DATE OF TRAVEL:
March 28-29, 2013
PLANNING YOUR
TRIP
 |
| (A) Naga City; (B) Paracale; (C) Calaguas Island Photo generated using https://maps.google.com/ |
GETTING THERE
(Getting to Calaguas from Naga City)
(Rates are as of April 2013)
Lakwatsero has a well-written guide on
how to get to Calaguas. There are actually 2 jump-off points in going to
Calaguas. When I first went there, our entry point was Vinzons. If coming from
Naga City, this would be a more convenient route. But because of a bad
experience in dealing with the boatmen there, add to that a longer travel time
in rough seas (~3 hours), we opted on our succeeding visits to go via the
Paracale route despite the longer land travel.
Via Paracale
1. Van from Naga City (Camarines Sur) to Daet
(Camarines Norte)
Terminal: Naga City Van Terminal, in front of SM Naga
Travel time: 2 hours
Fare: 200php
2. Van from Daet to Paracale
·
Be aware of the last trip from Paracale going
back to Daet, when we inquired we were told it was at 3pm
Terminal: Daet Van Terminal
Travel time: 45minutes
Fare: 65php
3. Boat from Paracale to Calaguas
·
Our boatman (Mang Boy) has available tents for
rent. He was also nice to let us use their bathroom to wash and freshen up
before heading back to Naga City
Travel time: 2 ½ hours
Fare: 3000 - 3500php for 6pax
Contact Person: Mang Boy 0908-546-0683
ACCOMMODATION
As of writing, there are no
commercial establishments in the island and you will need to bring your own
camping gear. They have rustic bathroom and toilets but you will need to pump your
own water and costs 10php/pail.
HOW MUCH WE
SPENT
Group (6pax)
|
Per Pax (From Naga City)
|
|
Transport
a.
Naga to Daet,vv
b.
Daet to Paracale, vv
c.
Boat Paracale to Calaguas
d.
Transfers, etc
|
400
|
|
130
|
||
3000
|
500
|
|
50
|
||
Camp Fee (Entrance Fee 75php + Barangay Fee 20php)
|
95
|
|
Tent Rental (3pax)
|
150
|
50
|
Food
|
1500
|
250
|
TOTAL
|
-
|
~1,500/PAX
|
HELPFUL LINKS
NOTES
“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints,
kill nothing but time”.
This was the site that greeted me while taking a stroll along the beach.
This was the site that greeted me while taking a stroll along the beach.
Angkulet has written a compelling post on
what unregulated tourism can do to Calaguas. I don’t mind the fact that a lot
of people finally discovered this hidden paradise, or that instead of waves
crashing, you hear party music blasting from other campers all night, or that
we couldn’t find a place to pitch our tent because of the crowd. But
irresponsibly leaving your trash after a drinking session is just too much. 2
years ago, Calaguas was a haven (see Calaguas: For Noob Campers). We were sharing
the shores with only 3 other campers. This time around, I was picking up trash
and cigarette butts left and right. Calaguas is still beautiful, but what’s
alarming is the direction to where Calaguas is headed, and at a fast rate at
that. I hope as travelers we can be more
responsible with our trash and I hope their LGU can soon set up policies that could
regulate the influx of tourists.
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