MY RECENT VISIT TO PARADISE (ISLAS DE GIGANTES, CARLES, ILOILO)

MY RECENT VISIT TO PARADISE (ISLAS DE GIGANTES, CARLES, ILOILO) 

This is at Gigantes Island of Carles, Iloilo. For those who are asking how to get there (travel time, directions, etc…) and how much would they spend for the trip here are the details based on our experience. 

There are 7 of us and we spent around P 2,200.00 each for the 3D/2N stay in the island. The amount already include the fare, accommodation, food and the tour guides who are very efficient and polite. (BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER!!!) You’ll know when you get there. Also, you can adjust your expenses depending on your activities/budget.:) 

So, from BREDCO Port, Bacolod CIty, Negros Occidental  we boarded RORO (roll-on/roll off), one  our local ships here in the Philippines that could carry wheeled vehicles from one island to the other which is also VERY CHEAP. 

* If you will bring a car with you there would be P 1,200.00 fee for it. 

* If not, each passenger would pay P 60.00 for the fare.

After 2 hours of sailing, you will get to Dumangas Port. From there you will have to drive for another 2 hours or you can ride that local CERES bus to reach Estancia Port. Fare would range from around 60-75 pesos.Not so sure about the fare for the bus =)

 To get to Estancia Port we had to use GPS since none of us know where the port is. Thanks to the latest technologies that we were able to find our way there. (P.S. It’s in Google maps) HIHI!!! :D

For those who will have there cars brought you can leave it there. It’s safe! You will have to pay the parking fee though. I think it was 50-100 pesos. Then there would be a pump boat waiting for passengers  which only has one trip per day and from Estancia trip goes at 2 PM to the island. Fare would be at 80 pesos per person. 

We stayed at Gigantes Tourist Inn. It looks like a house converted into a tourist inn. There are also tents on the side and in front of the house available for rent. For those who are adventurous enough you’ll enjoy the tent and if not, there’s the house or there are cottages along side of the beach. It is 100 pesos per person per day. 

We ate lunch first before going to our first adventure. Food may range from 400-600 depending on the number of viands you’ll have. I forgot to mention that my friends called it the Island of Scallops since scallops is part of every  menu on every meal. I mean every” MEAL” (breakfast, lunch  and dinner) :)

For those who love seafood, this is the place to be. There are crabs as big as the plate, Shrimps, fish and squid. If you can’t eat these then you can choose from pork or chicken:)

So let’s start with the first adventure, SPELUNKING!!! This really made my heart beat 20 more times than it is normally beating. Anyway, There would be a 10 fare for the motorcycle that would bring you to the foot of the mountain/cave and a 200 pesos tour guide fee. It will take a 1 hour climb/walk until you get to the other end of the cave. You can actually decide if you will try that exit or not. But for the fun of it we tried:)

After all the muscle work out, we had spent the end of our first day at the Light house where best sunsets are viewed. There would be a 30 pesos fare for the motorcycle just until the cemented path but you will have to walk for about 5 minutes to actually get to the tower. You will have to climb 60 steps to get to the top which is another breath taking task for me. I’m really Acrophobic. You can feel the cool breeze of the sea mixed with the setting of the sun that slowly changes humidity to algid. 

Back at the Tourist Inn you will enjoy another scallopian dinner that would fill your empty belly from all that physical activity. After dinner you can enjoy sitting by the sea wall just in front of the tourist inn. I’d prefer you sleep early since Island hopping will be the next stop. 

Boat leaves at 9 from the island which will be your transportation for the rest of the day. If you’re an early riser you can have another exercise of a 30 minute walk in search of a cellphone signal at Brgy. Granada. They also have a beach resort there and the beach front is much better than the tourist in. There are no resorts but if you know some locals you may stay on the house that lines up the shore line. I’m really impressed that they somehow keep the beach clean. They really know how to take care of their place. 

The trip to the Sand Bar is 30 minutes. You will enjoy the roller coaster ride on the pump boat with waves of water splashing on your face. Next, is at Cabugao Gamay where you will enjoy a bit for rock climbing to view the beauty of the whole island. Then we enjoyed the deep aqua blue salt water lagoon of “tangke”  which feels like you have been trapped in a different world. If you love cliff diving this is the place to be. Now if you like snorkeling, Antonia Island would be the best spot. Every island has two sides, one for surfers who love big waves and one for the swimmer where the water is a bit tranquil.   Our last stop for the day was a visit at the Balay ni Mayor or shall we say what’s left of it. Locals said that if it is  low tide you can walk from Balay ni Mayor and Balbagon Island which is about 200 meters away. If you still have enough time and energy you want to visit the Uaydahon Island as well. It is the Island in front of the light house. And for all that Island travel you have to pay 2500 pesos for the pump boat. 

Exhausted by our whole day island hopping we spent the rest of the night at the shoreline of Brgy. Granada. No camp fires allowed since it will ruin the white sand so we settled for flashlights and star gazing. It was fun though we were able to see mysterious flying objects in the sky that is too fast and unblinking as the airplanes and to slow for a falling star. Whatever that is it made our day end well.

Now remember that there is only one trip per day so we had to leave early. Pump boat leaves at 9 so if you don’t want to get stuck for another day then you have to wake up early. Before leaving settle these things first. The payment for the tour guide 1500 but you can either give lesser or more than this depending on how satisfied you are with their service. There would be a kitchen fee of 500 but then again you can name your price. I mean it. You can decide on how much you can give. 

So there you go folks. Have fun reading this or better yet go plan your visit to the Island you will enjoy it more. If you have further questions my brain is also exhausted writing all these so please contact the man of the hour. Manong Joel, a local who can give the information you need about the island. Contact him at 09184685006.

Thanks for reading!!! Until my next adventure:) Wootwoooot!!!!