San Jose, Dinagat Islands

After Dinagat Islands, only Jolo, Sulu remains to be conquered and I am done visiting all the 81 provinces.

Summer 2015

How to get there

From Manila, board a plane going either to Surigao City, Butuan or Cagayan De Oro (Davao City is very far but is also a possible route).

In Butuan or Cagayan De Oro, board a bus going to Surigao City.

In Surigao City, go to Pantalan Dos and board the ferry/passenger boat to San Jose (not Dinagat which is a 4-hour ride and different from your destination). Dinagat Islands is the province, Dinagat is a municipality in Dinagat Islands. While San Jose is the capital of Dinagat Islands.

Schedule of the passenger boats to San Jose 

first trip - 5:00 am (boat leaves early the moment as it is full of passengers)

second trip - 12 pm

third trip  - 3:30 (RoRo)

Schedule of passenger boats from San Jose to Surigao City (different ports)

first trip - 6:00 am

second trip - 6:30 am / 7:00 am

third trip - 11:00 am

fourth trip - 3:30 pm

Fare in the boat is P100/pax.

Be at the port at least an hour before the slated trip.

After 1 hour and 25 minutes, we arrived and docked at San Jose port and the first thing I did was to find my ride for the day. And as usual, when you are in Mindanao, the best or usual tour is using a habal-habal. My driver/tour guide was named Bombi (0909-687-9906).

Dinagat has 7 municipalities and San Jose is the capital of the province.

Island hopping costs P3,000 for 3 pax only.

White Castle

I have no intention of sleeping in Dinagat. I had two options, namely: catching either the 11:00 am or 3:30 pm return trip. I chose the 11:00 am trip back to Surigao. The boat arrived 7:00 am and I had to be back at the port 10:00 am and that gave me only 3 hours to roam around the island. After negotiating for the price (P500 for 3 hours), we zoomed to our first destination - White Castle.  

It is owned by the incumbent governor of Dinagat Islands. It is situated in Barangay Mahayahay, San Jose. We tried to go to the PGMB Shrine (Barangay Aurelio) but we were not allowed admittance since I was wearing shorts. They have a dress code for men and women.

Cagdianao's Municipal Hall

For our second stop, I was given the choice of going to a cliff in another municipality (18 kilometers away from San Jose) or Tagbiyaran Beach (21 kilometers) . I chose the latter.

Along the rugged road, we passed by Cagdianao's Municipal Hall. it took us 50 minutes before we reached the town.

The Boulevard

The town has both a plaza and a boulevard. According to my guide, only Cagdianao has both a plaza and a boulevard.

Just 5 minutes away from the town, we arrived at our destination.

Except the white sands on the islands, it is the nearest white beach in San Jose. This beach is popularly called by the locals as - Tagbirayan Beach.

One can relax and enjoy nature on this spot.

Thereafter, we headed back to the town of San Jose. But this time we used a different route back to San Jose.

overlooking of the landscapes

We used Barangay Cuarinta in order for us to see the overlooking of the town of San Jose. 

It is a must that you should use this route in order to enjoy your nature tripping adventure of San Jose, Dinagat Islands.

Bombi, my driver/tour guide

Our contract was good for three hours but we were able to finish in 2 hours and 45 minutes. I waited at the port for the 11:00 am trip back to Surigao City.

Enjoy San Jose, Dinagat Islands!

Catanduanes

From Paniman, Caramoan, I rented a boat to Catanduanes.

Initially, going to Catanduanes was not part of the plan. But the local folks told me that Catanduanes is just 2 hours by boat. Prior to this trip, I had never seen or had been in Catanduanes. Opportunity was knocking on my door and I opened the door.

The boat ride was good for more than 2 hours. I rented a small boat (good for 3-4 pax only) for P1,500. The bigger boat (good for 10-15 pax) costs 2,500 - 3,000. With only my backpack and camera bag, I decided to go to Catanduanes.

My boatman's name is Mang Roy Razon.

It was not the usual island hopping experience.

Caramoan islands

  
It was a little bit extreme considering that I was not given a lifejacket and there were two of us only onboard the boat. So imagine if the boatman gets a heart attack in the middle of the seas, I would be there in the middle of vast expanse of water not knowing what to do! Anyway, that was part of the adventure!

Along the way, we passed several islands which are covered by the island hopping tour provided in Caramoan. But one island that I would never forget is the Catanauan Island because according to my boatman that was the island where the Survivor TV program was shot.

After 2 hours, we reached the Port of Codon, San Andres, Catanduanes. 

The trip did not stop there since I miss the Ro-Ro trip to Tabaco and I've wanted to go to Virac, Catanduanes. And so I hired a tricyle ride to Virac amounting to P500. The trip was 50 minutes. 

The Ro-Ro boat trip in Virac was scheduled to leave 1 pm and we left San Andres past 11 am. Time is of the essence!

Virac Church

 
After almost an hour, we reached Virac. And the first tourist spot that I saw then was the Virac church (which we passed while going to the Virac Port.  

We went straight to the port and bought the ticket to Tabaco. 

Fare in Penafrancia
P240 - ordinary
P310 - aircon

The Ro-Ro trip was good for 3.5 - 4 hours.
First trip in Tabaco to Virac leaves 6:30 am.
And the trip back to Tabaco from Virac leaves 1pm.

On the other hand, the Ro-Ro trip in San Andres from Tabaco leaves 7 am (if seasonal 5 am) and back to Tabaco 12 pm.

While cruising back to Tabaco, Bicol, we passed the Twin Rocks Resort. One of the best, if not the best resort in Catanduanes.

After 4 hours, we reached the Port of Tabaco.

Tip - Never use the bus parked inside the pier. 

Go to the  Tabaco City Central Terminal.

There are plenty of choices to choose from ranging from vans, aircon and non-aircon buses.

You have to ride a tricycle or a trisikad to go to the terminal.

Here you can find buses/vans plying Naga, Daet, Cubao or Alabang.

So how many hours did I stay in Catanduanes?

Two hours only! But the adventure lasted a lifetime!

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