Claveria, Masbate. The beautiful town in Burias Island.

The province of Masbate is one of the least known tourist destination in Bicol. Usually, the name Bicol is synonymous to Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon. To many people, Masbate is just a cattle land or a cattle-producing province. They also feared Masbate because of the news regarding the political killings and other crimes that happens in Masbate.  But this province has a lot to offer when it comes to tourism at sana mapalitan ang mga negative views ng province into something positive. One of the least known tourist destination in Masbate province is in the town of Claveria, located at Burias Island. The Burias Island is one of the big islands that comprise the Masbate province. The other island is Ticao Island. Burias Island is composed of two towns. This island is just an hour boat ride from Pio Duran Port.

The semi-white sand beach of Brgy San Isidro, Claveria, Burias island, Masbate

A few weeks ago, me and my friends were planning for a getaway and our original plan was to go to Caramoan, Camarines Sur. But a few days before the day that we were supposed to go to Caramoan, a lot of my friends backed out from the said travel and since it would be expensive to go to Caramoan and island hop, some of us just then decided to travel to other destination that is much cheaper for a small group. Me, my cousin and one of my friend decided that we will just go to Claveria, Burias Island. I’ve been to Caramoan twice already and I’ve never been to Claveria in Burias Island, so going to Claveria makes me feel more excited since this would be my first time and also for my friend and my cousin, this would also be their first time to travel to Burias. I had also been to Masbate province but only at the main island.

So our plan was to spend in Burias for 2 days and 1 night. My cousin and I travelled from our house to Ligao City. That was about an hour bus travel. At Ligao City, we waited for my friend who was coming from Tabaco City, which is also about an hour jeepney ride to Ligao City. We met at around 7 in the morning and then from Ligao City, we rode a jeepney bound for Pio Duran. The town of Pio Duran is the nearest jumpoff point to Burias Island. The jeepney ride from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1 hour and the fare is 55 pesos per person. Punuan ang jeep going to Pio Duran and my cousin insisted na sa bubong ng jeep na lang kami sumakay. So since it was her request at game naman ako at ng kaibigan ko sa idea nya, sa bubong ng jeep na lang kami umupo. She said she wants to enjoy the view, kya kahit alam kong masusunog kami sa sikat ng araw, game pa din ako kasi mas enjoy nga naman talaga sumakay sa bubong ng jeep, maliban na lang kung sa jeep na Cubao-Quiapo na route ang sasakyan mo, hindi masaya ang nasa bubong, lalo na bawal yan sa Metro Manila.hehehe!

Anyway, we arrived at Pio Duran at around 9am and we weren’t able to make it to the last boat trip going to Claveria. There are daily trips going to Claveria. Two boats leave Pio Duran at around 7:30am and 8 am. There are also other boats that goes to the other barangays of Claveria but these boats doesn’t have a fixed schedule. They will leave Pio Duran only if there are a good number of passengers. These boats are bound for Barangay Buyo, Sampinitan and Taguilid, all in the town of Claveria.

The Pio Duran port for Burias-bound boats

Since it was already 9 in the morning and the last boat bound for Claveria already left, we have no choice but to take our chances sa ibang bangka papunta ng ibang barangay. When we arrive in Pio Duran, there was another boat bound for Buyo but the boat crew said that they can’t guarantee what time they will be leaving. They said that their original schedule is to leave in the afternoon but if there are a good number of passengers, they will leave earlier. While chitchatting with the boat crew, they asked me where in Claveria are we heading and I replied that we are heading to Barangay San Isidro. The crew said that it was good that we didn’t took the boat that is bound for Claveria port since it is way too far from San Isidro, they said it is about more than 2 hours of motorcycle ride. They said that we are in the right boat since their boat is bound for Barangay Buyo, which is just a 30 minutes to an hour motorcycle ride to Barangay San Isidro. Nagtanong pa ako ng ibang information tungkol sa Claveria and Burias and they gave me a lot of information. And they offered their motorcycle in Buyo at sila na lang din daw maghahatid sa amin papuntang San Isidro.

Well, since it was a weekend, there are only few passengers arriving at the port. The pump boat can accommodate at least 40 to 50 passengers and we were only 10 in the boat. We waited for almost 3 hours and we thought that the boat will actually leave at their original schedule. By around 12 noon, after the crew ate their lunch, they informed us that we will now leave for Claveria town but we will not go straight to Buyo but we will also be dropping by at Claveria port. Our travel time from Pio Duran to Buyo took about 4hours since there was a lot of stopover at some other barangay in Claveria. The usual travel time from Pio Duran to Buyo is only about an hour. The fare from Pio Duran to Buyo is 120 pesos. For Pio Duran to Claveria port, the fare is 100 pesos.

Claveria Port, Masbate Province

There is no port in Buyo. The boat will just docked at the beach and during low tide you’ll have to wade on knee-deep water. From Buyo, we rented 3 motorcycle para ihatid kami sa San Isidro Beach. The road to San Isidro to Buyo are not 100% paved. I think only a few portions are cemented. Most are potholed roads, some are not even considered as road but rather as a trail. Sobrang rough road talaga na hindi kakayanin kung 3 kayo sa isang motor. Dapat isang pasahero lang. May part pa ng kalsada na kailangan mo bumaba kasi baka matumba ang motor sa sobrang tarik ng daan. After 30 minutes, we arrived at Barangay San Isidro beach, and there is only one resort in San Isidro. The resort has no name and the caretaker informed us that it is a resthouse owned by a French guy. When we arrived at the resort, there were 4 French who were having a vacation. Sabi nga nung caretaker hindi daw kami pwede dun since andun yung anak ng resort owner pero nakiusap na lang kami na magtetent lang naman kami. Buti na lang pumayag yung caretaker and he also informed us that the 4 French will also be leaving on Sunday and if we want pwede na kami sumabay sa bangka. Our plan was to spend just 2 days in Burias but when our boatmen from Buyo informed us that there is only one trip going back to Pio Duran from Buyo, which is at 6 am only, nagdecide kami na Monday morning na lang bumalik ng Pio Duran pero nung sinabi ng caretaker ng resort sa San Isidro na pwede kami sumabay sa bangka ng mga French guests nya, we then informed the driver of the motorcycle na sabihan na lang yung boatmen na huwag na kami antayin sa Buyo kasi hindi na kami sasakay sa Buyo. We paid the motorcycle driver 175 pesos for the one-way trip.

crab at the beach

San Isidro beach, Claveria, Masbate Province

semi-white sand beach of San Isidro Beach, Claveria

Our lighting effect

Sobrang mabait din yung caretaker, they even offered us na magstay sa isang room nila but we insisted na magtetent na lang kami at gagamit ng isang open cottage na malayo sa mga French guests nya. At dahil wala din kaming lutuan, the caretaker gave us sinangag for our dinner. Hindi na kami nagluto kasi may mga ulam din kaming dala. The beach in San Isidro is cream sand, not really a white sand but on a sunny day, it appears as a white sand. Maganda ang beach nila. Masyadong mababaw but marami din mga sea urchin sa ibang part ng beach. It reminds me of Dumaluan beach in Panglao, Bohol na sobrang madami din ang sea urchin. Naligo at naligo kami sa dagat but we didn’t bother na magnight swimming kasi baka makaapak pa kami ng sea urchin. On a Sunday morning, lumangoy at lumangoy pa din kami. The caretaker informed us that they will be leaving at around 1pm and we should be ready by that time. The boat will docked at Pilar port instead of Pio Duran but it really doesn’t matter since we can also travel from Pilar to Daraga, Albay and then from Daraga we can then ride another bus to Nabua town.  And besides, it is only about an hour jeepney ride from Pilar to Daraga City. At around 2pm we then left San Isidro and started our boat ride to Pilar. It is a much longer route but it gave us the opportunity to view the other part of Burias coastline. The travel time was around 2.5 hours and we just gave the boatmen 700 pesos as a fare para sa aming tatlo.

Claveria, Masbate

Our route

Our route. 

We arrived at Pilar port at around past 4pm and we boarded the jeepney bound for Daraga. The travel time is 1 hour and the fare is 50 pesos. My cousin and I were supposed to drop by at Guinobatan to buy a rice puto with macapuno fillings but since it was already dark when we arrived at Daraga, we just then rode another bus bound for Manila, but we just got off at the town of Nabua and then rode a multicab bound for Iriga City. Our adventure in Burias was awesome. We were all first-timer. It was our first time to go to that island and to Claveria town. The island of Burias has a lot to offer. The Claveria town has a long coastline of cream sand beach na pwedeng ipagmalaki at maging tourist destination. But in order for that to happen, kailangan muna na ayusin ang kalsada kasi napakadelikado ng kalsada papunta ng San Isidro. It is much safer to ride a boat to San Isidro than riding a motorcycle but it would also mean na mas mahabang byahe ang kailangan kasi iikot pa ang bangka sa isla. If you’re a traveller looking for an exciting and adventurous travel, then I would recommend that you visit the town of Claveria or San Pascual in Burias Island, Masbate Province. Oh, byahe na!

Cebu via Masbate, an exciting adventure route...

Most of you probably haven’t heard about this route, or some of you might didn’t even know where Masbate province is located, but this Rodeo Capital of the Philippines is located just a little bit north from the island province of Cebu. A few weeks ago, I tried this not-so-ordinary route. I took the Camarines Sur-Masbate-Cebu route. I am from Camarines Sur and the quickest way to go to Cebu from Camarines Sur is to take a bus going to Legazpi City and then from Legazpi Airport, ride a plane bound for Cebu City. There are two airlines plying this route, AirPhil and CebuPacific. It is only a 45 minutes flight from Legazpi City to Cebu. Another method is to ride a Manila-bound plane at Naga Airport and then from Manila, ride another plane bound for Cebu. Another alternative way going to Cebu from Camarines Sur is via Samar-Leyte route. You will be riding a bus bound for Matnog, Sorsogon and then from Matnog Port, you take the RORO bound for Allen, Samar and then take a bus bound for Ormoc in the province of Leyte and then from Ormoc you then take a RORO or a fastcraft bound for Cebu.

Bituon Beach, Mobo, Masbate Province

I’ll be sharing with you the information for Masbate to Cebu route. If you are coming from Manila, you can take a bus bound for Masbate City. There are several bus companies plying this route. Some of these buses are Raymond Transport, RORO Bus, and MegaBus line. The travel time takes around 12 to 15 hours, and that includes the 3hour ferry ride from Pilar Port, Sorsogon to Masbate City. If you are coming from Naga City, Camarines Sur, you can ride a bus bound for Daraga City or Legazpi City. If you get off at Legazpi City, there are several buses and van bound for Pilar. You need to go to Pilar Port because that is common jumpoff point for Masbate City. There is also the Pio Duran port to Masbate City port route but I don’t have the details for that route. Anyway, if you happen to get off at Daraga City, there are jeepneys bound for Pilar port. The terminal for those jeepneys bound for Pilar is located near the van terminal in Daraga and near the Shell gasoline station. The travel time from Daraga City to Pilar Port is one hour and the fare is 50 pesos.

From Pilar Port, there are several vessel plying the Pilar to Masbate City route. You can choose to ride the fastcraft by Montenegro Shipping Line, the RORO, or those big pumpboats. It only cost around 200 to 250 pesos. The travel time for pumpboats is 2 to 2.5 hours. The quickest way to go to Masbate from Pilar is via a fastcraft. It is also the expensive way. The travel time is 1.5 to 2hours and it cost around 349 pesos. Another way is via RORO, however, most of these ferries depart early in the morning since most of the trucks and buses from Manila arrive in Pilar early in the morning. The ferry or RORO fare cost around 200 to 250 pesos and the travel time is usually from 3 to 4 hours. You can check this website for more information: http://www.montenegrolines.com.ph/

Inside the pumpboat bound for Masbate City. The pumpboat can accomodate up to 100 passenger

Pilar Port, Sorsogon. You can see the typical pumpboat plying the Pilar-Masbate route

Mt. Bulusan. This picture was taken near Pilar port

Mayon Volcano. This picture was taken near Pilar port, Sorsogon

In Masbate province, there are two ways to go to Cebu province. One is the Masbate City to Cebu City route being served by TransAsia Shipping line and SuperShuttle Shipping. The other route is Cataingan to

Bogo City being served by Montenegro Shipping Line. The Masbate to Cebu City route travel time is 11 to 13 hours. The TransAsia ship leaves Masbate port at around 6pm every Tuesday and Thursday only, while the SuperShuttle RORO leaves Masbate port at around 5am every Wednesday only. The SuperShuttle RORO vessel ply the route Batangas-Masbate-Cebu route. For SuperShuttle ferry the cost is 555 pesos for one way only. For TransAsia the ferry fare is 605 pesos for economy, 870 pesos for an airconditioned accomodation and 1,492 pesos for a cabin accomodation. You can visit these websites for more information: http://www.transasiashipping.com/schedules/  and http://supershuttleferry.com/web/

Masbate City

Masbate City Port

The economy bunker bed of TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia fare matrix for Masbate City-Cebu City route

TransAsia M/V Asia Indonesia plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route 

If you want the cheapest and fastest way to go to Cebu, then you should take the Cataingan to Bogo City route. The ferry travel time from Cataingan to Bogo City is 6 to 7 hours only. The ferry leaves Cataingan Port at around 12 noon and the ferry leaves Bogo City for Cataingan at around 12midnight. The fare is 365 pesos only. However please take note that Cataingan is 1.5 hours travel from Masbate City. There are jeepneys and vans bound for Cataingan from Masbate City. And also please take into consideration that Bogo City is around 3 hours bus ride from Cebu City. There are several bus companies plying the Bogo City to Cebu City route. The Polambato Port in Bogo City is kind of a little bit far from eGwen Highway or from downtown Bogo City so you still need to ride a habal-habal or a tricycle to go to the main highway or to the city proper.

Cataingan Port, Masbate Province

Montenegro RORO plying the Cataingan-Bogo City route

Montenegro RORO fare. Cataingan-Bogo route

Montenegro RORO schedule. Cataingan-Bogo route

The bunker bed in Montenegro RORO plying the Cataingan-Bogo City route

So if you will be going to those destinations in the northern part of Cebu, then the Cataingan Port to Polambato Port, Bogo City is the recommended route. Malapascua Island and Bantayan island are the famous destination in the northern part of Cebu. Bogo City is a 1 hour travel away from Bantayan and Malapascua.

The RORO Bus Line also ply the route Masbate City to Cebu City. Their buses leave Masbate City at around 8am or 9am and then travels to Cataingan port, and then from Cataingan port it takes the ferry at around 12noon. It will arrive at Polambato Port in Bogo City at around 6pm and then it will continue its travel to Cebu City North Bus terminal.  And then for the Cebu City to Masbate City route, the RORO Bus leaves Cebu North Bus terminal at around 8:30pm or 9pm and it will travel to Bogo City for 3 hours, and then from Polambato Port in Bogo it will take the 12 midnight ferry bound for Cataingan. By around 6am, the ferry arrives in Cataingan and the bus will continue its travel to Masbate City. By around 7:30am or 8am, you will be in Masbate City.

RORO Bus plying the Masbate City-Cebu City route

Sunrise view at Cataingan Port, Masbate

Bogo City tricycle

Malapascua Island, Daangbantayan, Cebu

Pintos, the delicacy of Bogo City

Polambato Port, Bogo City

If you happen to miss the RORO Bus bound for Masbate City at Cebu North Bus terminal, you can just take a Ceres Bus bound for Daanbantayan, Maya or Bogo City. The travel time is 3 hours from Cebu City. If you take the Daanbantayan or Maya bound buses, get off at the junction going to Polambato Port. It is about 2 or 3 kilometers away from the Bogo City proper. There is not much signage going to the port so you must tell the driver or bus conductor to drop you off at the junction going to Polambato Port. From that junction, it’s still another 4 to 5 kilometers travel. There are habal habal or motorcycle or tricycle on that junction and you can ride on those transportation mode. The fare is 30 pesos. If you took the Bogo City bound buses from Cebu City, you can get off at Bogo City bus terminal and then you go to the tricycle terminal near Jollibee to take the tricycle bound for Polambato Port. The travel usually takes around 15 to 25 minutes. The tricycle fare is 25 pesos. The Montenegro ferry at Polambato Port, Bogo City departs at around 12 midnight so you must be on that port before 12midnight.

I hope those information would help you in your next travel adventure. If you’re on for an adventure, then this route surely won’t disappoint you. There are lots of beautiful places to visit in Cebu, Masbate, Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur province. So what are you waiting for? Byahe na!