The Mystical Cagbalete Island of Mauban, Quezon

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Mauban, Quezon-- Cagbalete Island may, at first glance, look like just another tropical island beach here in the Philippines. The island's fitting but stereotypical descriptions-- fine white sand, pristine turquoise waters, lush greenery-- may seem no different from our country's  other beautiful islands that boast endless strips of awe-inspiring beaches. The descriptions  sound  familiar, yes, but the only way to really discover how unique and truly different the island is is by actually being there.

Remote, peaceful, away from suburban life, the tourist scene here is generally laid-back. Visitors of the island are mostly local tourists who happen to find it.

Cagbalete Island, for some reason (or for no reason at all), is never mentioned in  well-known guide books, but thanks to veteran bloggers ( demeter of www.libot.blogspot.com , et al) Lakwatsera and I found out about this place.

It's really hard for me to come up with adjectives and paint a perfect picture of the island's true qualities. But one thing Lakwatsera and I both felt during our stay was the island's mysterious vibe. On our first day, while walking on time-worn footpaths that sliced through thick shrubberies; en route to the only resort that would accommodate us, I had this paranoia  that anyone not in his right mind can snatch both of us, stab us to death, bury us, and no one will ever know. I also found the eerie silence  a little disconcerting . I can't even remember how may times I chanted " tabi-tabi po!"  at every  strange-looking tree or plant that we encountered.

 

Of course, my paranoia was completely  unfounded. Yes, I maintain that Cagbalete Island is mysterious and strangely beautiful, but underneath all the enigma, it  really is just a beautiful quiet island inhabited by peaceful and friendly people.

My to-do list when in the island is plain and simple: when the sun is up, go bask in the golden sunshine on the island's terrific beach; on high tide,  swim or dive on its amazing clear blue waters; on low tide, walk barefooted on sandbars that seem endless and unrelenting; or, when you are tired, just sit back, relax,  feel the island's cool summer breeze  and just stare at the amazing landscape.

HOW TO GET THERE:
Travel Directions


Catch the bus going to Lucena City. JAC/JAM Liner have regular routes. Go to Cubao/Kamias Station and take the first trip which is at 3:00 a.m to Lucena Grand Terminal. Travel time is approximately 4 hours (including traffic and passenger pick-up along the way since the bus leaves at exactly 3:00 a.m at the terminal regardless of the number of passengers who boarded). Fare Cost is around Php214.


At the Lucena Grand Terminal Station, take the bus bound to Mauban. It's a non-aircon bus, more like a mini-bus. Travel time is one(1) hour. Fare is P50.00. The bus is located very close to where JAC/JAM Bus will drop you off.

The 1-hour-long drive will take you  through a long stretch of Quezon's scenic views of  lush-green environment.

Upon reaching the Mauban Terminal,  take a tricycle (P14.00) to  "bayan" or the wet market where you can  buy  provisions for you island trip, before heading to the next stop.

From the wet market, walk your way to "pantalan" (around 5 minutes). It's hard to miss. The picture of the statue below is your landmark. When you see this statue, just walk towards the direction the statue is facing. That's "pantalan" or Mauban port.

Make sure to be at the "pantalan" before 10:00 a.m. Public boat only travels twice a day. 10:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m. Boat fare is P40.00 and travel time is less than an hour. The boat capacity is 60pax.

A few meter's away from Cagbalete Island, from the main boat,  you disembark onto a smaller boat that will bring you to Sabang Port.

At Sabang Port, locals will approach you and offer  their services to take you to the resorts in Cagbalete. There are only three resorts on this island, Villa Cleofas, Pansacola Resort, and MVT Sto. Nino. Boat fare going straight from Sabang Port to Villa Cleofas (which is on the opposite side on Sabang port) is P300.

If you find the boat fare too expensive, just walk. Simply ask the local kids to guide you. It's a 1.4km hike (around 20 minutes of leisurely walk under scorching heat). Walking, believe it or not is faster than taking the boat from Sabang Port to your chosen resort.

The photo below shows visitors who chose to take a boat ride from Sabang Port to their chosen 
resort.

Where To Stay:
We do not have any reviews on Pansacola Resort and Villa Cleofas. Lakwatsera inquired a week before our trip on both resorts but they were  fully-booked. It was a good thing that MVT Sto Nino (the lesser known resort) still had an available room.

All 3 resorts reply to inquiries quickly:

Villa Cleofas -   0919 220-5000
Pansacola Beach Resort -   0928 505-8633
MVT Sto. Nino -   0921 727-5398 




MVT Sto. Nino:

The room we got at MVT Sto Nino is a bahay-kubo room. It costs P1000 a night, good for 4 pax. No aircon, no fan. Pretty basic accommodation. Electricity runs from 6:00p.m - 6:00 a.m. Bathrooms and comfort rooms are communal.

Bring your own food since MVT Sto. Nino does not have a restaurant, but you can ask them to cook food for you for a fee. You provide the food and other ingredients, and you pay for the charcoal which the resort will provide. In our case, we just brought canned goods like tuna and sardines and asked the resort to cook the rice we brought with us. We paid P20.

Amenities are pretty basic. The local people are friendly and helpful. The water is really shallow even on hightide. The view of the beach during lowtide is spectacular.

Going out of the island

Only two trips of public boats are available going out of the island of Cagbalete. 8:00a.m and 1:00 p.m. Take the 1:00 p.m boat ride and make sure to be there before 12:30noon as the boat can fill out quickly.

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