CATANDUANES TRAVEL GUIDE AND ITINERARY

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Catanduanes is rugged, meandering and riddled with tourist spots that are blissfully uncharted by mass tourism. I’ve blogged this Catanduanes travel guide with itinerary and expenses to help you plan your trip to this underrated province especially if you are a first-timer here.

You won’t really run out of things to do in Catanduanes. After surfing in Puraran Beach in Baras, hire a motorbike and go gaga over the Instagram-worthy cliffs hugging its coast like Binurong Point and Balacay Point. Head over to Bato and pay a visit to theage-old stone Church crowning the town center. Travel farther until you reach the sun-spangled Sakahon Beach sprinkled with beautiful islands. Hike up Bote Lighthouse for a scenic view of the Bato and its coast. And while most tourists hightail Virac, the capital of Catanduanes, for the big swells of Puraran Beach, it has its own tourist attractions to flaunt.

But where is Catanduanes anyway? Catanduanes is part of the Bicol Region, located in the eastermost area of Luzon. This province is now being marketed as the Happy Island, but it was aptly dubbed before as “the land of the Howling Winds”. That is due to the fact that Catanduanes is the first landmass in the country to kiss the Pacific Ocean, making it directly open to the path of tropical storms entering the Philippines. This is also why planning your trip to Catanduanes is inevitable. Make sure to check the weather updates and the right season to visit to avoid getting drenced. Here’s my Catanduanes Travel Guide with detailed itinerary and budget for a 3 days 2 nights trip to help you plan your trip.

HOW TO GET TO CATANDUANES FROM MANILA

BY AIR

From Manila, Cebu Pacific is the only airline that flies directly to Virac, Catanduanes. I tried mock booking a month before the departure date and it appears the regular airfare is roughly PHP 2,551

BY BUS

STEP 1:  Several buses leave from Manila (Cubao, Pasay and Alabang) to Tabaco, Albay.   Depending on the company, buses from Cubao and Pasay may pick up booked passenger in Alabang.  RSL, Philtranco and DLTB have offices in Alabang in front of Starmall and they usually do this.  So if you live in south Manila, you can ride in Alabang, no need to go to Pasay or Cubao.

Bus fare for air-conditioned buses ranges from PHP 840 to PHP 1,215 depending on the bus company and type of bus. Non-air-conditioned buses are way cheaper. Travel time is approximately 11 – 12 hours. Click link below for the bus schedules from Manila to Tabaco.

Alternatively, if you miss the bus to Tabaco from Manila, you can just ride any bus en route to Legazpi.  At Legazpi City bus terminal, walk to the van terminal or jeep terminal and ride the van or jeep to Tabaco.

STEP 2:  From Tabaco, ride a pedicab to Tabaco Port. Take note that Catanduanes has two ports: Virac Port and San Andres Port.

Ferry fare to Virac is PHP 320 (air-con) and PHP 240 (non-aircon), travel time is about 4 hours. I recommend Virac as a base due to the abundance of hotels there. Meanwhile, ferry fare to San Andres is roughly PHP 290 (air-con), PHP 220 (non-aircon) and discounted-Student/Senior Citizen fare is PHP 176. Terminal fee is PHP 30. See ferry schedule between Tabaco and Catanduanes below.

At Tabaco Port. Buy your ferry tickets and pay the terminal fee.

There’s also a fastcraft ferry from Tabaco to Catanduanes. Transit time is roughly 2 hours.

If you happen to ride the ferry to San Andres, once you exit San Andres Port, there are jeepneys waiting for passengers to Virac. Fare is PHP 20. Be warned though that the jeep can get pretty full so better rush to the jeep once you exit the ferry unless you want to top load.

Alternatively, you can ride charter a tricycle to Virac PHP 250 (one way) or look for other passengers to share the chartered tricycle.

BEST BUDGET HOTELS IN CATANDUANES

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CATANDUANES ITINERARY (3 Days 2 nights trip)

Here’s a sample itinerary for a 3 days 2 nights trip in Catanduanes, perfect for long weekends. If you have limited time and you only have 2 days to spend. I recommend you pick Day 1 and Day 2 on the itinerary. You can just tweak the itinerary depending on your availability and budget.

CATANDUANES TRIP BUDGET