Camara Islands (San Antonio, Zambales)

Closer to Pundaquit Beach at San Antonio, Zambales–just two kilometers offshore–are the small Camara Islands (interestingly, often misnamed Camera Islands). Cascading foliage sparingly laurels this pair of huge volcanic rocks amidst the South China Sea, where a Lilliputian statue of the Virgin Mary facing the mainland on top of a giant boulder blesses visitors who spend hours enjoying the shallow surf and clean sand. These craggy islands with pockets of white sand and smooth stone strewn with glistening seaweed, polished shells and white corals were named after Antonio de la Camara, a Spaniard who surveyed the islands in 1884 for the construction of a beautiful lighthouse which still stands at neighboring Capones Island. A sand bar connects the twin Camaras during the rainy season, and disappears during summer. 


For directions on how to get to Camara Islands and other hotspots near San Antonio, please jump to my entry on Anawangin Cove. The best time to head off to the island is during summer, at 6:00AM to 8:00AM, when the temperamental waters of Zambales are calmer. To have the islands all to yourself, avoid the vacationers who arrive in droves from March to May.

3 Replies to “Camara Islands (San Antonio, Zambales)”

  1. the donG says:

    ang sarap magisland hopping. ganda ng pinas.

  2. EAZY says:

    @dong: the more i see of my country, the more i fall in love with it… 🙂

    @uwo: Thank you very much 🙂

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