Surviving Caramoan
After traveling for an hour from Virac town proper, we made it to Codon Port, our jump-off point to Caramoan. A German tourist joined us on the trip, but she alighted when we reached the closest town in Caramoan. The trip took two hours but it was worth it! Caramoan was the location of Survivor Philippines before they changed locations to Cagayan. Upon first glance, Caramoan reminded me of El Nido, but it has its own charm.
Matukad Island
After traveling for around two hours by boat we finally arrived in one of the islands in Caramoan. The first island we visited was Matukad, this island is popular because of the secret lagoon hidden behind a limestone cliff.
Aside from the secret lagoon, the beach on Matukad had fine white sand and clear, blue waters. The island was a nice place to relax in and just enjoy nature.
Climbing up the limestone cliff to see the secret lagoon was quite strenuous but worth the effort. There was a large bangus swimming inside the lagoon. Our boatman John said that there used to be two bangus swimming in the lagoon, but someone caught one of the fish and ate it, but the family that ate it all died.
Lahos Island
Lahos Island was our next stop. The beach and limestone combo was picturesque. I took a dip into the calm waters and just wilted time on the beach.
After visiting two islands in Caramoan, I was surprised by how few people were there. A handful of foreign toursits and even fewer local ones were present. Our boatman told us that peak season will shift into high gear by late March to June, right after school.
Tayak Island
Tayak Island was the third island we visited. The beach was pristine and the waters were calm with a tinge of blue and green.
The view was simply awesome, the large limestone and the emerald waters and no people, magnifique!
Tayak Island was one of the sites where Survivor was shot. We could still see the remains of the camp.
The beach wasn't the main attraction of the island, we were led inland, and after a few meters we were greeted by a lake.
The green colored lake was serene and nice to swim in. No people except for two locals fishing!
We listened to the stories by our boatman, he was more than willing to talk about life in Catanduanes. He said that only lazy people would get hungry living in their province. People had what we Filipinos called bayanihan wherein everyone in the community helped each other out in times of need. Since most people in their province were farmers or fishermen, they were more than willing to share their food to anyone in need.
Katanhawan Island
Caramoan's raw beauty is what makes this destination so intriguing. The rough waters and the scarred limestone cliffs mix harmoniously with the blue waters. Despite the clearness and blueness of the water, the waves crashed on the shore's face furiously, beautifully.
Although the sand was not fine, the rawness of nature is on full display.
Yes! Katanhawan Island was one of the locations where Survivor Caramoan took place. Remnants of the camp were left behind. We looked at every piece and pretended to be one of the survivors on the show. They used rocks to crack shells for food.
Pitogo Island
The last island we visited, Pitogo, was one unique island. Instead of sand the beach had rocks for sand. The boat docked on the opposite side of the rocky beach. The island had two faces, one rocky the other one sandy.
Looking at the blue waters was mesmerizing. The clearness of the water contrasted beautifully with the strong waves pushing against the shore.
How to Get to Caramoan
Caramoan is beautiful in its own way. We took the easier route to get to Caramoan, through Virac, Catanduanes. We took a jeep bound for San Andres in Virac for P25. From the San Andres terminal, we hired a tricycle to take us to Codon Port for P150. Before we went to Caramoan, we contacted John to arrange an island hopping tour for us for P3,000 to five islands (listed above). His number is 09193031181. The price varies depending on the size of the group and the number of islands you'd want to visit. It is best to start early so that the waves aren't too rough when the island hopping tour starts, we started before 8AM, left Virac before 7AM.
Alternatively, you can take a bus to Naga from Manila then ride a van from the Naga terminal to get to Caramoan. You can negotiate the price of the island hopping tour from the hotel in Caramoan proper.
