Bantayan × Kalanggaman

I've been to beaches of Boracay, Palawan, Camiguin, Panglao, Samal, Pagudpud ,and these were tagged to be our country's finest, but wait till you see Bantayan of Cebu and Kalanggaman of Leyte. You'll surely save a place for them on the top list.

We actually stayed in Cebu for 3 days, but I opt to blog about our Bantayan-Kalanggaman trip alone. We spent our last day at the South, in Kawasan falls. Ours was very tiring, so I won't suggest that you do that. You should spend at least two days in Bantayan and/or spend a night camping at Kalanggaman. Here's our jampacked itinerary for our Bantayan x Kalanggaman two-day trip for only 3,000 php ( for a group of 5, airfare excluded).

Day 1

5:45 am - ETA from MNL
6:00-6:20- Taxi from airport to North Terminal Bus (P60)
7:00-10:00 Bus to Hagnaya Port (P160)
10:30- 11:30 Ferry to Hagnaya to Sta. Fe Bantayan Island (P170)
Terminal fee (P10)

Mode of transportation in Bantayan are tricycles (P20), bicycles, and motorbikes. You can rent bikes and motorbikes at P150-P250 for a 24-hour use.

11:30-12:30 Check-in at hotel (P460)

There are a lot of cheap hotels in Sta. Fe. I suggest  that you choose those that are in the beachfront area, so you can enjoy the beach even at night. You can hire a tricycle to accompany you while looking for a place to stay or you can book ahead. In our case ,we like to see for ourselves the hotel/inn, you know, pictures are somewhat deceptive. Kuya Pabs, our driver,  brought us at Northville Inn, and we like the place. It is on the budget, it's clean and comfy, and we're the only guests. It feels like we own the place hihi.

1:00-2:00 pm Lunch (P130)

There are a lot of eat picks in MJ square, definitely a food hub. But if you can't find anything you like there, there are still a lot of restos nearby.

2:00-2:15 pm Sto. Nino Church

2:15-3:30pm Kota Beach (FREE!!!)
I need no words. The beauty of the beach will speak for itself.

3:30-5pm Ogtong Cave (P100)
Fee includes use of the swimming pool, stay at the beach and cave.

5:00-6pm Ob-ob Mangrove (P50)

6pm onwards
Relax at the beachfront of your hotel/inn. Food trip. Exchange stories. Enjoy each other's company.

8pm Dinner (P150)

Other expenses: P200 -trike rent for the whole day

Day 2

4:30-5:30- Freshen up
5:30 am- Trike to Bantayan Port (P20)
 Bread for breakfast (P20)
6:00-7:00am- Ferry from Bantayan to Hagnaya Port (P170)
Terminal fee (P10)
7:30- 8:00 am - Bus (P12) or trike (P30) to Bogo City terminal
8:00-8:30 am- Bogo Public Market
(P80 food for lunch)

There are no food establishments in Kalanggaman, no electricity and no water. So make sure you bring food and water with you. We bought cooked food at Tura Eatery, 'coz we're tamad to cook haha. There are cottages and tables for rent, but there are no rooms available. Water available at the comfort rooms are salt water (water from the sea).

There are no ports in Bogo City, but local fishermen have pump-boats that you can rent. Permits are also needed ,so you should book ahead of your travel. Palompon allows only 90 visitors per day and boatmen must have permits too. Usual rates are P7000-P8000 per boat. Luckily, a couple joined us yeeeeey 1k na lang bayad ('coz we're 5 in our group plus the couple, eh di 7 na kami)

Here's a contact number of our boatman
+63 905 154 5998

8:30-10:30 Pumpboat to Kalanggaman Island (P1000)
10:30am - 4:00pm ENJOY THE BEACH
(P150 Entrance fee)
(P65 table and chairs)

*none of the pictures were filtered and edited so you could see the real deal, pearl white shores and clear turquoise sea water.

4:00pm- 6pm Kalanggaman back to Bogo terminal
7:00-10:00pm Bogo to Cebu City proper (P135)

Total Expenses: P3170

I suggest that you should only choose between Southern Cebu or Northern Cebu ( well it depends on your allotted travel period) ,so you'd be able to really enjoy and embrace the place. In my case my friends are dying to see Kawasan Falls , so we decided to go South. But again, I warn you it's kinda tiring. You can visit Camotes Island and/or Malapascua Island instead. You can message me if you want a detailed itinerary of our Kawasan Falls adventure.

* I've been to Cebu for three times and every visit is amazingly beautiful and incomparable to the other. I'll be sharing you my Cebu City-Bohol and Southern Cebu-Duma-Siquijor trip on my next blogs.