Beach day! Finally, on our fourth day in the CARAGA adventure we would be going to a proper beach at the Britannia Group of Islands. We woke up really early to be on our way as soon as possible. We grabbed a quick breakfast then rode a bus bound for Tandag and we were to alight at Brgy Salvacion in San Agustin. There weren't clear markers for this junction so people going here should stay on your toes and constantly keep watch through the windows. It would also help to tell the bus conductor where you are heading, and make sure other passengers hear this so they can help you as well! Haha.
After an hour and a half on the bus, we reached Salvacion and from there we rode a tricycle (or a habal-habal if you prefer) going to La Entrada Resort, which is one of the few resorts that serve as the jump off point for exploring the Britannia Group of Islands. Fortunately, there was an event by the regional government in La Entrada so we had other people with us on the tricycle and paid a regular fare. We inquired at La Entrada about their island hopping package and found it cheaper than expected. We also ordered food from the resort which we can bring for lunch on one of the islands.
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| Be alert for these road signs (top: going towards Tandag, bottom: going back to Barobo) |
After an hour and a half on the bus, we reached Salvacion and from there we rode a tricycle (or a habal-habal if you prefer) going to La Entrada Resort, which is one of the few resorts that serve as the jump off point for exploring the Britannia Group of Islands. Fortunately, there was an event by the regional government in La Entrada so we had other people with us on the tricycle and paid a regular fare. We inquired at La Entrada about their island hopping package and found it cheaper than expected. We also ordered food from the resort which we can bring for lunch on one of the islands.
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| Our boat was Budoy 2. They have a larger boat for groups -- and it's a videoke vessel! |
We proceed to our boat (which can hold a maximum of 10 people and even has a table in the middle) and so begins our island hopping. We first dock at a beautiful sandbar called the Naked Island. I cannot tell you how much I luuuuurve sand bars! We take some pictures and notice dark clouds looming. After a few moments, rain began to pour. We continue taking pictures despite the rain (hooray for dicapacs!). As the moments passed, so did the rain clouds and there reavealed a beautiful blue sky lit up by the mighty sun. We took this as a cue to go to the next island, Hagonoy.
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| Nekkid (Naked) Island -- check out the weather! |
Hagonoy can be seen from Naked Island. It looks really good from afar as you can see vegetation completely surrounded by beautiful sand and blue waters. One part of it trails off into a pebble sand bar. My friend, who was obssessed with snorkeling, got into the water to check if there was anything to see. Unfortunately, there were no corals nor fishes to see, but the water was pristine and the sand so white. It's a good place to take a leisurely swim as it is like a swimming pool. I bet one could even do a synchronized swimming routine there. I explored the island while my friend wallowed in the sand. I walked alone, around the island taking in the beauty of the place and doing one sun salutation as a celebration. I went back to the boat and we were again off to the next island.
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| Hagonoy Island -- Britannia isn't really for snorkeling, it's all white sand, much to my friend's disappointment |
Boslon, I think is the most common island visited in Britannia, if the cross and grotto was any indication. It was another beautiful white sand island with a large rock formation in the middle. My friend and I explored the island and tried to walk towards Panlangagan, an island connection to Boslon by a sand bar. Unfortunately, the dark clouds have once again covered the sky, accompanied by strong winds. Rain fell and it was too much for us that we decided to seek shelter under the rocks in Boslon. A few minutes passed and again the sky cleared and we decided to have lunch at the island.
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| Boslon and Panglangagan Islands -- connected by sand bars. Note the curious sea creature we found. |
After lunch we decided to jump to another island nearby, Minasingin. This island was so picturesque because of the coconut trees that welcome you as the boat docked. My friend and I were beat by the time we got here, so we didn't get to explore the island. We simply lay on the sand and slept. Well, he did. I got to get a few more pictures before joining his rest on the beach.
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| Minasingin Island -- we were so tired, we slept on the sand for about 30mins, hence the very red fez |
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| Making my way back to La Entrada |
Feeling our skin hot and seeing how dark we are, we decided to return to La Entrada and call it a day. We cleaned up and took a habal-habal back to the highway. From there, we waited for a bus so we can go back to Barobo. A multicab came first and we flagged it down. In the middle of the trip, the driver apparently had a family emergency to attend to so he let us down at the Liangan Central Terminal (I told you having terminals like these were convenient) where we were able to take a bus to Barobo (the next terminal). We checked out of Terazza Viktoria (they allow late check out, and did not ask for any additional fee!) and walked back to the terminal.
For some weird reason (which I still tease him about today) my friend wanted to ride an aircon bus to Butuan. The dispatchers at the Barobo Terminal told us that aircon buses were scarce in Barobo and suggested that we ride to San Franz and go to Butuan from there. So we ride a NON AIRCON bus bound for Butuan and alighted at the San Franz terminal. We were hungry by the time we arriced and there was still no aircon bus. The dispatcher informed us that they normally come by every 30 minutes. We decided to eat first, since we saw Thelma's Lechon across the street. We kep our eye out for the arrival of the aircon bus, and as if on cue, one came as we finished eating. We rushed back to the terminal and rode the bus.
We arrived at Butuan at around 1800 and heeded the call of our sweet tooth and bought munchkins at Dunkin' Donuts. We asked a tricycle to bring us to Julian's Inn (pre-researched) and checked in. We settled ourselved and got ready for our flight home tomorrow.
Day 4 Expenses:
Php34.50 Bus to Salvacion, San Agustin (Tandag) Php40.00 Trike to La Entrada Php20.00 Bought packed lunch at La Entrada Php125.00 Island Hopping Php500.00 Php1000 for whole day island hopping, max 10 pax (so sulit for groups of 10!) Habal to Hi-way Php20.00 Multi-cab to Liangan Php25.00 Bus from Liangan to Barobo Php17.00 Bus to San Franz (Butuan) Php32.00 Dinner at Thelma's Lechon Php85.00 Bus to Butuan (Aircon) Php115.00 Donuts at Terminal Php70.00 Trike to Julian's Inn Php8.00 Check in at Julian's Inn Php260.00 Total for Day 2.5 Php1,351.50 Total for the trip Php5,925.00
Our beach day was peppered with slight rains, but it was always a delight to be able to see the movement of the rain clouds and how the wind blows them away as if nothing happened. :) Watch out for our last day in CARAGA!
<3, dee
PPS, photos taken by yours truly and my friend, unless otherwise specified
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