Sunday, August 9, 2015

Guimaras Island Hopping

Alubihod Beach is the jump off point for island hopping trips. Because Raymen Beach Resort's boat was already fully booked for the day, we were pointed to a small booth on the beach, between Raymen Beach Resort and Alobijod Cove Resort. This is the Alubihod Motor Banca Owners Association (AMBOA) booth or the Island Hopping Station.

Our island hopping boat

At the booth, we were asked to write our name and number of persons in the group on the logbook. But we could not choose the time. We were to wait for the next available boat. If they called our turn and we had disappeared into our room or anywhere away from the booth, they would have given the boat to the next person on the list. Not wanting to miss our turn, we positioned ourselves near the booth, all ready with our snorkeling gear and snacks.


Island Hopping rates:
10 pax Php 500 for the first hour plus Php 150 per succeeding hour
15 pax Php 700 for the first hour plus Php 300 per succeeding hour
20 pax Php 1000 for the first hour plus Php 300 per succeeding hour

Our wallets allocated just three hours worth of island hopping and in three hours we were able to visit just five spots.

Fairy Castle
The boatman just pointed Fairy Castle out to us and proceeded to steer the boat to the next destination. From afar it looked like a good place for a swim so we asked the boatman to take us to the shore. Nearing the beach, we were disappointed to see that it was rocky and very shallow.

Lamurawan
Lamurawan was the next place they took us to. It had a small grotto with a nice view of the surrounding islands. But its waters did not tempt us for a swim.

Baras Cave
The boatman and his assistant steered the boat into small and semi–dark Baras Cave. But my friends did not want to swim in semi–darkness. Next please.

Ave Maria Islet
Ave Maria Islet had a small patch of white sand but the rest was just rocks. We spent a bit of time snorkeling in its surrounding shallow waters. Several boatloads of tourists have come and gone, but we were still there looking for fish.

Jannah Glycel Resort
Because we have not had enough of snorkeling in Ave Maria Islet, we asked the boatman to take us to a good place for snorkeling and he brought us to an area near Jannah Glycel Resort. Here we enjoyed looking at the colorful fish, but not at the dead corals.

We weren't taken to one spot that was supposedly included in the standard island hopping route: Pawikan Caring and Feeding Station. Baras Beach and Isla Naburot were just pointed out to us because these were privately owned and off limits. Overall, the island hopping tour in Guimaras was just okay. If you're looking for islands with fine white sand beaches to swim in, you will not find it in this tour. You would be better off just spending your time at Alubihod Beach.


Notes:
  • Take note of the time you started your island hopping trip. If you're on a tight budget, be conscious of your time: if you use up just a fraction of an hour, they will charge for a full hour.
  • Know where you want to go. If you'd like to be taken to the optional areas (see above island hopping route map), let your boatman know. If you won't tell them, then they'd only take you on the standard route.
  • It seemed to me that the boatman was in a hurry to go back and start with another group. Not because he didn't like my face, but because they can make more money that way.


Guimaras:
Guimaras Island Hopping (you're here!)

18 comments:

  1. Hi, Mustacio!

    I thought this might be a good trip for my bday.. it seems you didn't enjoy it much based on these observations:
    "5 spots in 3 hours"
    "Several boatloads of tourists have come and gone."

    Thanks for the tips!

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    1. Hello Issa! The places we visited were okay, nothing spectacular...but that's because I am partial to sandy beaches, not rocky ones hehehe. Maybe the nice sandy beaches are those we were not allowed to visit (the privately owned ones) hehehe. I thought our three hours was too short, but I noticed that groups usually just do the tour in an hour or two!

      Of the few places we visited in Guimaras, I liked Alubihod Beach...because of the sand! :D

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    2. Maybe you're right..Baras Beach and Isla Naburot may be spectacular and they're not for us to see. :(

      I'd probably give Guimaras a chance.. but not on my bday.haha.. Again, thanks a bunch! :)

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    3. Advance happy birthday, Issa! Hehehe :D

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  2. I visited Guimaras back in 2001 and even back then, I didn't find its shores or islets that spectacular or memorable. But you have to take my observation with a grain of salt as I am not a beach person in the first place. Their sweet mangoes though.. well that's a different story. :)

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    1. Ahhh mangoes! I ate a kilo of mangoes with every meal while I was in Guimaras. Hehehehe

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    2. Waaaah.. do they allow mango hoarding?

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    3. Pwede! As long as you pay for it! Hehehe

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  3. There's nothing much spectacular or memorable to see in island hopping in Guimaras but I think the Turtle Island with Turtle encounter, SEAFDEC education, Ave Maria Island and Isla Pulang Pasayan are memorable one. Only Isla Pulang Pasayan was the island I didn't experienced way back in 2012.

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    Replies
    1. Three of those places you mentioned were the places we didn't go to. Boohoo :(

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  4. You should have not missed SEAFDEC. Turtle island too is just opposite of Ave Maria islet :)

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  5. Were you able to see a sea turtle? Thanks!

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    1. We did not go to the Pawikan Caring and Feeding Station...

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  6. I agree with another commenter, SEAFDEC is not something to be missed. A researcher showed us around and it was fun. There are various kinds of fishes and pawikans as well, and it's amazing to see wide-sized bangus and some other aggressive fishes I forgot the name of.

    We spent the rest of our time snorkeling near the Ave Maria islet as well. We skipped Turtle Island because we were informed the turtles are no longer there, transferred somewhere else. Then we just did a sight-seeing tour of the remaining islands. :)

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    1. Hi Kat. Happy new year! Thanks for dropping by! Now you are making me regret missing SEAFDEC! Boohoo.

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  7. Hi! I just wanna ask if the 500 pesos is good for the whole boat or are they charging it per person? Hope you could reply. This blog is really helpful!

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    1. Hi Minnie. Glad you found your way to my blog. The boating rates listed above is per boat. :)

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