Going to Camarines Sur
Our total travel time took around 14 hours, which already includes all the stopovers (snack, breakfast) and various waiting gaps (for the boat, for our service van, etc.). The bus ride from Cubao going to Naga lasted 8 hours. From here, a van brought us to Sabang beach, which took an hour. At 8AM, we rode the first boat trip going to Caramoan, and it took 2 hours. The last stretch was a van ride going to our lodging place, which lasted for another hour.
Caramoan Islands
Day 1
After having our lunch, the tour guide started off with our island hopping. The skies were quite clear, and so this meant the sun had its full force upon us. Considering that it was rainy season, we were quite lucky to have had this weather. I have only been able to see Coron in photos, and the scenery presented to us during our island hopping reminded me of them: scattered rock islands topped with a layer of green. Our first stop was on a small shore that had some interesting rock formations. 
We stayed here for just a short while, and then proceeded to the snorkeling area. I was feeling extremely sleepy, so I chose not to snorkel anymore. But I did catch a glimpse of the fishes as they swam to feed on the crushed crackers I threw on the water. We went to another island after this, where I just slept under a rock for a while, and missed the opportunity to even take a picture.
The next island contained a whole lot of people, but it was a nice little coincidence that most of them left shortly upon our arrival.
In our last island for the day, the sand felt very smooth, almost comparable to how a polvoron would feel like if you rubbed it in your hand.
It was also here where we climbed a steep rock formation, off to some sort of “secret lagoon”. It was moderately challenging; the rocks were sharp and jagged, and there were some technical sections that were anything but straightforward. It was our guide who taught us the proper technique on navigating these obstacles. Everyone in our group was able to climb up and down successfully.
Under a muted sunset, we swam for a bit more and took pictures, then finally went back to our lodging.
Day 2
The calm, deep blue waters we waded on made the sea look like a gigantic bowl of blue jelly ace. There were hardly any ripples on the surface at all, and it was the first time I’ve seen anything like it.
As we got closer to our first destination, the water became much shallower and clearer, to a point where one could easily see the textures of the corals and rocks on the bottom.
We got off on an area where water was about knee deep. There were two floating cottages; one of it was occupied by another group composed only of a few people. Looking around gave you a view of the surrounding scenery; a thin and subtle mountain line, vast area of clear water, and a sky washed out by white clouds.
We had our lunch on a floating cottage.
Our final destination for today, according to our guide, was one of the islands used during the filming of reality TV show ‘Survivor: Caramoan’. It indeed had a secluded tropical island feel to it. The shoreline stretched out far and wide to both sides. No one else was on the island except for our group. I initially tried to walk barefoot, but my feet couldn’t stand the prickles of the heated sand.
I decided to have siesta on an empty cottage made of bamboo.
Back at the ‘city’, we transferred lodging. Nearby, there was a small cave, which we also visited.
Day 3
We didn’t do much on the third day, except visit an old church.
Overall
I think Caramoan is place where people can experience a beautiful beach in possibly its purest form: fine sand, and legitimate clean blue water. The virginity of this place is where its beauty lies. During our stay there, most of the islands were devoid of people and commercialization, in spite of it having already been ‘used’ several times by the popular reality TV show, Survivor. I imagine the feeling to be similar if one had rented a private island. Personally, the lack of water activities common in tourist destinations is perfectly fine with me; I even hope that it will stay this way for a long time. But if one is looking for a beach where he can party and socialize, I would not advise him to visit this place, since it will surely bore him.
Notes, expenses, and recommendations:
- Bus trips going straight to Sabang beach are available, so there’s no need to rent another van just for that (our mistake).
- The travel package that we availed, aside from the island hopping tours and transportation, also included:
- Lodging for 3 days and 2 nights.
- Total of 6 full meals. It was a mix of two to three viands on every meal, and of course, rice. We were able to enjoy local seafood dishes (fish, pusit), vegetables, as well as some occasional meat (fried chicken). I found most of the meals to be good. Only bummer was our breakfast on the last day, which was just Maling and egg.
- The only food we bought on the island was for our pulutan and extra drinking water.
- Give the ff. sites a visit if you want to get a quote from them; the price will depend on how big your group is and the preferred accommodation.
SLOWLY WE UNFOLD 