I dedicate this post to my
late mother who has dreamed of going to Batanes. She passed away last February
2011 and unfortunately, she has never seen the province. All that changed on
December 26, 2015. We have crossed out Batanes now, Mama! This one’s for you! J
Batanes has been my dream destination for as long as I can remember.
The wonderful pictures I see on books and blogs never fail to amaze me. Most
of all, the idea that there are few tourists (as compared to other sites in the
Philippines) that have been to the province makes the islands more mysterious. A
mystery that’s waiting to be discovered!
My and my late mother’s greatest dream was turned into a reality
when I got tickets to Batanes thanks to my friend Ate Reina (Thank you Ate!). I
couldn’t contain my excitement when I boarded the plane on December 26, 2015!
(Yes, important dates like this will never be forgotten).
GETTING THERE
SkyJet and Philippine Airlines offer flights going to Batanes. One
must take note that there are only morning flights going to Basco (the capital
of Batanes). So plan your itineraries accordingly!
Every traveler’s biggest hurdle in traveling to Batanes is the
plane ticket. I won’t lie, it is indeed expensive, sometimes even more
expensive than international destinations. But don’t fret! Just keep a watchful
eye on seat sales and you can score round trip tickets for as low as 800 PHP*!
For my solo trip to Batanes, I flew via Philippine Airlines.
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| Basco Lighthouse |
GOING AROUND
There are several options for a traveler to tour Batanes: hire a
tricycle, rent a motorbike or go on a tour.
Hiring tricycles have rates depending on the sites you want to go
to. You may negotiate the price with the tricycle driver. From the information
I have gathered from fellow travelers, a North Batan tour (Batan being the
island where Basco is located) may cost 1500 PHP**.
Renting motorbikes, on the other hand, have varying rates. Again,
from the information I have gathered from fellow travelers I met during my
stay, it can be for a fixed price where you can choose whether gas is included
or not. This would range from 1500-2000 PHP per day**.
Since I was alone and I wanted to meet more people plus I do not
know how to ride a motorbike, I chose the hassle-free option: I joined a tour.
This was the best option for me because the tours are handled by locals. Not
only do you help on the local tourism but you are also toured by people who know the places well.
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| With Sir Ryan of BISUMI Tours (left) and Kuya Ronnie, our triycle driver (right) |
I chose BISUMI Tours because of good feedback from bloggers and
friends. It’s a relatively young tour agency which is less than a year old and
is handled by Mr. Ryan Cardona. I was lucky enough to meet him when he became
my tour guide on my third day in Batanes!
The tour package I availed included land and boat transfers, hosted
lunch, tour guide and tour fees. For inquiries on tour packages, you may reach
BISUMI Tours through the following numbers:
0919 279 5963
0915 803 4582
FYI Time! The main mode of transportation around Basco is tricycle. There
are no public utility jeepneys. However, getting a tricycle is a bit difficult.
When you go out on the streets, you would rarely see a tricycle driving around
town.
So how do you go around town during your free time? Apart from
walking, you can contact the tricycle association (TODA) via call or text. GrabTrike: Batanes edition.
TODA – 0929 703 8404
There’s a fixed price for the fare depending on the distance from
the city proper. If you would just ride a tricycle within the city, it would
cost 30 PHP.
ACCOMMODATION
There are several lodges or inns found in Basco. But another option
you have are homestays. I chose the latter because it is cheaper and it gave me
more opportunities to interact with locals: my host family.
For my trip, I stayed in Berlen Lodge. A fan room for one costs 350
PHP per night. There are also aircon rooms available but for a windy December
night, a fan room would be fine.
You may contact Berlen Lodge thru Nanay Ellen at this number 0920
478 4003.
THE GREATEST DREAM TOUR
On with the tour! Batanes has three inhabited islands: Batan (where
the capital Basco is located), Sabtang and Itbayat (the northernmost island).
During my stay, I got to tour North and South Batan and Sabtang.
Itbayat can also be included in your itinerary but you have to allot
a long stay in Batanes since unpredictable sea conditions can sometimes make a
traveler stranded on the island. Or sometimes, there would be no trips to
Itbayat at all.
North Batan Tour
On the afternoon of my first day in Batanes, I toured the North part
of Batan island. I also met a fellow traveler Mai who joined me in the tour.
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| Having lunch in Vunong Dinette with Mai |
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| Vunong |
I had my first meal in Batanes in Vunong Dinette. Vunong is the way
Ivatans pack their meals by wrapping food in leaves.
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| At Mt. Carmel Chapel |
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| At Fundacion Pacita |
I also got to see Fundacion Pacita, which is a luxurious
accommodation in Batanes. A night in this place could cost from 9000 PHP to as
high as around 15 000 PHP! I’m fine with taking pictures outside.
The profit earned from Fundacion Pacita actually goes to a
foundation that funds the education of young Ivatans. So when you spend a
luxurious stay in Fundacion, your money’s going to a good cause J
Kung-Fu and Meditation at Valugan Boulder Beach :))
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| At Vayang Rolling Hills |
The highlight of my North Batan tour is the Vayang Rolling Hills. I
was in complete awe to see the hills and the wonderful view of the ocean and
the sunset. It was frustrating that I couldn’t capture the beauty of the place
with my camera phone. Indeed, pictures couldn’t even justify how beautiful
Batanes is! To see is to believe!
More Vayang Rolling Hills photos
South Batan Tour
I spend the whole day of my second day in Batanes touring the
southern part of Batan island. I joined a group of four people that day so yay
for new friends!
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| With my tourmates on my South Batan tour |
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| Heidi feels |
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| At San Carlos Borromeo Church |
Inside the San Carlos Borromeo Church is a blank book archive. A
tourist can write whatever they want in those blank books and their memoirs
will forever be stored in that archive in Batanes. Of course, I didn’t miss the
opportunity to write!
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| The Blank Book Archive |
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| Find me on book number 93 :) |
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| One of the oldest stone houses in the town of Ivana: The House of Dakay |
With zero crime rate, Batanes is famous for the Ivatan’s trait of
being kind and most of all, honest. I got to see the famous Honesty Coffee Shop
where you can buy souvenirs and some pastries. You wouldn’t see any cashier or
staff manning the place. You have to be honest and pay the amount of the
souvenirs you got by dropping the bills in a dropbox.
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| This is where you pay. Pay the exact amount! |
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| Honesty Coffee Shop |
I got to see the Motchong Viewpoint and the Alapad Hill. For the
Filipino movie savvy, this is where the famous scene of “i-Dawn Zulueta mo ako” actually took place.
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| Alapad Rock Formation |
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| Dawn Zueleta hits. No one to Dawn Zulueta with :( |
And of course, I ended my second day with the breathtaking view of
Marlboro Country Hills!
Sabtang Island
I was in complete shock to find out I’ll be on a solo tour in
Sabtang with the one and only owner of BISUMI tours Mr. Ryan Cardona! I felt
like a VIP haha!
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| Boarding the boat going to Sabtang. See the rainbow on the horizon |
I woke up extra early and left Berlen’s at 6AM to catch the boat
going to Sabtang. When we got to the island, it was drizzling and windy. The
sky showed no signs of clearing up. But even though the weather was a bit unfavorable,
we still went on with the tour. Even with gray skies, Batanes was still
OH.SO.WONDERFUL.
Chamantad-Tinyan
Get your hobbit feels on and be transported to Mordor with a glimpse
of Chamantad-Tinyan point. Even though the wind was blowing REALLY hard (it was
literally strong enough to push me while I was walking), I felt like I was in a
Lord of the Rings scene just seeing the view.
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| Wearing the Vakul |
One highlight of my Sabtang trip is when I got to rent and wear a
Vakul. This is the headgear used by Ivatans to protect themselves from the
strong wind, rain and sun.
I also got to be see how the Ivatans make these said headgears.
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| Vakul Weaving |
Free day
After three days of touring, I had my fourth and final day in
Batanes as a free day to go around. I found out that my host family, Nanay
Ellen and her husband, owned a farm and they supply vegetables and root crops
to markets in Basco. And so after much convincing, Nanay Ellen let me join her
in harvesting some of their crops. I got to learn how to harvest sweet potato
(locally called Wakay) and some cabbages (repolyo).
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| Harvesting Wakay (see the flying wakay on the right LOL) |
Nanay Ellen insisted she takes pictures of me harvesting! What a fun
experience it was.
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| Harvesting cabbages |
I also got to go swimming on a beach called Chanarian,
which is a few minutes from the city proper. I had the whole beach to myself!
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| Self-timer mode on |
For dinner, I enjoyed home cooked adobo with my new found traveler
friends Grace and Kuya Rommel and the staff of Marfel’s Lodge. Found myself
lodge hopping haha!
Sadly, I had to leave this paradise to head back to Manila. However,
I promised everyone including all my tour guides and my host family that I will
surely come back to Batanes. Hopefully next time, I could bring my family,
friends or who knows, maybe even a special someone J.
EXPENSES
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Above is my breakdown of expenses during my 4-days, 4-nights stay in
Batanes. Take note that my expenses DOES NOT include my airfare (which costs 9000
PHP, expensive I know L).
Just my two cents, you can lower the costs of food if you choose to
cook your own meals during your stay. Most homestays and lodges let tourists
cook their own meals for an additional fee (for using the stove and gas, of
course).
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Of course, my greatest dream tour will not be possible without all
the people who helped me on achieving my trip to Batanes!
Reina Salazar
Revee Rapallo
Janella Salamania
BISUMI tours and Mr. Ryan Cardona
And to all the people I have met during my stay in Batanes and made
my trip even more memorable. A BIG, BIG THANK YOU! J <3
My host family: Nanay Ellen and her husband
Mai, Grace, Kuya Rommel, Kuya Benny, Ate Theresa, Ate Lyssan and all
the people I met during my tours.
The tour guides of BISUMI
The staff of Marfel’s Lodge
And of course to my dad and my family for being so supportive of my
travels J
*info based on blogs I have read that availed SkyJet’s piso fair
**info I have gathered from
fellow travelers that availed of the tricycle/ motorbike rental.
