Welcome to Carabao Island
ISLA DE CARABAO IS ONE OF THE NEAREST ISLAND NEAR BORACAY . ITS FORTHY MINUTES RIDE AWAY BY SMALL BOAT . THE ISLAND IS STILL UNDER DEVELOP . BUT THEY ARE TRYING TO PROMOTE THEIR ISLAND . THE PEOPLE ARE VERY FRIENDLY TO VISITORS . AND THEIR TOURIST CENTER IS RIGHT ON THE BEACH . AND THEY ARE SELLING SOME ISLAND SOUVENIR IN A VERY REASONABLE PRICE . WAY CHEAPER THAN BORACAY
Carabao Island is the poor neighbour of Boracay.Even though it is only 35 to 50 minutes away depending on the tide, Carabao is a world away in real terms from Boracay. Carabao Island can be seen from Puka beach on the north end of Boracay and seems so close and easy to visit, but getting there is another story.
There is no direct link between the two islands even though they are close neighbours. All passengers need to travel via Caticlan unless booking an island hopping tour from Boracay.This turns the short trip into a 5 hour journey.
The landing stage is a beach 20 minutes walk east of the main Caticlan port. Since the bangka cannot get right up on the beach anyone wishing to board needs to wade a short distance into the sea to climb the gangplank and if like me will always get their shorts wet.
The daily bangka is the islands lifeline, bringing in vital supplies like fresh fruit, eggs, rice, and dried goods from Caticlan as well as the few tourists that venture that way.
There is also a daily service from Santa Fe on Tablas Island to Carabao which leaves around 10.00 am and takes about an hour.
The jetty at Port Said is on the other side of the island near the capital San Jose. There is not much to do on this side of Carabao. The town is really small and is about a 20 minute walk from the jetty along a sandy road.
The beautiful white beach is nearly 1km long but is only visible at low tide. As you walk into town you will pass some marble statues of Carabaos in the garden of the Mayors house, and these are likely to be the only ones you do see. There may be a few more out on a farm somewhere but you will have to look for them.
About the only place to stay on this side of the island is also in the house of the mayor. You cannot miss his house as it is the biggest and grandest one around. I actually stayed in the Mayors house on a previous trip to this island.
In town there is a small market which sells a few vegetables and basic supplies. The centre of San Jose is taken up with the local municipal buildings and school and a small barangay.
KODING KODING CLIFF JUMP ON CARABAO ISLAND – SONY ACTION CAM
Koding Koding on Carabao Island is one of those places you walk into and just get so excited you almost panic. Crystal clear, vibrant blue water lay in waiting for you from several diving platforms at this epic hangout spot.
Carabao Island is quite small and two of the most popular attractions are cliff jump spots. Cathedral cliff jump is a little more hectic and is down the road but Koding Koding is a great place to hang out, send some flips and dives and take in some sunshine. Nic and I thought it would be the perfect place to make a short video and test out the inbuilt stabilization on theSony Action Cam. Some of the shots came out unbelievably smooth and almost as if it were filmed with a ronin or a rig. In fact, they were filmed by hand on a springy diving board!
The in-built stabilization is so key because while you are adventuring whether it be cliff jumping, riding bikes or running around on hikes, you don’t have time to worry about how shaky your footage is going to be. Carrying a ronin for an action cam is kind of counter-intuitive so having inbuilt stabilization lets you focus on the adventures and the camera does the rest to create the cinematic look and feel.And here are my favorite photos from the day:
Koding Koding is located on the east coast of Carabao Island, which is in the Romblon Province. It is the island next to Boracay but much, much less touristy. In fact, we didn’t see more than a handful of tourists in the three days we were on the island!
I suggest visiting Koding Koding cliff jump and Cathedral cliff jump on the same day if you have the energy as they are both nearby and definitely both worth visiting!
Carabao is a small island so you can probably walk to Koding Koding cliff jump depending on where you are staying or you can hire a motorbike for about 500 pesos give or take depending on your negotiation abilities.
There are tables inside little huts to chill and take cover from the sun after cliff jumping. Food and drinks are also available but nothing too extensive just basic snacks.
Travel Date: Holy Week 2017
Weather is a bit rough LPA is coming by that time to Boracay in a matter of hours.
| Our Expenses (Peak Season) | |
| Activity | Expenses |
| Paraw sailing (4 to 5 hours) | Php 2000 good for 6 |
| Habal Habal to Koding Koding Point | Php 400 each for Habal |
| Entrance Fee Koding Koding Point | Php 100 each |
(Php 400 each for Habal) we bargained it than the usual rate of Php 250 per hour. We literally spent 2 hours in Hambil.
Entrance Fee to Koding Koding Point is Php100, because it’s too early and there’s no other tourist we plead for Php50 each
(stayed for Php30 minutes for just photo ops and quick dip)
Contact: Habal Habal Driver 0907 288 8880
Additional
– When Good Friday, No early morning boats going out of Hambil Port.
– Bring a Sunblock
– Spend at least a day in Hambil and bring snacks or food before going to hambil to reduce expenses
Kameo Lodge
(Php 500 for Fan Room & Php 700 for Aircon Room good for 2)
Contact Number: 0915 690 9174
Inobahan Beach Resort
This is Day 4 of our 5 Days in Panay Island Escapade (side trip)
If you have additional information that could help us improve this post please comment below so we can update it.
TAGAYTAY SUNSET VIEWPOINT
One of the highlights of Carabao Island was hanging out in a treehouse, watching the sunset while staring out across the ocean to the recently vacated Boracay Island. At Tagaytay viewpoint, you can get the sunset and the Boracay view all in one place. It is quite touristy but it’s Carabao, it’s not busy. They have built a house and small cafe as well as a treehouse to turn the spot into a cool viewing area. It is surrounded by a lot of trees but you can get a great sunset view or the view of Boracay. From the east coast, you could walk here in half an hour or drive your bike all the way up the path.
SAN JOSE PALM BEACH
One day we rented a motorbike for $10 USD and made the journey up and over the hill to San Jose Beach. This is the main beach area of the island and there are a few resorts here. It seemed to be the more touristy side of the island with lots of food options and coffee spots. The water here is much clearer than the east side or at least while we visited and the main attraction is the palm trees along the beach. Many of the palms are very bent, which makes for that classic tropical postcard photo. We found that there were some really cool palms down the far end of the beach at a spot called Sea Garden, which you can find on Google Maps. Finding these iconic palms is one of the most popular activities on Carabao Island.
TAGAYTAY VIEWPOINT:
You can also go to Lanas Beach where most of the resorts are located but the sand here is course and brown. But I decided to skip it and just see the sunset at Tagaytay Viewpoint.
Most of the locals work in Boracay and commutes daily via small boats. If you want to go to Boracay from Hambil, be sure to catch the boats that ferries the locals at Lanas Beach before 7:00AM (this is what I did). If you intend to go back to Caticlan Port, go to Port of Said before 5:30AM.
Hambil Island has a lot of potential but I like the way it is – peaceful and quiet. It’s a place where you can just lay on the beach and not be pestered by vendors offering all sorts of stuff. So the next time you want solitude, Hambil Island is for you.
TIPS:
Kameo Lodge, contact no: 0917-548-7960
Fan Room – P500 good for 2 pax
Air-conditioned Room – P750
Contact Details – Nanay Edna Tumbagahan, 0915-6909174
CATHEDRAL CAVE CLIFF JUMP ON CARABAO ISLAND
Carabao Island is a small but beautiful island just a boat ride away from Boracay Island. However, it is nothing like Boracay and is very low key. There aren’t many tourists and equally as few tourist ‘attractions’. However, there are two awesome cliff jump spots on Carabao Island. One of them is Koding Koding cliff jump, which you can read about here. The other is Cathedral Cave, which is one of the coolest coastal cliff jump locations I have ever been to.
CATHEDRAL CAVE LOCATION ON CARABAO ISLAND
Cathedral Cave is located on the east coast of Carabao Island, which is in the Romblon Province. It is the island next to Boracay but much, much less touristy. In fact, we didn’t see more than a handful of tourists in the three days we were on the island!
I suggest visiting Cathedral cave and Koding Koding cliff jump on the same day if you have the energy as they are both nearby and definitely both worth visiting!
Carabao is a small island so you can probably walk to Koding Koding cliff jump depending on where you are staying or you can hire a motorbike for about 500 pesos give or take depending on your negotiation abilities.
There are tables inside little huts to chill and take cover from the sun after cliff jumping. Food and drinks are also available but nothing too extensive just basic snacks.
Along the boardwalks, you can stop off to the sides and explore the caves. The water glows and small fish are swimming about. If you are game there are several small tunnels and caves within the caves to explore.
Ngiriton Cave
By the way, the cave is part of the half-day tour which can be reached by riding a habal-habal and doing a few hikes up the mountain.
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