Calayan Travel Guide
Calayan,
sometimes called Babuyanes Islands or simply Babuyanes, is a municipality of Cagayan surrounded by Balintang
Channel on the north, which separates the islands from Batanes, West Philippine
Sea on the west, Pacific Ocean on the east and Babuyan Channel on the south,
which separates them from mainland Luzon. Due to the abundance of pig in the
area, locally known as Babuy, the
islands were called Babuyanes.
Babuyanes is
composed of small islands: Calayan, Camiguin, Dalupiri, Fuga, Babuyan Claro and
Didicas with Calayan being the town center. Ilocano is the native tongue of the
locals of Calayan while those living in Babuyan Claro can speak “Ikarog” which
originated from Ivatan dialect from
Batanes.
According to
some records, Calayan is called such because of the abundance of ginger, known
as laya in Ilocano. The place was
called Calayaan and was later shortened to Calayan.
*Calayan was a part of Batanes during the 19th Century. It became a part of cagayan in the early 20th. I got all this information from a local paper provided by tita Tess.
How To Get There
Calayan is a
remote island in Cagayan (Valley) thus it is not easy to reach. The island can only
be reached via boat (lampitaw) from the port of Claveria. It is best to contact
someone from Calayan (Tita Tess or Tita Connie) before going there so they
could arrange for your boat ride. Fee is Php 500 pesos per person.
Good to
know: The boat is an ordinary boat that carries goods from Claveria to Calayan.
The number of passengers it can accommodate depends on the size of the boat. There
are no seats, no sun shade and you have to bear with the engine’s noise. Bawal ang pabebe sa Calayan. There’s a
chance that you’ll get wet. Boat ride to Calayan takes around six hours and
that is if the weather is nice.
*After our boat ride my friend and I talked
like we’re 10 meters apart.
To reach
Claveria Port from Metro Manila, you could ride a bus bound for Claveria or fly
to Laoag City then take a van bound for Claveria.
Contact
numbers:
Tita Tess –
09399158667 / 09298375737
Tita Connie –
09215349231
Where To Stay
 |
| San Jose Inn |
There are
two inns in Calayan: TPS Homestay owned by Tita Tess and San Jose Inn owned by
Tita Connie. We stayed at Tita Connie although we were supposed to stay at Tita
Tess’. Both hostels are decent and clean but not air conditioned.
What To Do
I can’t
comment on the island’s marine life since we did not snorkel. It wasn’t
recommended by Tita Tess and Tita Connie but I think the island has a good
snorkeling site. Ask the locals, they’re nice and friendly.
The beaches
are beyond beautiful and peaceful. Some offer white sand beach with clear blue
water while some have sand darker than the shade of gray. What I love about the
beaches is the absence of unsightly restaurants and hotels nearby. It’s just
you and the beach and some hermit crabs.
The island
has three scenic coves: Sibang, Caniwara and Cababaan coves. Sibang and
Cababaan have white sand beaches – Sibang is also a good camping site. Caniwara
on the other hand has a rocky shore.
The Nagudungan
Hill, which requires a short hike, gives an amazing view of the three coves.
You could also watch the sunset from the hill.
Roam around
Calayan and hike up to Canawaan and Bataraw falls. I don’t really recommend
going to Canawaan unless you like adventure. First, it was hard to reach the
waterfall since there is no well-established trail and it’s not a place locals
love to visit. Our two guides don’t know where Canawaan is when we asked them
so we asked some of the locals around who, apparently, aged around 9-10
year-old. It was frustrating because the way to the falls looked inaccessible; there
were big boulders and fallen trees blocking way. Somehow we managed to cross
the blockages.
 |
| Canawaan Falls |
Visit Tita
Tess and buy wild berry wine. She is one
the most accommodating people I have met. She has a little room where she
makes wild berry wine. She invited us into her house where we drank wine – a
lot of wine. We drank different blends, from low to high alcohol content.
Lastly, eat lobsters.
How To Get Around
There are
few tricycles available but the best way to travel around is via motorbike.
Again, you could ask Tita Tess, she’s the tourism head on the island (as of
June 2015). Other parts of the road in Calayan are still underdeveloped so
expect a bumpy ride.
Best Time To Go
The best time to go to Calayan is during summer (March to early June) when the weather is good. The waves get dangerously big during the wet season.
Good To Know:
There are no
ATMS or banks in Calayan. Bring lots of cash and don’t worry about getting
robbed because Calayan is safe. Zero
crime rate. During our stay, we leave the door (in the veranda) and windows
of our room open when sleeping.
Due to its
isolated location, Calayan has limited electricity which is 12 pm – 12 am.
Summer in
Calayan is very hot (like Zac Efron hot). That’s why we leave our door and
windows open.
Bring
waterproof bags or garbage bags (like we did) to protect your belongings from
the waves. Even though the weather is nice, the waves get pretty big sometimes.
Just waterproof everything!
The locals understand and speak Tagalog.
For the food, there is one eatery in Calayan but I forgot its name; our food was prepared by Tita Connie's cousin.
How Much To Bring
The money
you will bring actually depends on how many wild berry wine you’re going to purchase.
:D Kidding.
Below is the
list of our expenses in Calayan for your reference.
| Description | Cost |
| Bus to Claveria | Php750.00 |
| Tric from Claveria Market to Port | Php70.00 |
| Lampitaw | Php500.00 |
| Tric from Calayan wharf to San Jose Inn | Php100.00 |
| Motorbike rent: from San Jose Inn to Sibang and | Php300.00 |
| Nagudungan Hill | |
| Motorbike rent: from San Jose Inn Bataraw and | Php750.00 |
| Canawaan Falls | |
| Room rent/night | Php250.00 |
| Food (for 3 days at San Jose Inn, yes including lobsters) | Php1,000.00 |
| Boat rent (roamed around the whole Calayan Island) | Php4,000.00 |
| there were two of us so Php2000/pax | |
| Wild Berry Wine/bottle | Php180.00 |
| Honey/300 mL bottle | Php150.00 |
That's all for today. Here's Zac Efron :D
-good day!-
donna
donna
