Cruising Caramoan Islands

"You have given Him dominion over the works of your hands; You have put all things under His feet - the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and all that swim the paths of the ocean."

Psalm 8:7,9

I'm a survivor. Early 2008, the Survivor franchise of France - Koh Lanta, shot its 8th season in one of the islands in Caramoan Peninsula. 

While checking out my shoots, take into consideration that the entire collection is a product of my ever reliable point and shoot.

Hear me when I say that you wouldn't be needing a high end camera while touring the Caramoan Peninsula. The Man up there has already made the scenery awesome to stand on its own beauty.

Sabitang Laya.
The limestone on the islets and other formations scattered along the peninsula will surely be your numero uno subject all throughout.

Sabitang Laya.
 Our boatman brought us to our first stop, the main island where Koh Lanta filmed. The island has its own secret packets courtesy of the limestone.

Sabitang Laya.
This island was bigger compared to the others and has more limestone formations. We didn't go beyond and explored inside the island. Our boatman said that it was forbidden because some of survivor's things are still there.

Lahos.
Have you ever used the word unique to describe a beach/island? This particular island is composed of two limestone and in between is its sandbar. If you look closely in the pictures, you will see its uniqueness and then tell me what you think.

Caramoan peninsula will continuously surprise you with its consistent beautiful beaches. Every single beach that I laid my feet into was powdery and cool.

Matukad.
This particular island took away most of my time. It just made me fall in love with God's creation. The limestone, blue sky with a touch of white clouds, powdery sand and pristine water just took away my senses. Believe me, this photo is a product of a point and shoot camera.

The islands named as Guta de Leche by Dutch explorers. When the Spaniards came, it was renamed to Carahan. Now it is called Caramoan Islands. It was not on the main list of travelers until 2008. It was Koh Lanta that painted Caramoan in the Philippines' map. Thanks to the French! But whatever they may have contributed, we still owe it to God for blessing us this beauteous peninsula.

As I was sailing along the peninsula of Caramoan, it made me think why it stands out. I could think of four main point: the sand, the limestone, the water and its coconut trees. It's natural to see coconut trees around any island but not like these. They stand tall and proud reaching the skies.

Gota Village resort is the only high end resort you will see in Caramoan. It will steal around PHP 3,000 out of your wallets. The place is great, no doubt about that. The main resort is situated in a cove with a cave on its own. Climbed up on and you will see its whole surrounding. The cottages are circularly aligned which is very visible when you are in the main receiving area. Over all, the resort cannot be at par with other high end resort. Food is average (you won't have any option but to eat in their restaurant since food is not allowed), accommodation is too expensive for the accommodation's simplicity. Then again, a night in Gota Village resort is worth your while.

Honongan. The beach front private villas in this island are still owned by Gota Village resort. Back when I visited in 2008, they villas are still under construction. Now, from what I heard, it is already fully operational. According to the caretaker that I talked to, the villas are made for the guests wanting stay at Gota Village resort when the main resort is full of Survivor staff and casts.

For my annual visit back home for the Penafrancia Festival, I taught of extending my visit to Caramoan. From Naga, I travelled by van to Sabang port. I spent the night at the inn located steps away from the port. By 5:00 AM, the first boat arrived and our 2 hour ride to the other side (Forgive me but it was years ago). When we got off the boat, we rode a tricycle that brought us to another port where we rented a boat bought food for lunch and snack. This is a DIY tour so we rely mostly with our boatman slash tour guide.

The tour started at 9:00 AM and ended at around 4:00 PM. Our last destination was Gota Village resort. We opted to stay for the night.

All white sand beaches have always been dubbed as the next Boracay. For crying out loud! Please stop saying that. Nothing can compare to what Boracay is today. It is unique in its own way. Caramoan will never be the next Boracay because it will always be the Caramoan Islands, the secret destination of weary travelers looking for serenity.