Zambales: Summary and Boat Rental Rates

SUMMARY

Out of the four destinations in Zambales, we were only able to visit three because of the strong waves. We literally just sailed pass Camara Island because it was high tide, then we went straight to Capones Island.

Obviously, the main attraction in Capones is its lighthouse, which is situated at the top of the hill. There are two routes to reach the lighthouse. The easier route was inaccessible because of the rough waves, so we had no choice but to take the longer and more difficult route. Nevertheless, it was a great adventure. It took us more than one hour of uphill and downhill trek, often passing rocky pathway, before we reached the beautiful lighthouse of Capones.

The guardians of Capones Island.

We trekked back to our boat, then we headed to Anawangin Cove. I believe it was already around 4 to 5 PM when we reached the cove. We had our tents set up, and prepared our very late lunch/dinner. We pre-arranged with our boatman-contact the rental of three of their tents. Each one can accommodate 2 to 3 people.

Early the next day, our boat fetched us, then we went to Nagsasa Cove which is about 30-45 minutes away from Anawangin Cove. Except for some locals, we were the only occupants of Nagsasa that time.

The weather was just perfect when we reached Nagsasa Cove. The sun was not harsh at all. The mountain backdrop adds to the beauty of the place. After playing several team games, we decided to leave the area before lunch time.

There are two ways to go back to Manila. In the town of San Antonio, you can either take a bus that goes directly to Manila (warning: bus is almost always full), or you can take a bus which goes to Olongapo (small and non-A/C) . And from there, you can take another bus bound for Manila.


BOAT RENTAL RATES

Big Boat
fare per head (maximum of 10 pax)
whole day or overnight

Pundaquit to Camara                                   150 pesos
Pundaquit to Capones                                  200 pesos
Pundaquit to Anawanging Cove                    200 pesos
Pundaquit to Talisayin Cove                         300 pesos
Pundaquit to Nagsasa Cove                         400 pesos
Pundaquit to Silangin Cove                          600 pesos

Island Hopping                                             300 pesos
(Camara, Capones, Anawangin)


Small Boat
1 to 4 persons (per trip)
whole day or overnight


Pundaquit to Camara                                   750 pesos
Pundaquit to Capones                                 1000 pesos
Pundaquit to Anawanging Cove                   1000 pesos
Pundaquit to Talisayin Cove                        1500 pesos
Pundaquit to Nagsasa Cove                        1800 pesos
Pundaquit to Silangin Cove                          2500 pesos

Island Hopping                                             1500 pesos
(Camara, Capones, Anawangin)

Here is the list of entries on our overnight Zambales trip:

I.     How to Go and What to Bring to Anawangin Cove

II.    Camara Island and Capones Island

III.   Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove

IV.  Summary, and Boat Rental Rates

Read more >>>

Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove: Beach Activities

ANAWANGIN COVE

Anawangin Cove is a popular destination site for campers and beach goers. It is interesting to note that the Agoho trees, which are abundant in the cove, only started to appear after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the early 1900s, and that the cove is mostly composed of volcanic ash and sand.

Trivia: One of the location shoots of the Bea Alonzo-Derek Ramsey starrer, And I Love You So, is Anawangin Cove.

It is surprising that there are only a few groups of campers who were there. It was March, and a weekend at that, but the situation works to our advantage, anyway.

It wasn't actually thaaaat dark when we reached Anawangin, but after setting up our tents, and helping cook our late lunch/dinner, I decided to take a nap, only to awaken that it was already almost nighttime.

Here are two of my favorite bonfire photos:

NAGSASA COVE

Nagsasa Cove has been overshadowed by Anawangin Cove in terms of popularity. Common reason for this is its location: it is almost twice the distance of Anawangin from Pundaquit. But for me, that fact is actually the beauty of Nagsasa. Its remoteness brings a feeling of exclusivity to its visitors. In fact, when we went there, we were the only group of tourists in the cove.

The beautiful backdrop of Nagsasa Cove is mesmerizing. The colors of the grassy mountain spell out serenity.

Things to do in Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove

1.  Camping. Show us what you learned during your Boy Scout/Girl Scout days.

2.  Island Hopping. Aside from Camara and Capones Islands, and Anawangin and Nagsasa Coves, there's Talisayin and Silangin Coves as well.

3. Skimboarding.

4. Frisbee. Play frisbee ala-Derek.

5. Photography. Now's the time to hone your landscape photography skills. And why not bring along your model-friends for portraiture shots.

6. Trek to Capones Light house. Take the longer route. Seriously.

7. Trek Mount Pundaquit. Always consider the weather should you decided to do this, guys. Safety should always be a priority.

8. Swimming. Obviously. :-)


Here is the list of entries on our overnight Zambales trip:

I.     How to Go and What to Bring to Anawangin Cove
II.    Camara Island and Capones Island
III.   Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove
IV.  Summary, and Boat Rental Rates

Read more >>>

Zambales: Camara Island and Capones Island

Karla, at the top of the light house in Capones Island.

CAMARA ISLAND
The waves were a little bit rough that we decided to skip Camara Island. It is the one nearest to Pundaquit, and it appears to be a big lump of rock in the middle of the sea. The boatman told us that there's supposed to be a tiny sandbar had it not been for the high tide that time.

Trivia 1: The TVC for San Marino corned tuna was shot in Camara Island.


CAPONES ISLAND
This island is popular for its lighthouse, Faro de Punta Capones or the Capones Lighthouse. It has been used to guide ships in the bays of Subic and Manila.

Since there were strong waves, our boat was docked at the far end of the island instead of the one nearest the light house. I could remember that two years earlier, it was an easy trek to the lighthouse. But this time, since we took a different route, the trek was even more challenging, and quite dangerous, actually.

Since the lighthouse is located at the top of the hill, braving the steep parts of Capones is expected.

We passed by this area where a whole lot of slippers, shoes, and empty bottles were washed ashore.

It was a fun and easy trek at first. We were all smiles. We took our time taking pictures. But wait 'til the going gets so tough. 

A quick uphill walk led us to this great view of the sea.

And then suddenly, we felt the scorching heat of the sun.
And the trek was just starting then.

We also headed down, then we started to walk at the side of the island.

The pathway is mostly rocks, so it is advisable to wear durable flip-flops. Bring bottled water too as the heat of the sun can be unbearable. And I do hope you already applied sunblock even when you were still at the shores of Pundaquit.

I thought there's someone at the top of the hill looking at us. Everyone got excited and headed toward its direction.

We were comforted by the presence of these men. The government owns the island, and these men were assigned as guardians of Capones. Their presence gave us hope that the light house is nearby. But is it?

Jiggs gave up and decided to stay with the military men. And again, the rest of us trekked in rocky pathway.

Uphill trek again. That only means one thing, we're all going up, finally, towards the lighthouse. But what's scary were the people going down. Not careful enough, I saw fresh scratches and bruises in their knees and legs.

After more than an hour of trek (at least it felt that long), finally, the Capones Lighthouse! Was it worth it? Hell, yes! We took the longer, steeper, more dangerous route, it should better be worth it.

What I appreciate even more is the view at the back of the lighthouse. It gave me a sense of serenity seeing the blue waters below,
and the landscapes of Pundaquit from afar.

We basically took the same route back to our boat. And may I tell you, we did the trek all by ourselves (yes, no tour guides or boat men to assist us, and that actually made me wonder: Is it not part of the boat fee?). Anyway, manong ice drop is an angel. Even if his ice drops are worth three times its original price, I still consumed two.

Trivia 2: Check out the music of "Get Me" of MYMP. At the back is actually the islands of Camara and Capones.

And then we headed to Anawangin.

Here is the list of entries on our overnight Zambales trip:

I.     How to Go and What to Bring to Anawangin Cove

II.    Camara Island and Capones Island

III.   Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove

IV.  Summary, and Boat Rental Rates

Read more >>>

Zambales: How to Get There and What to Bring

I have been on a balikan Anawangin trek in 2010, and I never regretted not to camp overnight because of the unavailability of acceptable comfort rooms there. This time, my friends from my Spanish class wanted to get together after we’re done with our Level 1 in class.

There were other suggested places like Potipot (also in Zambales) or Cagbalete (in Quezon), but when the idea of Anawangin surfaced and I was against it, it was automatic for the group to choose the latter. Asaran lang. LOL!

It was an easy trip since two members of the group have been there before, and the four island destinations are quite near each other. The challenge for me is the overnight stay in a tent. It was an ambivalent feeling actually since the idea of sleeping under the faint light of the moon and the starry skies is a first time for me (well, except for some drunken college moments where I woke up in the beach).

There were eight of us: Karla (my workmate who was also with me in Sagada), siblings Francis, Bryan, and Minette, officemates Nash and Jiggs, and pretty Lai (nyeh!).

HOW TO GO TO ANAWANGIN

• Catch a Victory Liner bus going to Iba, Zambales. You can go to either their Caloocan or Pasay terminals.

• Tell the cashier that you are dropping off at San Antonio. Bus fare is around 260-280 pesos, and travel time is 3 to 4 hours.

• At San Antonio, take a tricycle that will bring you to Pundaquit. It costs about 20-25 pesos each, and it takes around 15-20 minutes to reach your destination.

• There are actually a lot of resorts in Pundaquit. But for those who want to camp out and stay overnight either in Anawangin Cove or Nagsasa Cove, there are a lot of boats available there. You can even ask the tricycle driver for a referral. 

• There were no standard fixed rates when we went there, so basically we paid 4,000 pesos for a big banca which can accommodate 8-12 persons. That is already good for four destinations: Camara Island, Capones Island, Anawangin Cove, and Nagsasa Cove.

T    TIP: Buy your bus tickets early and be at the terminal early. You also have to consider the travel time by bus. If you plan to stay in a resort in Pundaquit, text the resort manager your expected time of arrival. If you plan to go camping in Anawangin, you have to consider that bankeros do not leave Pundaquit and go island hopping very early. Safety is still a priority.

WHAT TO BRING

You have to understand that prior to going to Anawangin, I have this fear which I got from too much reading of mountaineering blogs. Due to  unexpected weather conditions, there were those who got trapped in the mountains of Anawangin. You see, aside from reaching the cove through boat you can also reach there through hiking. There were several unfortunate circumstances that happened to some mountaineers at different occasions, and I don't want to add to the increasing number of human casualties.

And before I scare people off from going to Anawangin, I have listed here the essential things to bring to survive an overnight camping trip to the cove:

1. Tent. Good if any of you planning to camp has one. But to save you the burden of carrying a lot of things, you can rent tents from the bankeros for 300 to 500 pesos depending on the tent's size. Usually, medium size tents can accommodate 3 persons, and large ones can accommodate about  5. But if you have long-term plans of camping out in different locations (climbing mountains, etc.), I believe it's better to buy your own.

2. Bottled Water. Big ones. Almost everything that is being sold in Anawangin is priced twice.

3. Food. Buy those that are easy to prepare such as cup noodles, and canned goods. If you're staying for just one night, you can also bring freshly-cooked food that's not going to spoil easily (think adobo).

4. Flashlight, Lighter, Matches, Candles. Just anything that produces light and fire. This is especially helpful  when you intend to cook for lunch, and bonfire at night. We actually cooked our lunch/dinner in Anawangin, and we just bought wood from the locals (about 50 pesos a bundle).

5. Multi-Purpose Knife. It can open your canned goods, your soda and beer bottles, and even wine bottles.

6. Personal Necessities. Basically soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, baby cologne, depending on whatever ritual you have. But never forget: Sunblock and Mosquito Repellant.


Good News! There is great improvement in the comfort rooms in Anawangin. One, it's already in plural form (I was so overwhelmed I forgot to count how many exactly. Maybe six.). Two, it's cemented. Three, there's plenty of running water. It's not anymore ancient like the first time I went there in 2010. I'm already in tears na naman knowing that. LOL!



Here is the list of entries on our overnight Zambales trip:

I.     How to Go and What to Bring to Anawangin Cove
II.    Camara Island and Capones Island
III.   Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove
IV.  Summary, and Boat Rental Rates

Read more >>>