Aside from the scorching heat that is sometimes too hot to handle, summer is my favorite time of the year, but oops, stop being judgmental, haha. It’s my favorite time of the year right after Christmas season ofcourse (oha!). Summer is also a great excuse for some of us to go out and travel.
Through the booming online popularity of what Aloguinsan can offer, together with some colleagues, we decided to see for ourselves what the fuss about this place is all about. Our first stop was the Bojo River Cruise which was so worth it and we really had a great time, I recommend you to try checking it out too. Next on our list is the Hermit’s Cove which is actually what I am looking forward right after we planned this trip.
FAST FACT
Hermit’s Cove is located in Barangay Kantabogon, Aloguinsan, just roughly around 2.4 kilometers away from the Bojo River Nature Reserve Area.
SAFETY
The place is run by BAETAS and there’s some few people at the beach area, though I’m not really sure if you can call them a lifeguard. But they are the ones who will escort you to some cottages available where you can stay. Once in a while, there’s also some local police doing a roving at the place.
The tourists are also advised to look after themselves and proceed with extra caution with their belongings.
There’s some few jellyfish in the water, so please be extra cautious while swimming at the beach.
OUR EXPERIENCE
We we’re still “love drunk” with our experience at the Bojo River Cruise so even if the road that will take you to this wonderful paradise is like a trip to h*ll, plus the scorching heat of the sun (which I want to highlight that it was doubled when we reached the place), it didn’t dissuade our intention.
Unfortunately, we went there on a weekend so the place is on hype. There’s an area allocated as a parking lot, but unfortunately we didn’t get a slot. So we just candidly parked our private vehicle a few meters away from the entrance area.
Upon reaching the place, my expectations didn’t betray me at all and I also confirmed that the pictures I saw online weren’t edited. This place is simply a paradise. The beach is somewhat smaller in size than the Alona Beach that I’ve once visited but no one can deny how beautiful this place is.
Before you reach the beach front, you need to take 88 steps from the entrance area. The place was crowded and there’s no available cottage so we only had one table. What’s also discouraging is that there’s only a few shades in the area where you can put your table, so we only settled on the area a few meters away from the stairs.
As what I’ve highlighted above, the heat was doubled when we’re at the Hermit’s Cove so it was really tempting not to dip on the water and just enjoy the comfort the shade has to offer. Fortunately for me, I was wearing a rashguard so the heat wouldn’t toast me to death. Together with some friends, we plunge at the water, and mind you, I instantly forgot about the frying heat because of the cold water that embraces me when I dipped into the water.
Just like our swim at the Bojo River, the water at the Hermit’s Cove isn’t that salty at all so having an eye strain wouldn’t be a problem at all.
The cove also offers white sand so I’m sure it would be fun playing beach volleyball in there.
For more of my photos, you can view it in our Flickr account.
FACILITIES
The place has only two comfort rooms (one for females, and one for male) and two changing area. But you need to pay 5 per pail for the water.
There’s also a small stall where you can buy refreshments. They have free cottages and tables if there are no more cottages available.
The cove has free parking area, and a small nipa hut that serves as an entrance area where they facilitate a short orientation before going to the beach.
GETTING THERE
As of this March 2016, all bookings and transactions should be made directly to the Tourism Office.
The travel guide below is just like what I written on my post about the Bojo River Cruise.
Through Private Vehicle
- We actually didn’t have a complete guide on how to get there. But on an article that we read online, we found out that there’s two ways on how to get there. It’s through a long cut, and a short cut. And ofcourse, we took the short one, which is through Naga, Carcar and then Aloguinsan.
- The easier and recommended track would be the one that we had, which was the short one. You need to drive from your destination until you reach Carcar city. The landmark would be the Gaisano Mall. Before you hit the mall, you should turn on the right side, which is showed at the map below.
- This one is an easy peasy because you’ll just go straight, until you reach a sign bearing both Mantaluyoc and Bojo River. And ofcourse, you’ll need to go right and proceed to Bojo River.
- A few minutes, you’ll see a sign board welcoming you to the farmhouse, and that’s where you’ll be heading first.
- You need to pay an entrance fee of 100 per person which includes a free cottage.
- After paying, you need to hire a habal-habal (motorbike) to get you the Hermit’s Cove. I have to remind you, the road there is quite narrow and is not all cemented.
Through Public Vehicle/Bus
- The first step would be going to the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) and rode a bus that is heading to Aloguinsan. If you’re in a hurry and there’s no available bus that is heading to Aloguinsan, you can freely rode a bus that is bound to Pinamungajan and from there, you can take a habal-habal (motorbike) to take you to Aloguinsan Farmhouse.
- If you are riding a bus to Aloguinsan, your drop off point would be the Farmhouse which can easily be detected for its signboard is just at the side of the street. Or you can just tell the bus driver or bus conductor to drop you off at Aloguinsan Farmhouse.
- You need to pay an entrance fee of 100 per person which includes a free cottage.
- After paying, you need to hire a habal-habal (motorbike) to get you the Hermit’s Cove. I have to remind you, the road there is quite narrow and is not all cemented.
TRAVEL TIPS
- If you commute to Hermit’s Cove by habal-habal (motorbike), you can ask them to come back for you at a later time (set a specific time or just ask his mobile number) to avoid the probability of being stranded at the place.
- Taking the shortest route to the place which is via Carcar is the safest and easiest way to go. There’s no traffic, though the road is somewhat small. But overall, your travel estimate would be just 30-45 minutes from Carcar Gaisano Mall to Aloguinsan.
- If you want more peace while visiting, it is advisable to go there on a weekdays.
- Hermit’s Cove is open until 5PM only. Camping and overnight stays are no longer allowed to preserve the place.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Place: Hermit’s Cove
- Location: Kantabogon Rd., Aloguinsan Cebu
- Ticket price: Php100 per person
- Date of the trip: April 2016
