Experiencing Kalanggaman Island
Part of discovering a new place is the journey, it took us around 3 hours to get to Palompon (jump-off point to the island) and another 45 minutes by boat to get to the island. The best things take time and a bit of difficulty to achieve.
It was a typical boat ride in any other island in the Philippines, thankfully our guide told us the sea was calm, however there were still rough parts that soaked half of the boat during the trip.
The cerulean waters and bone-white sand greeted us as the boat prepared to dock. It was business as usual in many beautiful tropical destinations I've seen around the country. However, the sight of a fetching beach never ceases to amaze me.
The local government prepared a short local dance number for our group of tour operators, media partners and members of the Tourism Promotion Board of the Philippines.
The sand isn't as fine as the beaches I've been to in Palawan but it was still beautiful in its own way. The long trip we took to get here was worth it.
The kayaks and paddle boats lined the shore as these two are just two of the activities visitors can do for the day.
I didn't waste time and headed straight for the farthest part of the sandbar. Too bad it was still high tide when I went exploring, the stretch of bone white sand as seen in the advertisements was not completely visible. The clear waters on both sides of the island were enticing to swim in and I didn't hesitate to do so. The dip in the bluish waters was a welcome relief because of the afternoon heat.
Looking at something like this never gets old; thankfully, there were no large groups of tourists on the island when we arrived. Kalanggaman has no resorts on it, only a handful of structures for picnics and toilets for tourists.
Our group released a turtle as part of the program, it wasn't just about discovering a place or appreciating a destination, the organizers wanted to do their part in conserving the ecosystem.
A race among shellfish/snails; there is an oxymoron somewhere there.
There were plenty of activities I could've participated in on the island, some of which include; diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boat and kayaking. However, I decided to just bum around the beach, wade in the water and wander some more.
The tide got low enough to see more of the sandbar emerging from the azure waters (perfect timing!). The snake-like shape of the bar and its white skin made for fetching photos.
Kalanggaman Island has several things going for it such as; it wasn't commercialized, there are no droves of tourists taking several pictures with their selfie sticks, clean and it remains relatively unspoilt despite gaining popularity.
The local government is doing a great job of limiting the number of tourists that visit the island as it only has a capacity of around 500 per day. This makes sure that the island remains clean and beautiful. One of the officials mentioned that they had to turn away tourists because they wanted to protect the island (kudos to them!). They understand the responsibility of conserving the environment, which in turn provides their municipality with jobs.
The local government created other attractions as alternatives to visitors who can't go to the island. They created an eco-park where tourists can go caving, rappelling, trekking and a bunch of other adventurous stuff.
Kalanggaman Island was dubbed as one of the best sandbars in the country, it was also part of the destinations list of some cruise ships that traveled to the Philippines.
Make this island your yearly destination to get away from the usual bustle of major tourist attractions around the country.
For more information about your trip to Kalanggaman Island contact:
Cleofe Paloma-Rivera
Municipal Tourism Officer
Mobile: 09173037267
Email: cleo_rivera@yahoo.com
Christopher Monteban
Booking Service Desk Officer
Mobile: 09173037269
For more information about your eco-adventures in Palompon contact:
Sheryl Cabahug
Event Facilitator
Mobil: 09165196873
Email: lgupalomponofficial@gmail.com
DISCLAIMER: I was part of a Familiarization Tour by the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines and Kalanggaman Island was part of the itinerary.