3 Islands, One Trip - You Won't Believe it 'Til You Get There

Quezon Province is a home of beautiful beaches. I have seen a lot of blogs and Facebook posts featuring different islands and resorts. One word that can best describe these beaches – stunning. You might have seen a lot of posts about visiting 3 islands in one trip in Quezon. If you did and you are planning to visit these three islands in one trip, read through because there might be changes with the rates. If it’s your first time and so amazed to know the details how to visit the 3 islands in one trip, you are in the right page. I will give you the rates as of April 9, 2017 and the details how to go there by commuting and a bit of an idea as to what you should expect.

Borawan Island - the picturesque view

I am currently residing in Tanauan, Batangas, so we have to take the bus from Sto Tomas, Batangas. If you will be coming from Manila, there are buses from Cubao or LRT Buendia going to Lucena Grand Terminal. It’s better to have your trip early in the morning to avoid traffic. We waited at Sto Tomas bus stop around 3:20 AM and the bus arrived at 3:30 AM and left at 3:35 AM. It’s a long travel, which I expected, because it is not my first time going to Lucena. The reason why it is better to commute early in the morning because it is faster than usual plus for sure you’ll get a nice nap since it's still dark. Don’t worry of sleeping the whole trip in the bus because if you are riding a bus going to Lucena, Grand Terminal will be their last stop. We arrived in Grand Terminal at 5:20 AM which is almost 2 hours. You might want to have your breakfast there already. There are a lot of “turo-turo”. Fast food chains are also available like Chowking and Jollibee.

One of the buses going to Unisan

Look for the buses going to Unisan, this is cheaper than the vans going to Padre Burgos. The one who is manning the terminal advised us that the bus for Unisan leaves based on the time and not based on the number of passengers. We didn’t believe him at first because usually buses will wait for more passengers before leaving. He told us the bus will be leaving in 6:30 AM but to our surprise it left at 6:20 AM. Travel time is around 1 Hr to 1 Hr and 30 Min. We already have our contact for the boat rental, which you might want to do during summer time because she said a lot of people do their reservation. Advise the conductor that you are getting off May Ann’s Store in Brgy Morao. Ate Tess is our contact. Her phone number is 09777999719. Good thing about it is, we don’t need to bring cooking utensils as she already lent us those. You can also buy stuffs in her sari-sari store like charcoals, drinking water, drinks and more. It’s cheaper to buy your food and stuff there rather than buying those in the island - they are way too expensive.

Rock Formations in Borawan

Boat rental is only for Php 1,800 which is good for 10 persons. Borawan Island is the first island we visited which is only 10 minutes away. It’s so beautiful. I love the rock formations and the white sand of course. Though the water is not that clear and it was a season of jellyfishes. Don’t worry, there are swimming areas surrounded with nets to protect everyone from jellyfishes. There are also open cottages in the island. I was not able to get the exact rate but I think it's around Php 850 - Php 1250 depending on your stay if overnight or day trip. I'd rather you not to get one of those as it's a bit pricey not unless you really would like to have a shed the whole day. There are a lot of shady corners that you might want to look for so you can pitch your tent in a perfect spot. I saw light bulbs around the island, obviously lights are available at night, I'm just not sure until what time because we did not stay here 'til night. We only stayed there for more than 6 hours and we went to Dampalitan Island. Also, Borawan has the cleanliest CR than Dampalitan and Kwebang Lampas. There are people maintaining the CR's cleanliness. Though there are some shower rooms without door knobs or locks, you might want to ask someone to accompany you and man the door. 

The Other side of Dampalitan Island

Dampalitan Island, which is only 10 minutes away from Borawan, reminded me of Anawangin Cove in Zambales because of the trees you’ll see in the island. We also decided to spend the night in Dampalitan. It was low tide when we arrived and we were able to go to the other side of the island. The other side was even more beautiful, so quiet and peaceful. The view of the sunset was just perfect because of the long stretch of the shoreline during low tide. There are also lights around the island, though not that much. And these lights are on from 6PM until the sun rises. They also have cottages where you can stay and sleep, it has no doors but enough to give you comfort if you are not used to sleeping in the tent. Their cottages' price ranges from Php 850 to Php 1500. Don't be "maarte" with their CR's because most of those don't have locks and not that clean, plus the water you'll be using when you piss or drop your bomb is simply seawater. They have a separate shower rooms at the middle, which you have to pay for the water for bathing - Php 50 per container or Php 500 per drum. We did not swim because there's a lot of coral remains in the sea and the beach is kind a murky. But it was a well-spent night in Dampalitan - saw some fireflies. 

Dampalitan Island

We asked Kuya Allan to fetch us around 7AM for our next destination which is the Kwebang Lampas/Puting Buhangin. It was called Kwebang Lampas because of the cave near the shore. Sad to say that there are already a lot of vandals inside, let’s not add to those please. A lot of people always visit this island because it’s easier to go to and no need for you to rent a private boat as there is another way to go there, if you prefer to visit only this island. I still can remember my first experience in Kwebang Lampas as the beach was already crowded, as in, which I expected because it was a Holy Week. We only stayed there for a swim less than an hour and went inside the cave. Kwebang Lampas has the finest white sand.

Kwebang Lampas

We took a bath in Ate Tess’ place as it’s cheaper than having it in Kwebang Lampas. We then waited in front of her store for a bus going back to Lucena Grand Terminal. This is the saddest part, you’ll feel it the same way as I did, because back to normal AGAIN, WORK! Once you are already in the Grand Terminal, look for the buses going to Cubao/LRT Buendia. Don’t forget to buy Rodilla’s Yema Cake as your pasalubong. They are awesome. Just make sure to check the expiration date because sometimes it is the next day which means you have to consume it on that same day. 

Enjoy your trip! See below for the rates and expenses:

Bus going to Lucena from Manila (vice versa): Php 200 – 220

Bus from Lucena to Padre Burgos (vice versa): Php 35

Private Boat for 3 Islands: Php 1800

Private Boat for Borawan: Php 800

Private Boat for Borawan and Dampalitan: Php 1200

Private Boat for 3 Island plus Sand Bar: Php 2500 (We did not visit the sand bar as we feel it’s a bit expensive)

Borawan Island (Day Trip):

Entrance Fee: Php 150 per head

Tent Space (Small): Php 200

Kwebang Lampas (Day Trip):

Entrance Fee (Day Trip): Php 80

Dampalitan Island (Overnight):

Entrance Fee: Php 100

Tent Space (Small): Php 200

Bon Fire: Php 100

Water for Bathing: Php 500 per drum or Php 50 per container