island hopping

Romblon Island Hopping: Touring the Beautiful Isles of Romblon Bay

Posted on May 11, 2022

On my third and last day on Romblon island, I visited the beautiful islands fronting Romblon town, the capital of Romblon province best known for its hilltop fortress and other unique heritage sites. I already visited two white-sand beaches on Romblon island itself – Bonbon and Talipasak – on my self-guided round-the-island scooter tour the day before. But island hopping around Romblon Bay offered even more beaches to visit! The morning island-hopping tour was arranged by the Romblon Provincial Tourism Office.Read More→

Onçe Islas: Your Complete Guide to Zamboanga City’s Eco-Cultural Isles

Posted on October 3, 2018

Dubbed “Asia’s Latin City”, Zamboanga City has long flaunted its strong Hispanic heritage as seen in its most famous historical landmark, the 17th-century colonial fortress Real Fuerza de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, and the Spanish-based Creole called Chavacano used as a lingua franca among the different ethnolinguistic groups in the city. Onçe Islas or Eleven Islands, however – a cluster of mostly uninhabited islands and islets belonging to the remote barangays of Panubigan and Dita, 40km northeast of theRead More→

Balabac, Palawan: An Island-Hopping Guide

Posted on March 30, 2017

Looking for deserted islands to play out your Survivor fantasies? Off the southernmost tip of Palawan is Balabac, a remote municipality comprised of 31 islands and islets, dotting the Sulu Sea between mainland Palawan and Borneo. This faraway corner of the archipelago, which can be reached in 10 hours by van and boat from the nearest commercial airport in Puerto Princesa, remains untouched by mainstream tourism – a paradise for those looking for a truly off-the-grid adventure. The island group isRead More→

Caramoan, Camarines Sur: Rolling Landscape of Guinahoan Island

Posted on June 5, 2015

While Pitogo Bay stands out from the well-known karst islands of Caramoan with its marine lakes and pebble beaches, Guinahoan Island exudes a different natural beauty altogether with its rolling pastures reminiscent of the Batanes islands or Palaui island in Cagayan. Located northeast of Manlawi Sandbar and Cotivas Island, Guinahoan Island – also known as Basot Island – is an irregular shaped parcel of grassland bordered by a shallow mangrove bay on the west and desolate white-sand beach coves toRead More→

Caramoan, Camarines Sur: Marine Lakes and Pebble Beaches of Pitogo Bay

Posted on June 4, 2015

The most popular cluster islands in Caramoan, Camarines Sur – namely Matukad, Lahos and Minalahos – are characterized by jagged limestone and powder-fine beaches, but outlying islands in the area evoke a different kind of beauty. Southeast of this island group is Pitogo Bay, which clutches hidden marine lakes and a grassy island with pebble beaches. Our outrigger boat entered the innermost coast of the bay and docked next to a dilapidated platform next to an abandoned structure which seemed like a guardRead More→

Maimbung, Sulu: Island Hopping Around Maimbung Bay

Posted on November 12, 2014

Besides the atoll-like islands of Hadji Panglima Tahil, the southern coast of Jolo island in Sulu harbors a few more islets worth exploring off the coast of Maimbung. My friend and I enjoyed an exclusive island-hopping tour where we got to visit Bualu Bat Sanctuary, Takut Islets and Teomabal Island – thanks to the generous assistance of no less than the Philippine Marines! Fourteen Marines escorted me and fellow travel blogger Gay Mitra-Emami of www.pinaytraveljunkie.com aboard a 25-foot speedboat around Maimbung Bay. Unfortunately, centuriesRead More→