I am torn. Part of me wants to keep my Camotes experience to myself for fear of the possible exploitation tourism entails, while the other part wants to share its beauty with others. As a fellow blog-reader, I know how hard it is to find an updated entry on these islands so I feel responsible for introducing to my reader the paradise that is Camotes…
THE DATE: August 13, 2017
THE TRIP
06:00-07:30 Our first tour day is a Sunday so we decided to attend mass early in the morning. We arranged our transportation with our tour guide/driver Kuya Michael Linao since the church is in another town. It was the feast of San Roque that week, thus, the festive mood of the place.
07:45 We returned to our resort for our free breakfast. Their buffet spread had two kinds of bread with different jams, cereals, salad station, omelette station, desserts, rice, bacon, and other viands. The bacon was a staple but they changed the other viands everyday. Because our room was good for 3pax, we were entitled to three breakfast vouchers. We asked Kuya Michael to join us but he politely declined. Before we left the resort, we asked the receptionist if we could just pay the difference between the cabana and the deluxe room so we don’t have to change rooms anymore. They granted our request. Accommodation: Php 3,785.79
09:00 Our first day tour included two caves, a small waterfalls, a cliff-diving site, and a public market. Except for the public market, all tourist sites have entrance fees. Tourist drivers are free of charge.
Before beginning our tour, Kuya Michael asked for an advance payment of Php 100.00 for gas, then off we go to our first tourist destination, Bukilat Cave. Transportation (Gas): Php 100.00
BUKILAT CAVE is not included in the normal tour package in Mangodlong area since the location is at the other end of the other island. You have to pay extra to go there. It was the biggest cave we’ve seen in our tour and the most picturesque. This cave has ceiling holes and platforms where you can get a great picture. Entrance Fee: Php 20.00 each; Parking Fee: Php 5.00
BUSAY SPRING FALLS is our next stop. You have to walk a few hundred meters from the parking area of the falls before you get to the falls itself. It was small, the water was cold and cloudy, and there were some deep parts. We did not pay the parking fee which cost Php 10.00 since the owner of the parking lot had no change. Entrance Fee: Php 20.00 each
While heading to Buho Rock, we passed by the Poro Town Hall.
BUHO ROCK was a former resort. It is now owned and maintained by the local government. It has a cliff-diving site, which I think is the most popular feature of this destination. For those who do not want to jump, there’s stairs on the side that leads to the water. The area has covered picnic tables for those who want to stay for a while. Entrance Fee: Php 20.00 each
It was already past 2:00 PM when we had lunch in San Francisco market. We ate lunch in one of the eateries that sell grilled meat. At first, Kuya Michael declined our offer to have lunch with us. But we were persistent 🙂 Meals: Php 520.00 for 3pax
After lunch, we checked the market out to look for souvenirs. Honestly, we couldn’t find anything that was native to Camotes. I was hoping to buy danggit but Kuya Michael said that there’s no danggit in Camotes. We chanced upon some DIY tobacco cigars and bought some for our friends in Manila. SOUVENIRS: Php 80.00
Beside the market is BAYWALK. It is a leisure place for strolling with families and hanging out with friends.
Our last stop is TIMUBO CAVE. We had to climb down almost 80 steps to get to the pool inside the cave. The water was cold and deep enough to swim in. There was also a grotto inside. Entrance Fee: Php 30.00 each
We finished our first day a little after 5:00 PM. We were supposed to go to another destination but we told Kuya Michael to bring us there tomorrow instead. On the way back to our resort, we passed by a school where students are practicing for their parade/contest on August 15. It was also part of their celebration of the feast of San Roque.
17:45 We tried the beach in the resort but the personnel warned us of small urchins. Apparently, they come out at night.
THE EXPENSES
Though I paid part of our accommodation, I included the full price below for future reference. I also included the first day payment for our guide and considered the gas payment as his tip.
