A Visit to Sorsogon: The Rock Formations of Sawanga

Sorsogon was not in one of my places to visit because I knew very little of the place. Outside of whale shark watching (which is very scarce now), I knew almost nothing of the places to visit and see in this province. But nonetheless we went to Sorsogon after visiting a few spots in Albay.

Paguriran Island

We took the first van we saw that headed to Sorsogon City. We paid the P85 fare and arrived in Sorsogon in a little less than one and a half hours. Our road trip did not end there because we had to take another jeep bound to Sawanga for 2-3 hours after a quick lunch. After seeing a handful of pictures of Paguriran Island, I decided to put that atop our to visit list.

Paguriran Island

Our long sojourn took a halt at the Paguriran Beach Resort run by a German, his wife, and kids. The trip to Sawanga was long and tiring so we decided to hit the beach right away.

The roads were paved but there were some sections which were unpaved. It also seemed like everyone new each other because at each stop people who rode the jeep started talking like they've known each other for quite some time. Despite the distance between barangays, it's nice to know that there is a connection between all of the people who rode the jeep.

The main draw of Paguriran is not the beach itself but the lagoon and rock formations, but the beachfront is not too shabby either. Fine white sand and clear, warm waters what more can you ask for?

These were some of the rock formations behind the lagoon.

It's more fun under the sun. There were hardly any people visiting because low-season just started.

Pagol Rock Formations

After seeing and swimming around Paguriran Island, we moved on to the other rock formations further out.

Pagol Rock Formations

Pagol Rock Formations

The Pagol rock formations weren't too far from Paguriran. The waters surrounding the rocks were surprisingly warm. The jagged skin of the rocks created a beautiful kind of ugly that only nature could have created.

There were other rock formations in the area.

There was another group of rock formations further out called 'Buhawi' but the tide was already getting high that made getting there impossible. Pagol and Paguriran were both worth the long ride all the way from Daraga, Albay.

We didn't anticipate the time it took to get from Albay to Sawanga, Sorsogon. We missed the last jeep back to the city (4PM) and ended up spending the night in Paguriran Beach Resort. Sorsogon City is the best starting point to see all of the places in Sorsogon, missing the last jeep back made us change our plans on the fly. We had to spend another two hours on the road just to get back to the city the next day to head to Matnog.

How to get to Paguriran Island

You can reach Paguriran island by taking the Sawanga bound jeep from Sorsogon City Grand Terminal for P45 one way. Just tell the driver you will alight at Paguriran Beach Resort. If you plan on just doing a day tour to Paguriran, head out earlier (you'll need 2-3 hours at least to enjoy the rock formations) to catch the last jeep back to Sorsogon City at 4PM. It takes 2-3 hours to reach the resort. Sawanga is located at the northern tip of Sorsogon.

Where to Stay in Sawanga, Sorsogon

We stayed in Paguriran Beach Resort to spend the night. Our air conditioned room costs P800 for two persons, shared basic bathroom. We just had food cooked as there were no restaurants in sight, just small stores with canned goods and a market with produce and meat.

Contact #: 09293007131