Sa Burias Group of Islands - San Pascual, Masbate

   Local tourism is growing rapidly nowadays and I think social media is one of the major factors why it bloomed. DIY Tips and Tour organizers can now be easily found through the internet so researching for a summer destination is not a big problem anymore.

   Most of the beaches in Batangas and Zambales are now crowded, especially during weekends and holidays. So for our summer trip, we looked for a destination which is farther away from Manila.

   We saw these amazing photos of a group of islands in Masbate where the water is blue and the sand is white. And so the destination is now decided - Off we'll go to the Burias Group of Islands. We just can't wait to go there and see its beauty in our own eyes.


Animasola Island - one of the five islands included on our tour.
   We always opt for DIY (do-it-yourself) on our travels, but for a small group of 4, we thought it was more convenient and economical to join an organized tour. Among a number of organized tours that we've seen on the internet that offers a tour of the Burias Islands, we decided to join StowawayPH.

   As of May 2017, The event fee for The Burias Group of Islands Tour by StowawayPH is Php 2,899. Good thing we availed it at a promo price of Php 2,700 for booking the trip before March 10 2017.

   The tour includes private van transfers from Manila to Quezon and vice versa, Boat transfers for the whole tour (five islands), tent accommodation, environmental fee, tourism fee and entrance fees for all the islands and four sumptuous meals. Please visit their Facebook page for more details.

   Traveling from EDSA Crossing to San Andres in Quezon will take 6 to 7 hours by private vehicle. The van took the usual route going to Lucena via the South Luzon Expressway and Pan-Philippine Highway then  passed through the towns in Quezon like Pagbilao, Unisan, Pitogo, Catanauan, Mulanay and San Narciso before arriving at San Andres. From the town proper of San Andres, we continued the travel down to barangay Talisay for about half an hour where the chartered boats are waiting for us.

   Our first destination is Dapa Island. It only took us less than an hour to reach it from San Andres by boat. It is also known as the Snake Island because of the abundance of the snakes called sea kraits around the area.

   The clear sea water splashed on the huge sharp rocks that surrounds the whole island. I was amazed at how clear the water is as I walked along the white sands before sneaking into the rock formations.

   I enjoyed jumping off of the rocks down to the sea. I also loved diving underwater, which is one of the clearest that I've ever seen. Good thing we didn't see any sea kraits at that time.

   Camping on Dapa Island is not recommended because there were no fresh water sources and other basic necessities available.


   After a while, we head on to the next island where we would have our lunch. This island is very similar to the one we've been to in Batangas. A small island with a shape of a hat, hence the name Sombrero Island.

   Unlike the one in Batangas, we didn't dock on the hat-shaped island. We were not encouraged to go to that island because of the dangers of loose rocks falling from its top. Instead, we went to the small island a few meters beside it.

   Upon hopping off the boat, we were welcomed by the blinding white sand and the teal sea water. I totally forgot how exhausted I am from the travel upon seeing this awesome beach.

   We had our delicious lunch on a large open hut rented by the organizers and there we also left some of our things. After a few minutes, we went on to our next destination.


   From Sombrero Island, it took us 1 hour to reach Tinalisayan Island by boat. We passed by a small island where we saw other tourist and locals enjoyed jumping off of the high cliffs!


   The sea is very calm at that time so we reached Tinalisayan Island in less than an hour. Small boats are lined up at the shore while the visitors enjoyed swimming and taking pictures. Looks like the island is pretty much busy at that time.


   Tinalisayan Island is so small that you can walk around its shore in less than 5 minutes. There where parts where the beach is made up of large pebbles and there are some with white sand. There is also a small part where huge rocks formed a small cave.

   Coconut trees gave shed on the grassy part of the island. That is where some of the visitors set up their camp and hang their hammocks. One can also enjoy ice cold juice and sodas available at the small store situated at the island.

   The tide is high at the time we went there so the sand bar didn't show up. We can see the sand bar beneath the clear water where people swim in its shallow part.

The sandbar in Tinalisayan during high tide
   We spend a few more minutes swimming and snorkeling. We also enjoyed taking pictures and relaxing underneath the coconut trees. With the blue skies and the teal sea plus a refreshing drinking while under the shed of a coconut tree, what more can I ask for?

Black-banded Sea Krait found in Tinalisayan Island
   A one hour boat ride away from Tinalisayan Island is the spectacular island of Anima Sola.

Anima Sola Island from afar
   Anima Sola Island is a small island with a huge lopsided rock plateau covered with grass on top. Most part of its shore is made up of pebbles and rocks. The amazing thing on this island is the slanted lines that you can see on its rock walls. Its a splendid work of art naturally made through time.

   Not far from it is a boat-shaped rock formation with lines similar to the ones we found on the island. That rock put me in awe as the rays of the sun colors its wall with gold. Anima Sola Island certainly is a natural masterpiece.



   There is a small lagoon on the other side of the island where the visitors enjoyed swimming. The locals called it the Mermaid's Lair. There's nothing much to do on the island so we spent the rest of our time taking pictures in this wonderful work of art.


   After a few minutes, we hop on our boat and sailed for 2 hours going back to Sombrero Island. We were rewarded with a magnificent sunset along the way.


   Stars started to fill up the sky when we got back to Sombrero Island. A lot of tents are already set up by the time we head back to the open hut. We can feel a festive mood on the area as we saw groups of people enjoying their food, drinks and music. The sari-sari stores are very busy and the queue of people at the restrooms looked like a box-office hit movie. When taking a shower, you have to buy a gallon of water for 50 pesos and additional 10 pesos for the restroom use.

   Aside from tent pitching, one can also rent a small hut for a more convenient overnight stay.

   After dinner, we pitched our tent away from the crowd and enjoyed an awesome night under the stars.


   It is cloudy the next morning so we didn't had the chance to witness the sunrise. We spent a few minutes taking pictures and enjoying the serenity of the beach before breaking our camp and head on to the open hut for breakfast.


Sombrero Island

   The last island to visit is the Templo Island, the largest island among the list. We enjoyed jumping off a cliff and swimming in the clear waters. We tried snorkeling and was fascinated by the scenic underwater landscape that we saw.

   We also tried climbing up on top of the hill where we enjoyed taking pictures of the landscape which is comparable to the picturesque views of Batanes and Dingalan.

Templo Island

   Definitely, it is a summer vacation to remember. With sun-kissed skin and salty hair, every minute on these islands is well spent.

   During the whole trip, we recommend to bring lots of drinking water specially during summer. The goods on the sari-sari stores are a bit pricey as they are delivered from a far away place. Bringing extra batteries and power banks is also advisable because electricity is very limited at the place.

   These islands are very beautiful so please avoid littering and destroying the things that you'll find on it. Practicing the "Leave No Trace" principles is a must.

   Hats off to StorawayPH for being very accommodating during our whole trip. The event fee is not the cheapest we've seen on the internet but it is "sulit"! Their friendly approach and positive vibes really made our travel experience more awesome. And the sumptuous meals that we had is one for the books.

   Special thanks to our new friends Len, Andeng, Randy and the rest of the StowawayPH team for the wonderful experience. We'll definitely recommend these guys.


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