Batanes has always been a part of my bucket list eversince I started traveling. Despite news of having several flights cancelled, a number of tourists stranded, and business travellers complaining about poor internet connection, the idea of being cast away from all of the stress in the city and the thought of having to enjoy the cold breeze of mountain living while hearing the gust of ocean wind made me decide to spend a weekend getaway with bbeyb in this small island at the northern part of the archipelago.
Most of the travel bloggers recommend a minimum of 5 days of stay to explore everything in the province, but since we don’t have that amount of time for a short getaway, we settled for the North, South and Sabtang Island package that Bisumi Travel Agency had offered. We dropped the Itbayat island from our itinerary, as that will require another one whole day to explore.
Among the many stops in Batan Island (more than 20
of them), here’s a dozen of my favorite picturesque spots:
- Paderes View Point
- Mahatao Shelter Port
- San Carlos Borromeo Church
- White Beach and Blue lagoon
- Alapad Hill and Rock Formation
- San Jose El Obrero Church
- House of Dakay
- Racuh a Payaman (Marlboro Country)
- Tayid Lighthouse
- Mt. Carmel Chapel
- Valugan Boulder Beach
- Basco Lighthouse, Naidi Hills Complex and Rolling Hills
Due to the strong Amihan wind, we were not able to take drone shots. Our Sabtang trip was also cancelled due to the strong waves. Some flights were cancelled. Some were delayed. We were only able to explore the northern and southern parts of the mainland, Batan.
The news about a real cast away experience is not a myth. There’s no internet connection. The tours usually end before sunset. There’s no night life. The light posts are not so bright for tourists. The tricycles are not abundant at night. There are no restaurants after 8 in the evening. Some Ivatan delicacies need to be ordered in advance, as they are not always available. If you don’t place advance orders, you’ll end up with the normal carinderia type of viands. My favorite combo is called Batanes’ Flavors (caliente, liempo, Ivatan tapa and kilawin) partnered with Ivatan salad. This can be experienced in Pension Ivatan, close to the airport.
Coconut crabs used to be popular too, but is no longer being served to tourists.
Stone houses are everywhere. These are made of stones and lime stones, and are built to withstand strong typhoons.
Though we only spent a few days in the island, the long nights with the extremely cold weather condition made us feel like we stayed for a week.
We’ll definitely be back to explore the Itbayat and Sabtang Islands.
Until our next cast away trip. 😎
