NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

In Summary

People: Warm, Friendly and Helpful

Language: English and Filipino

Dialect: Waray, Abaknon

Budget: PhP 4,000

Time Frame: 4 days

Kind of Trip: Relaxed

Itinerary

Day 1

10 AM departure from Cubao

Day 2

12 MN arrival at Matnog

130 AM departure of ferry from Matnog

315 AM arrival at Allen Port (Dapdap or Looc)

545 AM departure of jeepney from the Allen terminal to Catarman

6 AM Lavezares

8 AM departure of pumpboat at Lavezares going to Biri

9 AM Biri port

Biri Town and Rock Formation Tour

Overnight stay

Day 3

730 AM departure of pump boat from Biri to Lavezares

830 AM Lavezares

930 AM Looc port, Allen

12 NN departure of boat form Allen to Capul

100 PM Capul beach/Bascon Ancestral House

Capul Town, Capul Lighthouse, Abak Beach Tour

Overnight stay

Day 4

7 AM Capul to Allen by boat

*Alternative route: Capul to Dalapiri by boat then Dalapiri to San Antonio by habal-habal then San Antonio to Allen by boat

8 AM Looc port, Allen

Find schedule of buses going back to Manila

Alternatives

Recommendations/Suggestions

1. You can do boating along the coast of mangroves at Biri Island before or after your rock

formations tour.

2. It is advisable to go to the rock formations during low tide.

3. If you have an extra day with you, you can stay for a day and overnight at San Antonio, Dalapiri

Island from Capul instead of heading straight to Allen for pure relaxation at the beach. There is a

couple of beach resort facilities in San Antonio.

Alternative route: Capul to Dalapiri by boat then Dalapiri to San Antonio by habal-habal then San Antonio to Allen by boat.

CATARMAN, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

CATARMAN, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

The Side Trip

In my case, bus accommodations were fully booked in the morning. So, I was pushed to take an afternoon bus trip. And this scenario enabled me to include a short visit to an old friend who is presently working at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman. I returned to the Looc Port at around 2PM to ride my bus bound for home.

Pictures from Catarman to follow...

The Summary of the Trip...

CAPUL ISLAND, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

CAPUL ISLAND, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

From Lavezares, I proceeded to Looc Port, Allen. There is a big boat traveling from Capul to Allen and vice-versa. The schedule of the boat trip from Allen to Capul is 12NN. The fare is PhP60/head, approximately an hour ride. On occasion, there are boats stationed at the Dapdap port and at the town of Victoria (south of Allen) that are bound for Capul. You may also hire your own personal boat ride to Capul from those places.

The Looc Port of Allen where the M/B Cyrus-Ryan docks


M/B Cyrus-Ryan at the Capul beach


The Bascon Ancestral House


Inside the Bascon House


Baranggays 1 and 2 of Capul

There is only one place that can accommodate you for your stay in the island. Look and ask for the Bascon Ancestral House located at Baranggay 1. You will find Ate Tere taking care of the place. She will charge you PhP100/head/day for the accommodation. This includes free use of the kitchen, toilet and bath.

Water: I did not see any problem with the water supply

Electricity: 4PM to 12MN

Food: There was no carinderia/dining place around but there are a lot of sari-sari stores and a bakery near the church. You may buy canned goods and rice and cook it yourself at the Bascon House.

Aling Ely store – Aling Ely was easy to persuade to cook something for the night. She charged PhP20-25/viand and probably PhP10/cup of rice.

The M/B Cyrus-Ryan at Capul goes back to Allen at 7am (PhP60/head, 1-hour trip). There is also another boat that leaves the island at 9AM but it usually goes around the farther baranggays and takes off at Baranggay Oson (approximately 4 kilometers away from the town proper). The second boat only goes to the town proper on very selected occasions. The second boat departs from the mainland (at Dapdap Port, Allen and/or at Victoria) at 2PM.

A little history

Capul is the known to be the gateway of Spanish Galleons that sailed the Pacific Ocean. Their route was Acapulco-Capul-Manila and vice-versa. Probably the name of the island was lifted from the point of origin of the shipping vessels that came from the South America.

Spanish influence is very high manifested by the name, the structures, the church and the love of the game of cockfighting.

What to see?

Town Proper


The Catholic Church located at the heart of the town


The courtyard at the right side of the church building


Old wooden door, old and new construction materials composing the left side of the church



North of Capul

The road that leads to the Capul Lighthouse at Baranggay San Luis (9kms away from town proper)

Motorbike fare: PhP35/head



Capul Lighthouse at Baranggay San Luis (9kms away from town proper)


Capul Lighthouse Location (Latitude 12^o 28’ 52” N Longitude 124^o 08’ 29” E)


Mount Mayon and the Bicol Region from afar


View of the beach, people picking mussels


South of Capul

Padre Lucero beach at Baranggay Oson (4.5kms away from the town proper)


Abak beach at Baranggay Oson (4.5kms away from the town proper)



A view of the Timon-timon Rock formation

Timon-Timon Rock formation – 1-1.5km away from Padre Lucero Beach

Bito Cave – I was not able to go there but it is another adventure to do spelunking, seeing the bats and snakes living inside.alive.

Alternative route: Capul to Dalapiri by boat then Dalapiri to San Antonio by habal-habal then San Antonio to Allen by boat.

I went back to Allen (Looc port) from Capul. The boat left the island at 7AM and I arrived at the mainland around 8AM. You can have ticket reservations at the different bus line offices located within the port. There are plenty of food and pasalubong stores within the vicinity. You can also check your email there at the local internet café.

The Side Trip

BIRI ISLAND, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

BIRI ISLAND, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

Biri Port

There is only one place that can serve freshly cooked food for tourists like me. That is the carinderia located at the Biri Port. I kept on looking but I failed. However, there are a lot of sari-sari (convenience) stores around where you can buy canned goods, junk food, and refreshments. The food at the carinderia tasted good, a little bit salty for me, and was relatively cheap. A viand costs around PhP 30 and a “big” cup of rice is PhP 10.

How to go around?

Biri Port in Front of the Biri Catholic Church

Villa Amor or The “Yellow House”

E. De Los Reyes St. cor San Vicente St. view towards the direction of the Rock Formations

It was very easy. The Biri Port is located in front of the Catholic church. Facing the church, turn right to San Vicente St. then turn right again to E. De Los Reyes St. Along E. De Los Reyes St., you can find places to stay. I stayed at the Villa Amor owned and operated by Virgilia “Virgie” Amor. It is just 250 meters away from the port. A fan room with toilet and bath good for two costs around PhP 500/day plus PhP 150/extra person while the air conditioned room good for three costs around PhP 1200/day. The people in the island (Actually, Biri is composed of several component islands but I stayed in the Biri town proper.) are nice and friendly.

Approaching the beach by habal-habal

The road that links the town proper and the Rock Formations

What to see?

Aside from the view of Sorsogon and the rest of the Bicol Region at the Biri Port. Biri boasts of its natural rock formations.

Sunset along the horizon of the Bicol Region

You can take a tour guide with you. A local tour guide will cost you PhP 150/day. Almost all of the motorcycle (habal-habal) drivers are willing to take you there. A motorcycle ride to the rock formations will cost you around PhP 30/head, one-way. A motorbike may be rented from the locals at PhP 300/day (excluding gas). Or, you can hike. Its around 3 kms away from the town proper. Just follow the road of E. De Los Reyes St., opposite the direction of Villa Amor. At the end of the road, you will be able to see the beach, the amazing rock formations, and the Pacific Ocean!

Astounding!

A panoramic view of the Rock Formations. (Magasang [gasang=corals], Makadlaw, and Bil-Ap)

Magasang Rock Formation

The Powerful Pacific Ocean Waves

Electric Power

Electricity is available from 12 NN to 12 MN. At the Villa, a generator will sustain electricity from 12MN to 6AM.

At the Biri port, trips to Lavezares are available as early as 6AM to 730AM. There is also a single boat that travels to Matnog, Sorsogon and back to Biri which costs around PhP 180/head.

Next destination, Capul!

LAVEZARES, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

LAVEZARES, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

This is the town of Lavezares. You are looking at the road towards Catarman. On your right is the Municipal hall, the police station, and the health center. Across the Municipal hall is a small paved road to the market and the boat station for trips to Biri Island. Boats are available daily and anytime as long as there are passengers that will fill up the seats. The boat capacity is 16 passengers plus baggages and the boat crew. It is a 1-hour ride to the Biri town proper. The fare was PhP 50/head

The Lavezares Municipal Hall

Lavezares Market (view from the boat)

sail to Biri Island

The Matnog-Allen Link

MATNOG, SORSOGON, PHILIPPINES

ALLEN, NORTHERN SAMAR, PHILIPPINES

The Landmark (Photo from my previous trip)

Inside the Ferry Terminal (Photo from my previous trip)

A view of the Port of Matnog and the ferry boats

I arrived at the Port of Matnog around 12MN

The ferry at the Port of Matnog departed around 130AM and arrived at the Dapdap Port of Allen (Allen has another port named Looc) at around 315AM. The travel time was 1 hour and 15 minutes. They say that other ferries can travel faster (45 minutes) or slower (2 hours). Both ports are very near the jeepney terminal, approximately less than a kilometer away. The jeepney terminal stations the ride to Catarman (northeast bound) and Calbayog (south bound). You can walk from the port to the jeepney terminal or ride the tricycle (3-wheeled motorized vehicle) or the pedicab (a bicycle with a side car for passengers). The usual fare for the pedicab is PhP5/head. It seems from the set-up of the local pedicab, it can accommodate 3 persons (probably 3 locals). But since I arrived at the port at early dawn, I took a tricycle and paid PhP20

The pedicabs racing their way to the Allen Jeepney Terminal

I planned to go to Biri Island first. In order to go there, I must go to the town of Lavezares, Northern Samar where boat trips to Biri are present. Since it was already Good Friday, I fear that no trips may be available. But I was lucky enough to catch the one and only trip to Catarman. This jeepney will pass through Lavezares. The fare was PhP20/head, for a distance of 9 kilometers. The travel time was around 20 minutes. The full fare to Catarman was PhP60/head, for a distance and travel time of 45 kilometers and 60 minutes, respectively.