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!!!

Mayon ATV Adventure and Matnog trip: My 2012 Year-ender.

It has been more than two months since my last post. Grabe, ang tagal ko na palang nawala at mukhang tinubuan na ng mga lumot ang blog ko.hahaha! Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of things for the last few months and kunwari busy busyhan din ako so I wasn’t able to post anything here, and also I’ve encountered a few depressing moments sa buhay ko kaya ayun, tinamad magkwento at magsulat ng kung ano ano.hehehe!

So how are you guys? How’s the weather there? Is there anything else I can help you with? Pang call center na mga tanong lang.hahaha! So heto na nga, magkukwento na ko ng adventure ko. I want to share this adventure story in Mayon and Matnog.

 

the river trail

Last December, me and my friends did a very awesome adventure (opo, ganyan na katagal na nangyari ang adventure na ‘to, December pa. hahaha!) Our adventure was an ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. A friend of mine invited me to try this ATV ride and then I also invited some of my friends in Manila. We met at Legazpi Grand Central Terminal. Me, our tour guide and one of my friend was at the terminal as early as 8am, and we waited for 3 of our friends to arrive and we ended up waiting for them for almost 3 hours. Our initial plan was to start our ATV ride early in the morning so that we will not be very much exposed to the heat of the sun, however, due to the late arrivals of some of my friends that were coming from Manila, we ended up starting our ATV ride at around 11am. Luckily, it was somewhat a cloudy day kaya hindi naman kami masyadong nasunog sa araw at nagmukhang roasted beef.hahaha!

After my 3 friends arrived from Manila, we ate our brunch at an eatery in Grand Central Terminal. After our brunch, we then proceeded to the ATV ride drop off point, which is also where the ATV tour operator site is located. The rate for the ATV ride is 1,500 pesos per person which is good for almost 3 hour ride. It also includes the transfer from the Legazpi Grand Central Terminal to the drop off point or the ATV site. The tour operator can also pick you up at any location within Legazpi City and  then bring you to the ATV site.

you'll end up wet, muddy and sandy and happy

At the ATV briefing area, our guides informed us about the basics of ATV ride. They also informed us about the rules and what to expect in the adventure. After we paid the fee of 1,500 pesos per head, we then waited for a few minutes and then we finally rode the ATV. The Mayon's ATV adventure is different compared to the ATV ride in other location in the Philippines. The ATV ride in Mayon is actually somewhat a little bit extreme or let me say really off-road-ish. The trail is a river trail and a lava trail so most of the time you’ll end up wet, muddy and dusty.  You’ll cross a river, some large stones, a dusty road, a bumpy trail, a mud pool, a sandy trail, a coconut grove, a pine tree-lined trail, a community, et cetera. There are a lot of different sceneries that you’ll pass by while doing the ATV ride. It is really an adventure. It is an adrenaline ride. The ride ends up at the 2006 lava wall, and you can hike the rocky wall and you’ll be rewarded with the magnificent view of Mayon Volcano, downtown Legazpi and the Albay Gulf. Unluckily, we weren’t able to view the magnificent beauty of Mayon since it was a cloudy day and Mayon was hiding behind the clouds. There is also a zipline at the lava wall so if you don’t want to walk again back to the end point of the ATV trail, you can just ride the zipline, and of course there’s a fee for that zipline, I think it was 300 pesos for the zipline ride.

time out muna. nakakapagod magdrive

We just spend around 1 hour at the lava wall because it was already late in the afternoon and we were already hungry after riding the ATV for almost 2 hours. We then decided to go back to the drop off point and we then rode the ATV for another one hour. We use a different trail to go back to the drop off point and it was a short trail and part of the trail was already a paved road. Pagdating namin sa drop off point, nagbihis na kami at nagpahatid na kami sa tour operator papunta sa First Colonial Grill in Daraga City para makakain na kami at matry ng ibang kaibigan ko ang sili ice cream. At Colonial Grill, we ordered our meal and several flavour of ice creams but the sili ice cream wasn’t available at that time because the waiter informed us na tunaw pa daw yung ice cream. Masyado kaming mapilit kaya kahit tunaw pa yung ice cream sinabi namin na magoorder pa rin kami kahit one scoop lang in order for us to taste the sili ice cream but it was a bad move, hindi pala masarap ang sili ice cream kapag tunaw dahil masyado mong malalasahan ang anghang ng sili. Ayun, hindi nga namin naubos yung one scoop kahit 5 pa kaming tumikim.hehehe!

lava wall

view of Legazpi City and the Albay Gulf

After having our early dinner at First Colonial Grill, we then hurriedly travelled to Grand Central Teminal in Legazpi to catch a bus going to Sorsogon City. We were going to spend the night at Rizal Beach located in Gubat, Sorsogon, which is about 3 hours travel by bus from Legazpi City. We arrived at around 8pm at Sorsogon City and we rode a jeepney bound for Gubat town. From Gubat town proper, we then rented a tricycle to bring us to Rizal Beach Resort. We were so tired from the long travel and from the ATV ride that we just decided to drink a few bottles of beer and then off we went to sleep.

Bailey's ice cream, malunggay, tinutong na bigas and lemon flavor

On the second day of our adventure, we were greeted by a cloudy sky and I was somewhat saddened by the sight of the Rizal Beach. Sobrang iba na ang itsura ng Rizal Beach compared to ten years ago. Kinain na ng dagat ang beach. Wala na yung dating ganda ng Rizal Beach. So hindi na kami nagtagal sa resort kaya we just decided na pumunta na lang sa ibang lugar. We were discussing amongst ourselves on where to go next. We really don’t have a fixed itinerary and that’s why we have a flexible schedule. We can go to any place that we want to go. Pinagpipilian namin ang magwaterfalls hopping, cold spring hopping and going to a beach. And after a careful and thorough reviews and some intellectual debate (parang mga judges lang sa contest.hahaha!) we then decided na pumunta na lang sa Subic Beach na located sa Calintaan Island.

subic beach at Calintaan Island, Matnog

After checking out from the hotel, we then rode a jeepney bound for Sorsogon City and then from Sorsogon City, we then rode a jeepney bound for Matnog. It took us about 1.5 hours before we reach the town of Matnog. After eating our lunch, we then searched for a boat that we could rent going to Calintaan Island. However, the rate was too expensive kaya ang ginawa namin, we just look for a tricycle going to Barangay Poropandan, which is the nearest barangay to Calintaan Island. We rented a tricycle for 150 pesos for a one way trip and the travel time from the town proper to Barangay Poropandan was 30 minutes. From Poropandan, the Calintaan Island is just a 15 minutes boat trip. We rented a boat for 350 pesos for a round trip boat ride. We just stayed in Subic beach at Calintaan Island for 2 hours and after exhausting ourselves from swimming, we then decided to call it a day. Bumalik na kami sa Poropandan and while in the boat, my friend texted the tricycle driver to wait for us at Poropandan. From Poropandan, we then travelled back to Matnog town proper and then we rode a bus to Daraga City. From Daraga City, we rode another bus bound for Naga City. Our travel adventure ended there. Nakauwi na kami sa kanya kanyang bahay at magsisimula na naman na magipon para sa sunod na gala.hehehe!

All in all, it was really an awesome adventure, especially the ATV adventure at Mayon’s lava trail in Legazpi City. Even though it was expensive (I consider 1,500 ATV rental fee as expensive lalo na kuripot ako.hehe!) the ATV ride was really worth it. Sobrang worth it kahit mahal kasi nagenjoy talaga kami. Gusto ko nga ulit ulitin ang pag ATV ride sa Legazpi kung sakaling may manlilibre saken.hehehe! Eh ang kaso, wala naman ata gustong manlibre. But anyway, you guys should try visiting Legazpi City and try the Mayon’s ATV adventure, and then after the ATV ride, visit the pink sand beach of Subic located at Calintaan Island in Matnog town, Sorsogon Province. Masasabi ko na in the Bicol Region, you will never run out of adventure. By the way, here’s the link to the ATV operator in Legazpi City.. http://mayonatvtour.com/  Sya nga pala, hindi po nila ako binayaran para ipromote sila. Kusang loob po ang pagpromote ko sa kanila dahil okay naman ang service nila. Yun lang po. Hehehe! That’s it pansit! Byes!

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.