

At Butuan City terminal

So now, tapos na ang bakasyon namin. My friends already left the beautiful island of Mindanao at bumalik na sila ng Manila. But for me, I still need to travel by land and by sea para makauwi sa bahay ko. So I started my travel back home sa Ecoland Terminal sa Davao City. I arrived at the terminal at around 9pm and since I still need to finish some online job, hindi muna agad ako sumakay ng bus at nagtrabaho muna ako online habang nasa bus terminal. There are lot of buses going in and out sa Ecoland Terminal. Pero sa oras na 9pm na, mga papuntang Butuan and Cagayan De Oro na lang ang karamihan na nakapark sa terminal.

Anyway, my plan was to ride a bus from Davao to Surigao City, and then from Surigao City, I’ll ride a ferry at the Lipata Port in Surigao City to Benit Port in San Ricardo town in Southern Leyte, and then from there I’ll ride another bus bound for Tacloban City, and then from Tacloban City I’ll ride a van bound for Allen, Northern Samar. However, at around past 9pm, there are no more bus bound for Surigao City, and there are only bus bound for Butuan. I said to myself that I’ll just ride the last bus for the evening that is bound for Butuan City and then from there, I’ll transfer to another bus bound for Surigao. The estimated travel time is 8 to 10 hours and I don’t want to arrive so early in the morning in Surigao City and that’s the reason I decided to just wait for the last bus bound for Butuan.

Bachelor bus terminal at Butuan City

So while at the terminal waiting for the last Butuan bound bus, another Bachelor bus parked at the other bus lane. Ang nakalagay sa bus signboard ay ORMOC. Oh, lucky me! A bus that will go straight to Leyte. So I just said to myself that I will just ride the bus bound for Ormoc para mabawasan na ang bus transfer na gagawin ko. So I rode the bus and it left the Ecoland Terminal at around 11pm. I paid around 690 pesos for the non-airconditioned bus. Yun ang pamasahe from Davao City to Sogod, Southern Leyte. Sa Sogod na lang kasi ko bababa kasi yun ang junction going to Tacloban and Ormoc. I just slept most of the trip kasi medjo kulang din yung tulog ko for the day. The bus arrived at Lipata Port in Surigao City at around past 10am. I was hoping na tinatarget nung bus driver na makahabol para sa 10am ferry  schedule ng Montenegro RORO pero hindi pala. Nagstopover pa kasi ito ng matagal sa Butuan City at nagstop over pa malapit sa port para maglunch break. And because we weren’t able to make it for the 10am ferry schedule. We then ended up waiting for the 2pm schedule.

Lipata Port, Surigao City

At the Lipata Port, I just surf the internet to kill time. There’s nothing much to do in Lipata Port. I was still sleepy and I was a little bit tired but I don’t want to sleep baka kasi maiwan ako ng barko.hehehe! There’s one thing that I observed sa pamasahe sa barko. Kung ang sinakyan mong bus ay isasakay sa RORO at tatawid ng ibang port, you have that option na ihiwalay na lang ang bayad mo sa ferry at huwag ipasama sa computation ng bus conductor. Pwede din naman na sabihan mo ang conductor na isama na sa babayaran mo sa bus fare yung charge ng ferry fare per person. But here’s one thing that makes me wonder, yung bayad ng ferry from Lipata port to Benit port in San Ricardo ay 140 pesos lang. Pero kung ipinasabay mo na ang bayad mo sa ferry sa bus conductor, sisingilin sayo ng conductor ay 210 pesos and that’s almost a 70 pesos difference. At ang ibibigay din na ticket ng shipping line sa conductor ay 210 pesos, at ang ticket na ito ay sya rin ibibigay ng conductor sa pasahero. So kung ikaw na lang ang pipila sa shipping line office, mas makakatipid ka ng 70 pesos. So I wondered kung para saan yung 70 pesos na patong. May komisyon ba ang conductor?  But anyway, hindi na ko nagtanong pa at bumalik na lang ako sa pagtulog sa barko.

Benit Port, San Ricardo town, Southern Leyte

Passengers lounge of Benit Port, San Ricardo town, Southern Leyte

After an hour and 20 minutes later, we arrived at Benit Port and the bus then continued its trip to Ormoc, but another unexpected stopover occurred. Nagkape muna ang bus driver and conductor sa Liloan. I was already getting worried because as I know, masyadong maaga ang mga last trip sa Leyte and I might end up na maiiwan na naman ng byahe from Sogod to Tacloban City. By the way, after we arrived at Benit Port, I saw these other Bachelor Bus that is bound for Tacloban and I told the driver na lilipat ako ng bus pero iniwan ako nung Tacloban bound bus kaya hindi na ko nakatransfer. Akalain mo, tinakbuhan ang pasahero. Tsk! Tsk! Anyway, I arrived at Sogod at around 5pm and as I expected wala ng bus at van papuntang Tacloban. I tried to ask around if there are buses at the Sogod-Liloan junction na dadaan papuntang Tacloban, but all locals said there’s none. So I just waited for the buses that will pass Sogod that are bound for Manila but the two buses na dumaan won’t allow passenger to ride their bus if the passenger is not bound for Manila. Lugi daw kasi sila kasi yung dapat upuan ng pasahero na papuntang Manila ay ibibigay na nila sa papuntang Camarines Sur lang. Kaya ang resulta, I ended up spending the entire evening at Sogod Terminal and just waited for the first trip of the van bound for Tacloban which is 4am.

Near Benit Port. I'm still 190 km away from Tacloban.

So ayun na, and that was already Wednesday. It was Monday evening when I left Davao City and I’ve been travelling for more than 24 hours now. So we waited for the van to reach its maximum seating capacity and by around 5am, we already left Sogod. The van has a seating capacity of 18 person na dapat sana 15 lang. I paid 150 pesos for the van fare and 2 hours later, we then arrived at Tacloban City. Hindi ko na nagawang magikot ikot pa sa Tacloban because I have that goal na makarating ng Camarines Sur before Thursday or that’s before 12midnight. Ala Cinderella lang.hahaha!

From Tacloban City, I rode a bus bound for Catbalogan City in Samar Province. It’s a 3 hour bus ride but if you’re riding in a van, it would only take 2 hours but it is 70 pesos more expensive. I only paid 80 pesos for the bus fare but for a van, it would cost 150 pesos. I arrived at Catbalogan City at 10am and I just took some pictures ng plaza nila and the provincial capitol of Samar province. After taking some pictures, I then proceeded to the van terminal bound for Calbayog City. Gusto ko na sanang dumiretso na ng Allen port but naisip ko na sayang naman kung hindi pa ko magikot ikot ng Calbayog City, which is 2 hours away from Allen town na lang. So I rode the van for Calbayog City and I paid 90 pesos. An hour and a half hour later, I finally arrived at Calbayog. Nagikot ikot lang ako sa town proper at pinicturan ang simbahan at city hall nila and then naghanap na ko ng sasakyan papuntang Allen but just my badluck, 1pm pa daw ang mga van. And it’s only 11:30am and I don’t want to waste time waiting for the van.

City plaza of Catbalogan City

The provincial capitol of Samar Province, Catbalogan City

So naghanap ako ng ibang paraan and there was a jeepney bound for Allen. Sumakay na ko sa jeepney kahit na alam ko na medjo mabagal na mode of transportation yun but at least hindi ko kailangan magsayang ng oras sa paghihintay. I paid 80 pesos for the jeepney but since medjo maaga pa, I decided na magdrop by muna ko sa Spice of Life Beach in Barangay Buenos Aires, Victoria town, Northern Samar, which is just a mere 15 minutes ride na lang going to Allen.

Calbayog City Cathedral

city hall of Calbayog City

Spice of Life Beach. a.k.a Spice Beach. Victoria, Northern Samar

Medjo matagal nga yung byahe ng jeep at napaidlip na din ako. It took around 2 hours bago nakarating yung jeep sa Victoria. Kung van, it would only take 1 to 1.5 hours of travel. Since the beach is just near the national highway, I don’t need to ride another vehicle. I just walk straight to beach and I was kinda tempted to swim but I don’t have that luxury of time. A few minutes later, after taking some beach shot, I left the beach and then rode a tricycle to Looc Port, Allen town. It’s just a 15 minutes tricycle ride and I only paid 15 pesos. By the way, there are two ports in Allen town. One is called Dapdap Port and the other one is Looc Port. But most passengers going to Matnog, Sorsogon or those bus going to Manila uses the Looc Port. It is much larger compared to Dapdap Port.

I left Looc Port at 4pm and I arrived at Matnog Port, Sorsogon at 5pm. The fare for all ferries plying the Matnog Port to Allen Port route are all the same at 120 pesos only. The travel time is 1 hour to 2 hours depending on the sea condition. From Matnog port, dumaan muna ko sa Matnog public market para magtanong tanong ng mga boat rate for Capul, San Antonio and San Vicente, which are towns in Northern Samar. May mga bumabyahe kasi na mga banka sa Matnog going to those towns.

ferry bound for Allen, Northern Samar. 

the busy Matnog Port, Sorsogon Province

finally! I'm back in Luzon

Tikling Island. You'll pass this island if you're bound for Allen or Matnog

After ko magtanong tanong ng information, I then rode another bus bound for Camarines Sur, and then after 4 hours of travel passing the province of Sorsogon and Albay, I finally reached CamSur. I then transferred to a motorcycle or habal habal para makarating na sa bahay. So I did reach my goal of arriving before 12 midnight or bago pa maging Thursday. So far, medjo nakakapagod yung byahe ko pauwi. It took me almost 2 days of travel para makarating ng bahay, from Davao City to Camarines Sur. Masasabi ko na isa yun sa the best travel experience ko. The longest travel so far. My CARAGA Trip was so worth it. Kahit nakakapagod, exciting pa rin. I covered 4 provinces in Eastern Visayas Region and 4 provinces in CARAGA Region. Sayang at kulang yung pera at oras ko. Sana nacovered ko rin yung Biliran province and Eastern Samar province para nakumpleto ko na ang buong Eastern Visayas Region. But anyway, there’s always a next time to visit another province. For now, I need to save again for those long vacations and I need to replenish my zero balance piggy bank.hahahah! Thanks for reading this verrrrrrrrrry long story.hahahah! Oh, hindi ba sumakit ang mga mata nyo?hahaha! Til next time!

Tikling Island, Juag Fish Sanctuary and Subic Beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog, Sorsogon.

Matnog is a town located at the southern part of the Bicol Region. This town is part of the Sorsogon Province. Matnog is also the jump-off point to the Visayas area from the mainland Luzon. If you are travelling by land and on your way to Samar or the Visayas or even to Mindanao, you’ll be passing by the Matnog port. There are RORO or ferries plying the Matnog-Allen route. The RORO or ferries operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The port of Matnog is a busy port. Several ferry companies operate the Matnog-Allen ferry route. Most of the ferry leaves the port every 2 hours.

Matnog Port, Sorsogon Province

Subic Beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog, Sorsogon

Aside from being known as the jump-off point to the Visayas area, Matnog is also beginning to gain popularity in the tourism industry. Many tourists are now visiting this town because of its beautiful islands. One of them is Calintaan Island, which is just a 30-minute boat ride from the town’s public market. The island has a barangay or a community and they also have 24 hours electricity coming from the mainland. Calintaan Island is just near the mainland that a long electrical wire connects the island’s electric supply from the mainland. This island also has a beach that has fine white sand with crushed red corals, therefore giving its sand a different hue. The beach is famously called as the Subic Beach. Yes, you read it right, the town of Matnog also has its own Subic, and it is much better compared to the other famous Subic Beach in Zambales province.  The Subic Beach is not that commercialized compared to other beaches in the Philippines. There is a resort in Subic Beach but they don’t have big facilities or accommodation. They only have open cottages for rent and these are nipa huts. If you are planning for an overnight stay and you want a more comfortable accommodation, better bring a tent and a sleeping bag.  Also, you need to bring an insect repellent.

The sand at Subic Beach is a mixture of white sand and crushed red corals

Subic Beach, Calintaan Island, Matnog

The other attraction near the Subic Beach and near the port of Matnog is the Juag Fish Sanctuary. There are lots of fish in this sanctuary. Just pay the entrance fee and then you can now swim and snorkel with the fish. This sanctuary is on a lagoon so it’s just on the shallow part of the sea near Calintaan Island. You can also visit the Parola. This is the old lighthouse in Calintaan and it is located in the middle of the sea.

The Parola or the old lighthouse near the Calintaan Island

The other island near the Matnog port is the Tikling Island. This is just a 20 to 30-minute boat ride from the Matnog’s public market and also it is just a mere 30-minute boat ride from Subic Beach, Calintaan Island. This island is just a small island. There is no resort in the area but there are some open cottages in the island. The small island is a private island and you need to ask permission from the caretaker. The island boasts a fine white sand beach but the beach is not that kid-friendly because there’s a sudden drop in depth by the shore. From the island, you can visibly see the passing ferries from the Matnog port.

Tikling Island, Matnog, Sorsogon

If you want to visit these destinations, you can rent a boat from the port near the public market. Don’t go to Matnog port because that port only serves the ferries that ply the Matnog to Allen, Samar route. The smaller port near the public market is where you can rent a boat for island hopping. The price for the boat depends on the capacity of the boat. The usual price for the boat rental ranges from 1500 to 3000 pesos. The small port near the town’s public market is also where most of the small and large pumpboats and fishing boats are docked. There are also several large boats that ply the Matnog-Capul route. Capul is an island municipality of Northern Samar. There are also passenger boats that ply the route Matnog-San Vicente. The town of San Vicente is also an island municipality of Northern Samar.

entrance gate of Matnog Port

the location of Tikling Island and Calintaan Island, Matnog town, Sorsogon

Location of Matnog, Sorsogon

How to get to Matnog:

By plane:

Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Philippine Airlines and Zest Airways have several daily flights to Legazpi Airport. From Legazpi Airport, you can ride a taxi or a tricycle to the central terminal. From the central terminal, you can ride a bus bound for Sorsogon City. The travel time from Legazpi City to Sorsogon City is about an hour. And then from Sorsogon City, ride a jeepney going to Matnog. There are also passenger vans in Legazpi City that are bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. The travel time is about 1 to 2 hours.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound for Bicol region. Ride a bus that is bound directly for Matnog or you can ride a bus that is bound for Samar. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Matnog and Samar. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Matnog is 11 to 13 hours. Most of the buses that are bound for Matnog are ordinary buses or non-airconditioned buses. If you want a more comfortable bus ride, then you can ride an airconditioned bus bound for Legazpi City and then from Legazpi City central terminal, transfer to a bus bound for Matnog or bound for Sorsogon City and then from Sorsogon City, ride a jeepney bound for Matnog. You can also ride a passenger van from Legazpi City to Matnog, Sorsogon. I already forgot how much the fare was for the jeepneys and buses. But the fare for the airconditioned buses from Manila to Legazpi City ranges from 600 to 1000 pesos.

By Train:

The PNR has a regular train schedule for the Manila-Ligao City route. The train departs at Tutuban Station in Manila every 6pm and arrives at Ligao City at around 6am the next day. The usual travel time is 10 to 12 hours. And then from Ligao City, you can ride a bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon. Usually these buses are coming from Manila and most of these buses pass by the town of Ligao mostly in the morning. From Ligao City, you can also ride a jeepney to Legazpi City and then at Legazpi City central terminal, ride a bus bound for Matnog or you can ride a bus bound for Sorsogon City and then ride another jeepney bound for Matnog. You can also ride a van from Legazpi City to Matnog.