About 3-4 hours southwest of the nation’s capital lies the quiet yet splendid island of Cagbalete. A uniquely shaped piece of jewel seemingly floats above the edges of Lamon Bay and the vast Pacific Ocean where the sprawling low receding fine white sand beach meets and connects to the island’s forest core. It is another haven of adventure for backpackers and travellers with the requirement to reconnect with the embrace of Mother Nature.

One of the promising destinations of the province of Quezon, going here will start at the ambivalently sleepy yet busy port of Mauban. It is where I saw the fast and slow pace of life co-exist – where the locals spend quiet time in the morning at their front porch soon as daylight breaks and the unending crisscross of port activities are simultaneously happening as you go about. After almost an hour of boat ride, we found ourselves marvelling at the southwest fringes of the island, the sheer yet romantic friction of the white sand beach and azure waters plays valiantly against the clear blue sky, and the indigenous flora stands seemingly like rows of tall verdant beacons of nature, altogether creating this captivating experience you will have in the island. In plain full colours of green and orange, the speeding pump boats roared above the gentle waters leaving an array of whitewash – a temporary monochromatic work of art.

Brimming with towering Agoho Trees and grass jutting out from the characteristic creamy sand, we found ourselves docking at the shores of Rio Del Sol Resort. Colourful flags seemingly prancing against the beginning brunt of the sky’s breath to the sea, and the welcoming ambience of the resort’s sea-facing porch with hammocks that bound pairs of coconut trucks, and the gentle swaying of the island’s tree cover – what a welcoming scene to behold after a half day’s worth of commute.

A few minutes passed after checking in, our assigned tourist boat roared alive and skidded above the gentle waves (at that time) and the waters below slowly translated from clear to various shades of blue. The varying depths yet of clear waters offered an astounding view of the coral and sea grass formations crowned by the hopping waves. Stray marine life and hyper proud flying fishes display their aerial showmanship, luckily without feathered predators hovering in sight.

Less than an hour of boat ride from our Rio del Sol Resort, we took advantage of the high tide and cruised above the turquoise waters surrounding the Southwestern rim of the island to get to the pseudo-river of Don Jose. It was an alternating view of clear waters to different shades of blue. Patches of corals and teeming marine life are highly evident even without the need for snorkelling. Momentarily, we are inching to the mouth of the tight inland waters akin to a river exit. This is never a brackish water and is absolute salty water as per our guide, Sir Raul, hence, it was never indeed a river, but a slender inland body of water stretching to the belly of Cagbalete Island that the DENR has not even mapped yet. It is also not connected to any existing river tributary on the island. Entering its realm proves a different feel after cruising on azure waters as we got shrouded by this healthy mangrove ecosystem. Slowly we cruised through these natural labyrinths and the vastness speaks well of the efforts to rehabilitate the vital Mangrove ecosystem. According to Sir Raul, Mangrove species existing attract fireflies, and we hope that they could have trained tour guides in this expertise to open another tourism activity on the island – firefly watching.

Within the proximity of this expansive forest of saltwater-loving trees is the Yang In Sand Bar. Before your visit, arrange with your trained the schedule since the best time to arrive is when the tide begins to recede and the sand bar slowly emerges – almost magical as it seems. There are a limited number of floating huts moored around the sandbar that you can rent if you wish to lounge longer in this area. We arrived with ankle-deep waters at the shallowest portion. The moment I saw the crisscrossing of waves, I sped through the clear waters and did not mind the burning effects of the noon time sun. I want to experience the actual emergence of the sand bar and document it – and I got that perfect moment. Other guests started alighting from their respected pump boats and began marvelling at this tourism wonder of Cagbalete. Almost an hour passed, and more and more sandy beaches emerged appearing in an undulating pattern, creating temporary shallow pools and natural land bridge linking to the old Mangrove forest.

Not far from here, we explored on foot the centuries-old Mangrove Forest. Nearing its borders, we are welcomed by the spiky appearing needle-shaped seeds dotting the forest floor and these are the seeds that did not make their way to maturity. Since the believed century-old age of the trees, the mature trees at the edge of the forest speak of the possible horrors they witnessed and the weather inclement they survived or possible human-aided decay. It is evident that huge chunks of the trunk are damaged and left exposed. The boreholes of the woodworms almost dot every half-square foot of the trunk. Also, there are black soot-stained spots which left questions in our minds – were they burned intentionally or struck by lightning by chance? We would never know. Albeit of these conditions, the particular tree survived and new tree parts jutted out to support its possible shifting of centre of gravity. This portion of the pivotal coastal forest exudes a rather mystical film, thanks to the natural formation of the old trees akin to the fairy tale films we saw. Yet, altogether, they appear to me as grand works of art by Mother Nature – seemingly a vast alfresco museum where you can freely wade the clear waters and encounter wildlife as you saunter around.

Your day of sea adventures is best to be capped by exploring its hidden under-the-sea wonders – Snorkeling! Cagbalete Island is surrounded by natural coral reefs and you will never run out of choice.

Here are choices of beachfront resorts we checked out located at the Southern Shores of the island:

Rio del Sol – one of the newest and modern style beach fronts that features both two-story concrete accommodation and a huge native hut that can fit huge groups. It has a spacious lawn with healthy turf and coconut trees connected by hammocks. There is a basketball ring, tents with dining sets and an outdoor lavatory. The beachfront space has a lifeguard tower and many suntan chairs if you wish to lounge and enjoy the waves.

Villa Noe Beach Resort – a beachfront resort that features various styles of wooden huts and its unique open-air massage hut facing the sea.

Paradiso Amadeo – features one of the most interesting nipa hut accommodations that can fit a couple up to large groups. They have a large hall where you can hold mini-events and functions. It also has an expansive lawn where you can hold activities.

Pansacola Beach Resort – its unique boat house fitting for a couple is one of its selling points. This beach resort offers more premium-designed native huts fitting bigger groups.

Dona Choleng Camping Resort – offers various accommodation styles from huts to modern concrete rooms. They have a spacious event hall where you can conveniently hold your activities and programs.

Cagbalete Island is a tourism gem of Mauban offering various experiences for every traveler and tourist. There is already a port on the island to make ingress more convenient. Adding to its wonder are the lovely and kind locals that we encountered along the way.

Thank you to Mauban Tourism Office and to the Tourism Promotions Board for this unforgettable experience.