Exhilarating Tour of Islas de Gigantes

The view that made me want to travel to Islas de Gigantes in the first place.

Cabugao Gamay Island

Breakfast was served after our sunrise tour at the North Gigantes Lighthouse. As expected, the cook surprised us with yet another variation of Scallops, breaded and deep-fried this time. By 9am, our group was already crisscrossing the rough seas onto our first stop, Cabugao Gamay Island.

Cabugao Gamay Island

Perhaps the most photographed spot in Islas de Gigantes, Cabugao Island is famous for its clear waters, white sand beaches, lush trees and majestic rock formations. Climbing all the way to the top of the cliff is definitely worth the time and effort if you wish to get the best view of the islet.

Bantigue Island Sandbar

Accessible only during low-tide, Bantigue Island Sandbar is a long stretch of white sand in the middle of the ocean. The sand may not be as fine as in Cabugao Island but this is where we had a great time swimming as the waves is not as harsh as in the other islands. The rocky shoreline in the far end of the island is also a favorite spot among photography enthusiasts.

Antonia Island Resort

Snorkeling, dining by the beach, camping, beach volleyball and water sports activities like jet ski and banana boat are only some of the things you can do in Antonia Island Resort. In fact, it was the only island that had a resort-like feel among all the islands in Gigantes. Antonia Island is also known for its colorful marine life and amazing coral reefs which we failed to explore because of the strong waves crashing into the rocks, quite a frightening sight if I may add.

There are so many places I have yet to explore in Islas de Gigantes like spelunking at Bakwitan Cave and the famed Tangke Salt Water Lagoon that was unsafe and inaccessible to swim into because of the high tide and strong current. I am definitely coming back next summer!

Amazing View at the North Gigantes Lighthouse

Our group was up early the following day to catch the sunrise at the North Gigantes Lighthouse, a 20-minute habal-habal ride and hike from Dela Vega Beach Resort. Established by the Spaniards in 1895, the original lighthouse was destroyed by Typhoon Frank in 2008 and was already replaced by a medium-sized and solar-powered lighthouse donated by the Japanese government. It pays to come early if you wish to take great photos of the station and enjoy the fascinating view in peace as the North Gigantes Lighthouse is also a popular tourist spot in the island.

Dela Vega Beach Resort at Islas de Gigantes, Iloilo

It took an hour of turbulent plane ride, 3 hours on the road and another 2 traversing the rough seas before we finally reached our ultimate stop -- Islas de Gigantes. Located off the coast of Carles and Estancia towns, this once offbeat town is becoming a popular destination for beach lovers and adventure seekers evading mainstream beach havens in the nearby provinces of Aklan and Cebu.

As soon as we step foot on the island, I understood why people kept on calling Islas de Gigantes as the Scallops Capital of the Philippines.. the beach was literally covered with scallop shells!

Traveling to Islas de Gigantes is like coming home to your family in the province. Since the town is still underdeveloped, don't expect a hotel-like accommodation with full amenities. Roaming around the town on board a habal-habal, I noticed that most resorts were houses converted to homestays with several rooms offered to tourists at very affordable prices. Of the three most popular resorts in town, only Dela Vega Beach Resort had an available air-conditioned room on our trip.

Our group availed of the resort's 3days/2nights package at Php3,585 per person that includes the accommodation, full board meals, island hopping tour and boat transfers from and to Estancia. Good thing I was on a seafood diet because our meals were overflowing with scallops and crabs throughout our stay! In the 3 days that we were in the island, I was able to try scallops cooked in every possible way you can imagine like adobo, sizzling, steamed, fried, bicol express, boiled etc.

The people in Islas de Gigantes are very welcoming that we never felt the need to hike up to what the locals call as "call center" being the only place in town with a signal! In fact, it was refreshing to go on a day without checking my mobile phone every so often just like the old times.