Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Island Hopping in Quezon: Borawan, Puting Buhangin and Kwebang Lampas

Who would have thought that there exist wonderful beaches in Quezon Province?  Well, for those of you who haven't discovered the beaches in Quezon, let me relate to you my experience.

I've heard about Borawan so many years ago.  I just didn't have the chance of visiting this place before in the perception of no other beaches to see other than this.  But I was wrong.  As soon as I googled Borawan, there appear to have other wonderful white sand beaches within Padre Burgos, the province where Borawan is situated.  My kaladkarin friends have been wanting to visit Borawan since last year.  And so this year, we found the chance to have our summer outing there.

Padre Burgos is about 165 km. away from Manila.  There are many beaches found here like the famous Borawan, Dampalitan Beach, Lipata Beach, Mag-asawang Bato, Tamarind Beach, Talabaan Beach to name a few.  Island hopping is ideal in this place as these beaches are just about 10-15 minutes away from each other.

Unknown to many, the town of Pagbilao (about 145 km away from Manila) have also wonderful white sand beach to boast, the Puting Buhangin, which means white sand.  As the name implies, the long stretch of the beach is covered with white powdery sand.  When you do island hopping in Padre Burgos, you can make a side trip here which is only about 30 minutes away by boat.  At the end side of Puting Buhangin lies the Kwebang Lampas.  This is another tourist attraction as the small cave has very clear water.  Actually, the whole island is covered with clear water (the clearest I've ever seen).  Kwebang Lampas is a small cave with openings at both ends.  The water is shallow with big rock formations underwater.  Some, according to blogs I read, see snakes swimming here but when we were there, there's no sea creatures swimming aside from small fishes.

Read below for our island hopping adventure in Padre Burgos and Pagbilao in Quezon Province

Island Hopping

Our accommodation is at Villa Anita.  Our island hopping tour is care of Mang Cyrus.  This is discussed in a separate blog.

Upon arriving at Villa Anita, we just left our things and contacted Mang Cyrus for preparation of our island hop.  What we brought along are our packed lunches and snacks.  Our island hopping tour will just be for 1 day.  When we searched for Mang Cyrus' place and the jump off point for the island hop, i was quite impress that he was well-known in their neighborhood.  I asked if he was a politician there and he told me that he just have a good reputation that he's taking care of.  It was his brother and another boatman who accompanied us in our island hop.  First stop, Puting Buhangin and Kwebang Lampas at around 9am.

Puting Buhangin
From the jump off point, its about 30-minute boat ride before reaching Puting Buhangin.  This is already part of Pagbilao municipality in Quezon.  As we're getting near, I could already see the long white stretch of the beach and the small hole for the cave. The sands were not as fine as Boracay as there are lots of crushed sea shells.  The facade of the beach seems like in Palawan with its rock formations on the sides.  The beach is lovely.  The water is very clear.  There were tents pitched in the area but I believe it is not allowed to stay overnight there.  Entrance is Php 30 per person.
 
Long stretch of white sand; The hole at the far left is the Kwebang Lampas

Another shot of white sand in Puting Buhangin

The other stretch of Puting Buhangin

Rock formations for photo op! haha!


 Kwebang Lampas
As what the name implies, the small cave have openings on both ends (thus the word "Lampas").  This lies at the end stretch of Puting Buhangin.  Going through the cave is quite a challenge since there are a lot of rocks, big rocks, under water.  Level of the water can be a little high going to the cave but manageable.  You can also opt to walk through the rocks to get inside the cave.  Most rocks do not have sharp edges but it can get slippery.  It is not too dark in the cave as both ends are open.  The whole cave is about less than 100 meters long.  With its clear water, you can see some small fishes swimming.  What's unattractive inside the cave are vandals on the walls.  In some blogs that I've read, there are sea snakes swimming inside the cave.  Gladly for us, we didn't see any.

Kwebang Lampas from the inside

Clear water going inside Kwebang Lampas with small fishes


Borawan
This is one of the most famous destination in Padre Burgos.  The name Borawan came from the combined words of Boracay and Palawan.  They say that the beach have white sand just like Boracay and wonderful rock formations just like in Palawan.  It was indeed a wonderful rock formation but the sand isn't that white and powdery as in Boracay.  For me, Puting Buhangin is much better than Borawan in terms of white beach.  But the rock formations, it is indeed comparable to Palawan, particularly in Coron.  Another disappointment in Borawan is that it has some stinky smell in some areas.  This may be caused by tourist who sleep in the island overnight.  Yes, one can sleep here overnight by tent.  Care takers may not be able to clean the area every time there are people staying overnight.  I hope the tourists themselves should take part of cleaning their dirt and maintaining the beauty of Borawan.  Swimming in Borawan is not also advisable by the boatmen as there are a lot of jellyfishes that time.  I'm not sure if the presence of the jellyfish can be seen only during summer or all the time.  So we just ate our lunch there and took some pictures.  Entrance is Php 40 per person inclusive of use of small cottage for lunch.

Big rocks in Borawan

Cottages available in Borawan

More rocks in Borawan

Rocks, rocks and more rocks at Borawan

Jellyfish in Borawan... the water is very clear!


Mag-asawang Bato
We didn't get off to this island, rather, the boatmen just pointed us its location.  The name was derived from the physical attribute of the island.  It consist of 2 islands, one small and one big.  Although the islands are not side by side with each other, but its distance is not very far from each other.

Mag-asawang Bato


Dampalitan Beach
This is another beach destination where travelers can stay overnight.  The area is much bigger than in Borawan thus it can accommodate more travelers.  It was already past lunch when we arrived at Dampalitan Beach.  The sands were also quite powdery and white.  Water was again clear.  There are fences on the waters to keep some jellyfishes away thus swimming here is much safer.  We just lounge through the waters and sands of Dampalitan beach, great area to have a tan.  We also had snacks here afterwards.  Entrance fee is Php 30 per person. 

Dampalitan Beach




This side is more peaceful

Small plant in the sand of Dampalitan Beach
 
Stretch of Dampalitan Beach with cottages and tents
 
Clear waters of Dampalitan Beach with small fishes


Talabaan Beach
This is another small beach area with short shoreline just like in Borawan.  The sands here are not so white and powdery like the other beaches we've been through in Padre Burgos.  There were also some rocks present on the beach.  By the time we got there, it was almost sunset, thus there's no people around.  I'm not sure if it's safe to swim here so we just took some pictures.

Talabaan Beach
 
Quite strong waves in Talabaan Beach
Rocks at Talabaan Beach

Talabaan Beach


I know there are other beaches in Quezon province that are equally beautiful particularly in Cagbalete and Polilio (and maybe many others I haven't heard of).  If you'd like to visit Borawan Island in Padre Burgos, have an island hopping as well in other beaches within the Padre Burgos and Pagbilao municipalities.  You'll be surprised on how lovely the beaches here are. 

55 comments:

  1. My boyfriend and I planned to go to Borawan this April but base sa nabasa ko sa blog mo parang mas magand sa puting buhangin since 'di din pala advisable magswim sa Borawan. Any suggestions? Thanks. Your reply will be highly appreciated. Goodday :)

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  2. yes, maganda talaga sa puting buhangin kesa sa borawan. we'll maybe that's just my opinion, depende rin kasi sa taste ng bawat isa yan. may mga nag-swim naman sa Borawan kaso may jellyfish talaga. di rin ako sure kung seasonal lang ba yung jellyfish dun. i suggest you still visit both since di naman ganun ang isa't isa.

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  3. ^i meant, di naman ganun kalayo ang isa't isa :)

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  4. May contact number pa kayo ni Mang Cyrus and how much yung rate niya for 1 whole day of island hopping? Thanks! :)

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  5. Hi, how much was your all in all expenses for your trip? My boyfriend and I are planning to do the same itinerary kasi as you and your friends did. We just want to know how much money we should bring with us. Thank you! You're reply will be very helpful. :)

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  6. ^hi. kaw rin ba nagtatanong about boatman? anyway, si mang cyrus yung boatman namin, whole day. hanapin ko pa number nya and draft ng blog ko about this, di ko na kasi maalala rate nya, year 2011 pa ksi yun :)

    anyway, siguro budget namin nasa 2k-3k per head. sa pagkakatanda ko, rate ng boatman nasa 2k na e, tas 5 kami so tig 400 na agad. gas pa, food and accommodation.

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  7. ^^nakita ko na yung pag-uusap namin ng friends ko regarding sa gastos dito sa trip namin. nagastos namin 11k, 5 kami. so around 2.2k each. siguro gawin mo nlng budget max 2.5k pero depende pa rin kasi kami 5 kami, kayo 2 lang. i hope this helps :)

    may accommodation ka na ba? di ko pa na-post blog ko about our accommodation.

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  8. Hello,
    May Public CR po ba sa dampalitan? we are planning to camp for 3days there instead of borawan, pero sinasabi nila wala daw cr. is it true? Thanks!

    -Arem

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  9. ^hi, meron naman sigurong CR dun kasi may mga nagka-camping dun e. pero di ako 100% sure kasi di pa ko nakapag-camping dun.

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  10. Hello! Nice blog poh, matagal na kong naghahanap ng recent blogs about sa Quezon since we're planning to go their by June. Tanong lang poh, isang araw nyo lang poh ginawa yung island hopping nyo sa Padre Burgos and Pagbilao? Bale ang jump off point nyo poh is Padre Burgos? Sana poh pwedeng mahingi number ni Mang Cyrus para ung bangka na lang nya arkilahin namin sa pagpunta naman. Salamat poh sa sagot. :)


    Daniel...

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  11. hi daniel! yes, 1 day lang yung tour namin sa mga beaches na nabanggit ko. and yes, sa padre burgos ang simula namin. inuna naming puntahan yung puting buhaning in pagbilao. eto number ni mang cyrus - 09159383177. by the way, this trip is not so recent. mga 2011 pa 'to, late blog post lang :)

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  12. hi po,.,may I ask po if my sasakyan po ba kming dala papunta s puting buhangin beach resort my pagiiwanan po ba kme ng sasakyan don???,..,kc po d ba we need to ride a boat pa po papunta s puting buhangin? thanks po..:)

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  13. ^hi. i'm not so sure, pero siguro meron kasi pwede naman sa Pagbilao na kayo manggaling papunta ng Puting Buhangin.

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  14. Kudos for such an informative blog re: Borawan. I have been doing a lot of reading as me and my girls plan to go backpacking to Quezon and Borawan is one of our planned destinations. If I may ask, where exactly is Villa Anita? I am thinking maybe we can consider that for our accommodation and kick off our trip from there. I hope to hear back from you. Thank you in advance! :)

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  15. Villa Anita is in Padre Burgos. Padre Burgos is also our drop off/pick up point for our island hoping. i'll try to post my blog about villa anita soon.

    thanks for visiting!

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  16. may entrance po ba sa Puting BUhangin
    Kwebang Lampas
    BOrawan


    at jan b sa mga island , may cottage? & how much po ang cottage?

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  17. ng-try ko tawagan # ni mang cyrus, can't be reached eh hehehe....may contact # dn b kau sa VILLA ANITA?

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  18. ^hi. posted na po yung rates ng entrance sa mga islands na napuntahan namin. may mga mesa at upuan para kainan sa borawan, can't remember sa puting buhangin. minimal lang bayad sa cottage sa borawan, di ko lang maalala magkano.

    eto number ng villa anita: 09215240110

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  19. Last May 4-5, 2013 nagpunta kmi sa Puting Buhangin at Kwebang Lampas. Very nice beach clear water except to the following : Caretaker / Management , why? as a caretaker sana maging approachable sana , may isang group dun nag rent ng tent sa knila ang usapan umaga kukunin ung tent, pero as a customer man lng sna nagbigay sila ng allowance ksi nasa loob pa ung customer tinatanggal na nila ung tent. napaka abusado nila porket lam nila mraming tao at dat time. may group din na naiinis sa caretaker dahil sobrang aga maningil ng cottage kala mo tatakasan sila. Nagpaluto kmi ng rice una sabi nila php 50 lang tpos ng mkausap uli nung isang babae si Gemma nging php 120 ksi sobra daw sa 1k kung di pa nmin inisist na unfair ung price di pa nila babaan. Tapos di ka pa makalangoy ng maayos dahil ginawang parking lot ung harap ng beach. Maganda sana ung place ung management lang . Bawat galaw mo pera at dapat magbayad agad. Daig pa nila Anawangin or Nagsasa... Just in case na gusto nyo pumunta dun bring extra money kasi tatagain kayo.

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  20. ^thanks for the feedback. kahit naman sa Borawan, di mo alam kung bakit may entrance fee pa e hindi naman maintained yung lugar.

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  21. i agree with "anonymous" regarding sa mga care taker lalo na yung Gemma at isa pang babaeng mataba na hipag nya ata. we went there very recently May 6-7, 2013 & my only regret eh hndi ako maciado npgbasa ng blogs regarding the place lalo na sa management(Puting Buhangin/ Kwebang Lampas). Sobra maganda yung place lalo na yung beach pero ang lakas mka bad vibes ng mga tao pgdtng plng namen bayad agad hiningi di pa nmen nababa gamit nmen or wla man lang welcome or something. Hindi pa ayos yung tent knowing na ddting na kme so nghintay kme nung ngtanong kme kung pwde mag bonfire since sinbe s phone conversation na pwde ang sagot smen "dun pwde sa may basurahan" tama b yun? then lht may bayad tpos bgla sinabe na yung tent 12hrs lng pro hndi binangit yung sa usapan sa telepono at pgdtng nmen hndi kme mkpgswimming xe wlang tubig. Kinabukasan yung ksama ko na sting ng jelly fish na npka dme pla dun pro wla man lang pasabe yung mga tao dun or warning man lng. may isang grupo din na ksbay nmn puro matatandang babae senior citizen na tatanong if may discount pra sknla ang sgot wla daw dahil iba daw ang batas nla. sana alam nila paanu mkisama ng maayos sa mga guest nila sobra puro pera gusto nila at ni hndi nila kaya mgsalita ng maayos. nkaka frustrate lng na ang ganda ng lugar kso hndi ka mkpgrelax sa ugali ng mga tao malaking factor dn cympre yun sa kapwa pinoy nila gnun cla kaylangan b mga ibang lahi lng cla babaet? gusto ko lng express at kwento ung experience nmen pra kht papano mgkaidea mga taong ppunta dun at mpghandaan yung mga taong maeencounter nila xe hndi yun paninira dhl yun tlga ang ngyare. sana alagaan nla yun lugar pti mga taong dinadayo yung lugar.minsan kht gaano kaganda ang isang lugar kung yung mga taong nangangalaga nito ay bastos madaming tao ang mwawalan ng gana dumayo at bgyan ng pgkakakitaan ang mga tga dun. salamat

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  22. ^salamat sa iyong komento. di pala maganda ang mag overnight sa puting buhangin. day tour lang kasi kami e kaya wala kaming na-encounter na ganyan.

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  23. Hi thank you so much this blog and the comments are so informative especially for us who are first timers we are planning to go there this weekend so un.. Any other thoughts or suggestions na ibang place na pede mag camp? We are also looking at cagbalete? I hope you cud guide us on choosing the best summer get away since its gonna be my birthday/ anniversary celeb haha thankyou in advance if may mga contacts din na you cud provide sobrang appreiciated mmwHa thankyou lots in advance! -tinay :)

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  24. wag po sa cagbalete naholdup po kami ng bf ko dun nung nagcamping kami, kami lang kasi nagcacamp...im thinking inside job ito...at na-trauma ako from camping dahil sa nangyaring yun...pero super bait ng may-ari inalagaan nya kami (baby?) and pina blotter namin the next day. goodluck!

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  25. ^hi tinay! thanks for dropping by. why don't you try camping in dampalitan beach, also in padre burgos? so borawan kasi di na rin maganda. haven't been to cagbalete. you may also try anawangin cove in zambales where camping is usual there. happy birthday by the way :)

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  26. hi jelliebean, thanks for that info. hirap pala mag camping pag kayo lang ang nandun.

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  27. Hello, ask ko lang, how much kaya ang expenses? And aside from here, have you gone to other places in Quezon? My bf and I are planning to go to Quezon this coming June but we haven't decided where yet and how much our budget is gonna be.. Thanks! - Eula

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  28. ^hi, sa padre burgos at pagbilao pa lang ako nakapunta sa Quezon e. budget namin siguro around 2k to 3k per person for group of 5. baka medyo mas mapamahal kung 2 lang kayo.

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  29. hello po ulie..na-contact ko na ung villa anita resort, now naman, may i ask the number of Mang Cyrus? pra nman sa island hopping para pgdating namin dun, may kokontakin n kami

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    Replies
    1. hello amegeal! thanks for your inquiries and for visiting my blog :) i posted sa comment yung # ni mang cyrus, unfortunately di mo na ata ma-contact. so wala na kong number nya...

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  30. hello, just wanna share, we went to Borawan Island, Puting Buhangin & Dampalitan Island, superb ang islands na to, super linaw ng datag lalo na sa Dampalitan (our last island hop) My team really enjoyed the swimming peg there...Sulit ang pagpunta jan, nice nman sa Borawan, may Nipa Hut Cottage na sila dun (Borawan) at CR (w/fees)
    +2thumbs to mentioned ISLANDS.

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  31. for the benefit of the others inquiring for the entrance fees, here are the ff:

    Puting Buhangin: P80/head
    Borawan Island: P80/head
    Dampalitan: P30

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  32. IN Addition:


    sa mga gusto magpunta sa BORAWAN ISLAND, at kelangan ng bangka for the ISLAND HOPPING;

    do contact Mang Antonio: 0947-7874059; mabait po xa at accommodating. sa mismo bahay nila kme ng last shower going back to reality.




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    Replies
    1. thanks amegeal for sharing your experience and references :)

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  33. how much ang bayad sa bangka if kay mang antonio? 4 people sana kaming pupunta.

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  34. Hi anonymous, ang rent ng bangka is P1800, pero pwede pa kau mkatawd since konti lang kayo

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  35. Hi! ask q lng po qng my tent rental dun s borawan?!

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    Replies
    1. hi. i'm not so sure lang pero parang wala ata...

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  36. hello plan kasi namin mag 3 days 2 nights! San pwede kumuha ng room for accommodation? Plan namin 1 night camping then 1 night sa maayos ng tutulugan with private toilet and shower.. Sana may ma suggest kayo pati contack number ung budget friendly lang! Hehe nas 6 to 7 persons kami.

    Si mang antonio ba may inooffer na rooms?

    Salamat in advance... It will help us a lot!

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    Replies
    1. hi, sa villa nita kami nag stay. its not within the islands. nasa padre burgos sya. eto contact number ng villa anita: 09215240110

      as for mang antonio, maybe you can try to contact him given the number above.

      Delete
  37. Hi! Hw mch po rate sa villa anita? Tnx po sa reply

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  38. Hi! Hw much po rate sa villa anita. Tnx

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  39. salamat po senyo Lahat ahh =)
    i find the bLog very helpful, en the comments mooore interesting' hehe
    Lotsa Learning via browsing.. gaLing gaLing.. keep it coming =)

    sana ok pagpunta namin doon, mamat ng dameng dame =)

    omeng'

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    1. you're welcome omeng. glad to know that this blog helped you a lot :)

      Delete
  40. Hi. Just had an over night stay in puting buhangin / kuebang lampas (2 weeks ago). Second time ko dun na mag over night. Medyo masungit nga ung care taker. Un lang ang issue dun sa place. And ung pambalaw na fresh water, bibilin din sa kanila 50php per container, kung issue sa inyo un.

    If you plan to spend over night and wala kaung tent, meron dun rental 300php ung 2-3 person ang kasya. I suggest bumili nlng kau. Meron tent na mabibili for 1ķ- 2k. Magagamit nyo din ng paulit ulit dun, masarap balikan ung lugar.

    Eto ung mga ma sa-suggest ko na dapat dala nyo apart feom food and drinking water.
    - mosquito/insect repelant. Grabe kagat ng lamok dun. 1 week na ndi pa nawawala pantal ko.
    - flashlight. Walang kuryente dun.
    - snorkeling equips. Maganda mag snorkeling dun. Dami fishes na ibaiba kulay. May starfish na kulay blue. Corals. Ingat lang sa sea urchins.
    - tasty bread. Pang fish feeding, pra lumapit ungmga isda pag nag snorkel ka.
    - nipper/fine tweesors. Just in case ma tusok ng sea urchins.
    - camera. Mas maganda kung ung sports action camera pra pati under water scenes makunan.

    Nga pala. Aside from riding a boat going to puting buhangin, meron pang isang way papunta dun. Dun kayo dadaan sa pagbilao powerplant, rough road trip then park nyo ung wheels nyo then boat for 2 mins then a little trekking. Mga 5mins(pag wala kang bitbit na mabigat).

    Thanks!
    J

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    Replies
    1. Hi J,

      Maraming salamat sa dagdag impormasyon na ito. Makaktulong 'to sa mga readers and visitors ng blog ko. Sa kwento mo, parang gusto ko tuloy bumalik sa puting buhangin. Di kasi kami nakapag-snorkeling.

      And tama, may ibang way nga papuntang Puting Buhangin, kasi nasa Pagbilao sya, pwedeng dun nga mismo manggaling.

      Maraming salamat muli sa pagbisita dito sa blog ko at sa mga impormasyon na iyong ipinamahagi.

      God Bless!

      Delete
  41. May mapaparkingan po ba ng sasakyan dun?

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    1. where specifically? kami po kasi nanggaling sa padre burgos before we start the island hopping. may parking naman sa area kung san namin pinuntahan yung boatman namin. i think meron din sa area if you're coming from pagbilao.

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  42. borawan, dampalitan and puting buhangin island.
    need boat rent and assistant??
    just call this numbers 09476142289 , 09356618597 and look for noime.
    thanks and have fun :))

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    Replies
    1. Hi ask ko lng po if walking distance lng ung villa Anita to putting buhangin where planning to go there this coming holy week.where about 15 person.pls reply po

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  43. Hi walking distance lng po ba ang villa Anita to puting buhangin? Pls reply po tnc ;))

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    Replies
    1. hindi po sya walking distance. ang puting buhangin ay nasa Pagbilao while Villa Anita is in Padre Burgos.

      Delete
  44. hi guys need boat rent and assistant? BORAWAN , DAMPALITAN and PUTING BUHANGIN ISLAND ? just call/text this no. 09476142289, 09956153995 and look for ate noime ...:)
    09085317597 marvin , 09473413419 marlyn .

    ReplyDelete

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