Is summer complete without the beach? Of course NOT. Beaches complete summer vacays and that is even on top of the list.
This year, in line with our family reunion (hubby's clan) here in Iloilo, we decided to have a side trip at the Gigantes Islands or "Islands of the Giants." Since we are unfamiliar with its location, we opted for a day tour package. The day tour costs P999/pax inclusion of lunch, environmental fees, entrance fees, boat). Specifically, we chose Las Islas Travels & Tours, it's DOT accredited has has positive reviews. They also have 2D1N. Just search for their name in the web. I would recommend this for those who plan to visit the islands. No hassle and they are very accommodating to their guests ( Not a paid ad here).
To start our day-long journey, we woke up at 2am and went straight to Tagbak terminal for the van going to Carles. This municipality is where island hopping commences. We need to catch the first trip at 3am as the travel time would last for three-four hours and the day tour would start at 8am. The fare is around 200 per pax one way. Fortunately, we arrived very early around 5am. We had breakfast at nearby eateries. In fairness, generous servings at around P60 per meal, the "silog" kind of breaky. After eating, we went to the office of Las Islas. As joiners, we had several guests with us, around 20 in the boat.
These are the islands we visited during the whole trip:
Pulupandan Islet
- Tanke Salt Water Lagoon. Lucky us it was high tide when we arrived. The lagoon was filled with water though not really deep but good for swimming na.
Bantigue Sandbar. This is where we had our sumptuous lunch. They have cottages here.
- Antonia Island. Beautiful rock formations welcomed us.
- Cabugao Gamay Island (Selfie Island)
The bonus part of this trip is the unli scallops at lunch. Just as clear and clean the water is, they are also blessed with seafood.We were able to spree on it. Ikaw na lang mo surrender. Imagine, one big tray of scallops would only cost P150 (but for us, it's part of the package). Plus their local suka with spices is winner. Bahala na ang diet basta wala ni sa amo. Lol.
Other edible sea creatures you can choose to be cooked the way you like.
On our way home, we had some delay because our boat got troubled. We were advised by the guide to swim and enjoy while waiting for the repair. I spent my time snorkeling just below our boat. Alas! there are a lot of sea creatures below. Shallow water pa yan ha.. I saw tiny fishes, shells, start fish, sea urchin, and numerous scallops. No wonder seafood here is fresh and cheap because of the abundant supply.
Finally, the boat is conditioned, not sinking tho... ;) We arrived back at the Carles port around 5:30 in the afternoon. Good thing we contacted a van going back to Iloilo that morning. The driver already waited for us at the office. Safely, we arrived at Tagbak at 9 in the evening. Tired? Yes, but happy? DEFINITELY!
