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Exploring the Islands of Guimaras

After spending the night in Iloilo City, my friends and I finally got to visit the mango province of the Philippines --- Guimaras.

Guisi Beach
We went to the port, paid the P14 fare, and were off to Jordan in Guimaras.

Island Hopping Guimaras Style

When we got to Jordan, the weather was transforming from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. The calm seas and wind were slowly getting stronger. The hue of the sky shifted from pale blue to dark grey. We hurriedly hired a tricycle and drove to Raymen Beach Resort. We decided to hire the same tricycle driver for the land tour after island hopping.


As soon as we arrived in Raymen, the rain just fell. It was not a light drizzle but a downpour. We had to wait another 15 to 20 minutes before we went island hopping.

SEAFDEC

SEAFDEC
We decided to go to the farthest destination first, which was SEAFDEC. The rain only took a short respite then decided to unleash another wave when we got to SEAFDEC. SEAFDEC is a research institute for different kinds of marine life. There were houses scattered in the area for scientists. We paid an entrance fee of P20 each.

Turtle Island



Turtle Island was named accordingly because of the turtle living on it.


There were caretakers that took care of the turtle on the island.


There were also a small cave on Turtle Island. Ave Maria Islet was directly across Turtle Island and had the same kind of beach. We also passed by Fairy Castle on the way to Turtle Island, Fairy Castle was a rock formation along the sea.

Baras Beach


We visited Baras Beach which was located farther out. There is a P15 entrance fee for Baras Beach.




Baras Beach had a great view of various islets along the sea. There was also a cliff diving site on Baras Beach Resort but the waves were too  strong to try it, we'd end up ramming into the sharp rocks if any of us tried jumping off the cliff.

Natago island


For me, the best place to visit during the island hopping was Natago Island. Too bad we only got to stay there for a while since the owner did not want any visitors. Natago Island is a privately owned property belonging to a foreigner, I didn't know which nationality.



There was a short sandbar on the island that sat between two sides of the sea. The waves were intense on this side of the island since it was closer to open sea. Natago Island was the hardest to get to compared to the other places. The waves got stronger as the day went on because of the bad weather. We were unable to go to Baras Cave because of the strong winds and waves.

Read my updated guide: budget and itinerary for Guimaras

Island Hopping in Guimaras

This was the resort next to Raymen
Raymen Beach Resort is the main jump-off point for island hopping. Island hopping costs P500 for the first hour for 1-10 persons, and additional P150 for the extra hour of island hopping. You can also rent snorkels for P100. You can get to Raymen by riding the tricycle for P250 one-way (max 5 persons) or rent a multicab for P450 (minimum 9-10 persons). You can also take public transport to get to Raymen, we just hired a tricycle since the fare via public transport was almost the same amount we would spend when we hired a tricycle.

We spent P415 for the island hopping since we ended up doing it twice. One of our friends got sea sick and we didn't want to leave him out so we decided to island hop again the next day. We got a fan room for P900 that fit all five of us.

24 comments:

  1. Reminds me of my island on hundred isles,,,I guess, this is beautiful too. :D

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  2. It's another great Philippine island hopping destination. Too bad we can't come here as a family anymore because of my dad's condition.

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  3. I think it would be nice to interact with the turtles in the turtle island as they are such gentle creatures.

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  4. Nice, another beautiful island destination, my list is now becoming long :)

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  5. Guimaras is really a lovely place! we were here last June but we did Island hopping in Gigantes Islands(Calres, Ilo ilo). also a lovely place. we spent one day tour in Guimaras so it was so bitin... :( but their islands seemed as beautiful. visiting these places make you appreciate how blessed is the Philippines. I just hope they remain as naturally beautiful as they are. it will be selfish but once big business developers got their hands on them, the natural beauty will be ruined. :(

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  6. I really want to go here. :(

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  7. i have never been here. if i will be given a chance, i will give it a go!

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  8. I have been near this place. I visited nauway. It is a place where a certain cargo vessel or tanker loaded with oil leaked. Remember that news before? I love to stay with the turtle island. Since I was a kid, I love to play with turtles. I enjoy watching them while walking and also seeing their heads hid when annoyed.

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  9. I really don't have any idea that this place is really beautiful too. I remember our island hopping at boracay. the private resorts seem pretty similar. too bad you weren't able to stay at Natago island. I wish I can go here someday too!

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  10. I love to see turtles,I have seen a lot of turtles back in Oklahoma sometimes they are crossing the road.I hope to go island hopping someday .

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  11. I have never been to Guimaras but I think visiting the place is worth the try.btw I love that Pawikan pic! =)

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  12. omg! did you say mango province of the philippines? I would totally love to visit the place while eating mangoes! haha I love mangoes so much and its nice seeing a place back in Philippines with the two things i love the most

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  13. When I heard Guimaras, first thing that comes to my mind was Sweet Mangoes and the Monks that lives in the island for ages. This is good insight of what can people expect of island hopping when they visit Guimaras.

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  14. I feel like a loser kasi di pa ako nakapunta sa Guimaras. Gosh. It seems like I'm missing on a lot of things already!

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  15. Yes, daming islands to hop while in Guimaras. Turlt Island, it's a must-see for me.

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  16. Woow I would love to visit Guimaras, mga Ilonggo parin ba mga tao dun? :)

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  17. @nanardxz: oo mga Ilonggo pa rin as far as I know haha

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  18. Oh wow! You just gave me an idea of what to do next summer, except learning how to surf, with my friends. I've never been to Guimaras and by the looks of it, it seems me and my friends have been missing alot. GANDA SOBRA! :)

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  19. What a very nice and serene place. I hope to visit here soon too. It's my dream to do island hopping.

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  20. I recommend Kuya Michael he is Tourist guide/ Tricycle driver/Multicab Driver(for big groups)/ Photographer, when visiting Guimaras. He is reliable and honest. Feel free to call him next time you visit Guimaras. He will fetch you on time at Jordan Wharf and greeted you with his warm smile. Here is the Contact no. of Kuya Michael Selorico -- 0908 324 6835.

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  21. Enjoyed looking through this, very good stuff, regards.

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  22. Spot on with this write-up, I really believe that this website needs much more attention. I'll probably
    be back again to see more, thanks for the info!

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