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. 

Checking the town of Pio Duran, Albay

A few months ago, I was planning on a trip to Masbate, and Pio Duran port was one of my options as my jump-off point to Masbate. However, I was having difficulty searching for the RORO schedule and that’s when I decided na pumunta na lang sa Pilar port in Sorsogon, sya ang pinakacommon port na madalas maging jumpoff point ng mga passengers who are bound for Masbate City.

Ligao City jeepney terminal

the crossing in Ligao City going to Pio Duran

Few months had passed after my Masbate trip and I am still curious on what Pio Duran port looks like, or what the town of Pio Duran has to offer. So I ventured for another adventure and travelled all the way to Pio Duran. My original plan was to travel to Pio Duran via Libon town and then passing the Pantao road. However, since it was a weekend, there are only few jeepneys and passengers going to Libon. I arrived at Libon crossing in Barangay Matacon, Polangui town at around 11am and the tricycle going to the town of Libon doesn’t leave the terminal unless it is on its full capacity, and renting the tricycle would cost me extra amount of cash. I was the first passenger of the tricycle and kailangan pang maghintay ng ibang pasahero.  After 15 minutes na wala pa din dumadating na ibang pasahero, I then decided na sumakay na lang ng bus bound for Legazpi City.

My plan B was to go to Ligao City and take the jeepneys bound for Pio Duran. Ligao City to Pio Duran is the fastest route going to the town of Pio Duran. So I proceeded to the Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal in Ligao City and lucky for me, the jeepney is already full of passengers and is about to leave the terminal. At dahil lahat babae ang nasa loob ng jeepney, nahiya naman ako na pumasok sa loob kaya sumabit na lang ako sa jeep even though it was high noon and the sun is shining so brightly. Nakakahiya naman na yung ibang babae nga nasa bubong na ng jeep tapos ako uupo sa loob ng jeep.hehehe!

Pio Duran-bound jeepneys

Anyway, the travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is almost an hour and a half and the fare is 55 pesos. Pio Duran is only 38 kilometers away from Ligao City but it is a long and winding road and there are a lot of stops because the jeepney is picking up and dropping off passengers. I arrived at around past lunch time and I immediately proceeded to its port to start asking for RORO schedule. I do managed to get the information that I needed but I wasn’t been able to get the shipping companies contact number.

Pio Duran Port

Pio Duran is also the nearest point going to Burias Island, Masbate.  There are daily trips from Pio Duran going to Claveria town of Burias Island, Masbate. The travel time is only 1 hour and most of the trips depart at Pio Duran every morning.  The boat MB Aleth 3 leaves Pio Duran for Claveria at around 7:30am, and the other boat, MB Maribel 3, leaves at around 8:30am. These boats have a capacity of 50 to 70 passengers only. The fare for Pio Duran to Claveria is 100 pesos. The port for the motorized boats going to Burias Island is just beside the port for RORO vessel going to Masbate City. There are also several motorized boats bound for the other barangays in Claveria. These boats are docked at Barangay 2. This is also near the RORO port. There are boats bound for Bukingganyo, Tagilid and Buyo. These are all located at Claveria town, however, these 3 routes doesn’t have a fix schedule. They depart depending on the number of passengers on the boat. Most of the time, these boats are docked and waiting for passengers early in the morning.

Pio Duran port for Burias bound boats

Barangay 2, pio duran

For the RORO or ferry, there are only two shipping companies plying the Pio Duran-Masbate City route. One is Sta.Clara Shipping Line and the other one is Medallion Shipping Line. The RORO operation in Pio Duran started last June 2011 and there is not much passenger in Pio Duran port compared to Pilar port in Sorsogon.  Pilar port is still considered as the most used port for passengers going to Masbate province. Medallion Shipping Line ferry leaves Pio Duran port for Masbate at around 3 am and then it leaves Masbate City port for Pio Duran at around 12noon. For Sta. Clara Shipping ferry, two ferries leave Pio Duran port at around 2am and 5am. And then it leaves Masbate City port at 11am and 2pm. The fare for Sta. Clara ferry and Medallion is 250 for air-conditioned cabin, and 200 for economy. The travel time is 4 hours.

Sta. Clara Shipping Line schedule

Pio Duran port ticketing office

PPA Pio Duran

So after checking the schedule and doing some research and also eating a late lunch, I then walked around the town. Pio Duran downtown is small that you can walk the entire downtown in an hour. I took some photos around the downtown of Pio Duran and proceeded to their municipal hall. Their municipal hall is kinda bit far from downtown, it’s about 15 minutes tricycle ride and the fare is 8 pesos. After taking some pictures, I then decided to go back to the jeepney terminal to catch the last trip for jeepney bound for Ligao City. The last trip for jeepney bound for Ligao City is 3pm. However, I wasn’t able to catch the last ride for Ligao because the jeepney left the terminal only a few minutes before I arrived.

Marine sanctuary in Pio Duran

Municipal Hall of Pio Duran

Pio Duran Church

Pio Duran Public Park

Republic Colleges Pio Duran

I didn’t panic because I still have an option to go to Ligao City. There are buses in Pio Duran bound for Pasay and Cubao and they leave the town late in the afternoon or early evening depending on the number of passengers. There is also another option to go out of Pio Duran town. The ferry from Masbate City arrives at Pio Duran port at around 5 or 6pm, and this ferry also has buses bound for Pasay and Cubao. These are the buses that are waiting for passengers at the Masbate Port and they ride the RORO for Pio Duran to pick up more passengers.  So even though the last trip for jeepney bound for Ligao City is 3pm, you can still be able to go to Ligao City because of those buses bound for Pasay and Cubao. From Ligao City, marami ka ng option ng sasakyan, so you can either go to Legazpi City or to Naga City.

So I boarded the bus bound for Pasay and Cubao because the bus leaves the terminal a little bit early on that weekend. The bus left the terminal at around 4pm on that day even though it only has 4 passengers. Since I am bound for the town of Nabua, which is about 2.5 hours away from Pio Duran, naging mas mabuti pa tuloy na hindi na ko sumakay ng jeep kasi naging direderetso na yung byahe ko. Hindi ko na kailangan bumaba pa ng Ligao City para magabang ulet ng bus na dadaan ng Nabua town.

After 2.5hours, nakarating na din ako ng Nabua and from that town, I then boarded a multicab bound for Iriga City. It was a tiring day, lalo na dahil sa sobrang init ng panahon but still it was a day full of excitement because it was my first time to go to that town and it satisfies my curiosity for Pio Duran. So iiwan ko kayo ng makabagong quotes. Curiosity is the best policy. Haha!



How to get to Pio Duran:

By Plane:

Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines 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 jeepney or a bus bound for Ligao City. The travel time from Legazpi City to Ligao City is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. And then at Ligao City, ride a tricycle or a pedicab and tell them to drop you off at Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal. The regular fare for tricycle and pedicab is 8 pesos. The jeepney travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1.5 hours. The fare is 55 pesos.

By Bus:

From Manila, there are several buses bound for Bicol region. Ride a bus that is bound for Legazpi City and tell the driver to drop you off at Ligao City. There are a number of bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City, that have buses bound for Legazpi City. There are also bus terminals in Pasay City, near Pasay Rotonda. The usual travel time from Metro Manila to Ligao City is 10 to 11 hours. And then at Ligao City, ride a tricycle or a pedicab and tell them to drop you off at Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal. The regular fare for tricycle and pedicab is 8 pesos. The jeepney travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1.5 hours. The fare is 55 pesos. You can also ride a bus from Manila going directly to Pio Duran. One of the bus company plying the Manila-Pio Duran route is A.Arandia Bus Line.

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 at Ligao City, ride a tricycle or a pedicab and tell them to drop you off at Pio Duran-bound jeepney terminal. The regular fare for tricycle and pedicab is 8 pesos. The jeepney travel time from Ligao City to Pio Duran is 1.5 hours. The fare is 55 pesos.

A Ferry Tale Ride

I’ve been used to travelling through planes, and always looking forward for airfare promo but lately, most of my travels have been to some of the off-the-beaten-track destinations and most of the time this means I’m riding a RORO or a ferry to cross from one island to another island. Before, whenever someone say to me that ferry or roro is the best form of transportation I always disagree and explain why the heck he/she needs to ride a ferry or a ship or a RORO if the fare for a ship is almost the same as the airplane fare, but now I do understand why some prefer to travel by ship and spend long hours on the sea rather than riding a airplane which is much more faster.

Cuyo Port, Palawan

People have a lot of reason why they prefer to ride a ship, or a ferry or a roro or whatever they call it, basta yan yung super duper malaking bangka na lumulutang at lumalayag sa karagatan.hehehe! Anyway, one of the reason people prefer to ride a ferry is the fare, it is much cheaper compared to a regular plane fare, except if you scored on that super cheap plane fare promo. Another reason people prefer to ride a ferry is that there are no airline companies plying the route or that destination and their only option is to ride a ferry or a bus. Another reason is comfort. Yes, you’re correct, you have just read the word COMFORT. You might be wondering how can travelling by a ship can give you comfort if riding a plane is much more comfortable than riding a ship. Okay, this might sound weird but years ago, I also have the same question but as I’ve been used to travelling via ferry or a ship, I’m starting to understand why sometimes it is much more comfortable to ride a ship or a ferry. First, if you're travelling on a plane, you need at least an hour or two to be at the airport for check-in and well, for most airlines, they are always delayed and you end up just sitting on the airport and waiting for the plane, but on a ship, most of the time all you need to do is buy a ticket, ride the ship and sleep for the whole trip. There’s a check-in requirement of at least an hour but most of the time it's not that important. You can go to the ship even 10 minutes before the estimated time of departure.

Montengro Ferry. Dalahican Port, Lucena City to Balanacan Port, Mogpog, Marinduque 

Inside the Montengro Ferry. Dalahican Port, Lucena City to Balanacan Port, Mogpog, Marinduque

Balanacan Port, Mogpog, Marinduque

Ferry ride from Sta. Cruz, Marinduque to Dalahican Port, Lucena City

Well, the reason I’m loving riding a ship or a ferry is that I am always being able to save for a hotel room especially when I’m travelling at night. So that means a free ride for paying for an accommodation in the ship or let me put it this way, a free accommodation for paying for a ride.hehehe! Riding a ship also gives me time to relax and contemplate, nakakapagmuni muni kasi ako habang nasa barko.hahaha! The ferry ride is among the best mode of transportation kung gusto mong magmuni muni.hehe! Imagine this setting, you’re in a ferry for a 12 hour evening ride and you've slept the whole night and upon waking up early in the morning, you are greeted by a beautiful sunrise while on the sea, with the changing hue of the sun, with a beautiful color of the sky and a blue sea as a view while you’re sipping on that hot cup noodles. Isn’t it nice, right? Makakapagmuni muni ka talaga sa napakagandang umaga. Or unless you’re travelling on a typhoon season and the sea is rough, hindi ka lang nyan makakapagmuni muni, makakapagdasal at rosary ka nyan ng sobrang dami.hahaha!

Masbate Port. Ferry from Masbate City to Cebu City

Masbate Port. Ferry from Masbate City to Cebu City

Inside the Montenegro Ferry from Bogo City,Cebu to Cataingan, Masbate

Anyway, another reason why I’m loving riding a ferry is that you can get to talk to most of the “masa”, the local people. Madami kang pwedeng makakwentuhan. You’ll be able to socialize with a lots of different people. You’ll be able to know and hear their life stories. You’ll be able to learn new things and you’ll be able to learn stuff about the place that you’ll be visiting. Parang libreng information na directly from the local resident. Most of the time, people are more than willing to share their stories and share information about their island especially when they know that you’re not from the area or from the island. Some are more than willing to help you find a place to stay, a guide, a boat or anything that you need to make your stay at their island the most memorable that you’ll ever had. Those are what I loved the most, the Filipino hospitality.

Ferry from Danao City to Consuelo port, Camotes island, Cebu

When you’re travelling by a ferry, you’ll also be meeting other fellow traveller who shares their stories about their travel and through this, you’ll be able to learn a lot of things from different individuals. You’ll be able to learn more about life, the life of other people and you can reflect on a lot of things that you’ll be learning. Travelling is not just really about the destination, it’s also about the journey through that destination. It’s also about the things that happened and you’ve learned while travelling to reach your destination. You’ll learn a lot when you travel. You’ll learn so many things about life. Sabi nga ni St. Augustine, "The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."