Summer in Quezon: The Islands of Borawan, Dampalitan and Puting Buhangin
“Camping at the beach” may not sound like a lot of fun at first, so how about camping at the beach, climbing large rocks, jumping into clear water, swimming in a cave, playing volleyball, watching a sunset, and having a bonfire? You can do all these and more within a matter of 24 hours in the province of Quezon.
A SECRET COVE. As these islands aren’t accessible by roads, it’s likely that you won’t run into many other campers or tourists while you’re here.
Borawan, Dampalitan and Puting Buhangin are three islands that, although are a bit far from the city, are all within an hour’s boat ride of each other that you can visit all three in one day. And each island has its own unique characteristics that you wouldn’t want to miss any one.
Puting Buhangin has crystal clear water, very fine white sand and a cave you can swim to. If you’re a good swimmer and are looking for a swimming challenge, you’re guaranteed to have fun at this island.
THE COLORS OF SUMMER. The colors you’ll see on Puting Buhangin make the island live up to its name. “Puting buhangin” in Filipino literally means “white sand”.
Dampalitan has a wide beach that gives you plenty of space where you can set up your tent. You can watch the sunset as you do it, and have a nice bonfire afterwards.
In the morning, you can go to Borawan Island where there are limestone cliffs you can climb and jump into the water from, as well as a semi-developed area where you can play some beach volleyball, and a modern restroom where you can clean up easily before heading back to the city.
LIMESTONE AND SAND. Borawan has many elements that will make you feel one with nature.
But the order in which you visit these islands really depends on what activities you most enjoy. If you prefer sunrises to sunsets, then camping at Borawan instead of Dampalitan would be the better option for you. If you’d like to spend more time swimming, then you might want to consider staying overnight at Puting Buhangin. What’s great is that these three islands all have something nice to offer. Just make sure you tell your boatman of your plans so he/she can advise you of the tide, the weather and other things to consider when island hopping.
SUNRISE AT BORAWAN. Seeing how the sun slowly changes the colors of the island is one of the best ways to wake up in the morning.
Some other things you need to know before going on this trip:
Bring cash. As these islands aren’t close to the city, there are no ATM machines on any of them. And you’ll need cash to pay for entrance fees, environmental fees, etc.
Bring your own food or buy food from the market before going island hopping. There is a store on Borawan Island, however as it is a small island, your options of things to buy are limited.
There are no hotels or resorts on these islands and the way to stay there overnight is by camping. If you don’t have your own tent, you can rent one for Php200.
To find out more about these islands and get specific directions, you can call/text the following contact persons:
Vanessa +63915 106 7594 / +63909 400 1022
Mar +63921 461 8726
Allan +63920 413 3127 / +632 330 5897
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Photos and article by Ida Irigo
