Batanes is a group of islands located in the northernmost part of the Philippines. The three biggest (and main) islands are Itbayat, Batan (where Basco is located), and Sabtang. Among these 3 islands, Itbayat is the farthest island in the North which has a municipality.
When I was a kid, I would hear Batanes in the news because of the so many typhoons that landed on the islands. In history, a tsunami hit one of the islands making the city a ghost city. But amidst all these, when I reached the place, I must say that BATANES IS A PARADISE– the people are all so nice, there are no crimes (for someone who grew up in Manila, this is an impossible thing), the cost of living is low, there is no pollution, and life is so simple.
Basco
Our airline going to Basco is the Seair. In 2011, this is the only airline which has a direct flight from Manila to Basco. The 32-seater plane will only give you a maximum baggage allowance of 15 kgs. After weighing your baggage, the staff will also require to weigh the passenger since they try to balance the weight when already loaded in the plane.
The most amazing sights for me in the island are: (1) Liveng, the Batanes hedgerows, hills that looks like a jigsaw puzzle; (2) the shorelines view on top of the mountains; (3) the Marlboro country (the rolling hills); (4) the Lighthouse; and (4) Fundacion Pacita. Sorry, I can’t recall all the places we visited but here are some of my favorite photos.
Itbayat
Itbayat is a 4-hour boat ride from Batan island. The 4-hour boat ride is the worst feeling I’ve had. I threw up a couple of times (some of my friend had to vomit directly to the ocean, but don’t worry because the boat men are ready and they have plastic bags for everyone) even though I took 2 tablets of Bonamine. And the locals would say that “the sea is calm”… what more if it’s not?! The waves seem to be the height of a 2-storey house. I was all wet when we reached the destination (so I recommend that you use a water proof bag when traveling to this island). But it was all worth it.
Itbayat has no shoreline, the whole island is a cliff. When getting off the boat, you have to make sure that you follow the rhythm of the ocean, kailangan sunod sa hampas ng tubig.
There are no hotels in the island, only home stay. Since our group is big, we had to stay to different houses. Ours was located a few steps from the Church, the door has no lock, yet no personal belongings was lost within our stay.
In Itbayat, we had a whole-day hiking. My foot ached at the end of the journey and I got a few bruises and sunburns but the hike was all worth it. I love the view of the ocean on top of the mountain (this is always my favorite view). The places we visited are (as I recall it) Torungan Cave, Mt. Karabu buan which is the Highest Peak, Natimban, Dumnahili, Nahli Votoh, Sarokan, and Rapang Stone Bell.
And here's the view from top of the rocks. We climbed the rocks without any paraphernalia.
Sabtang
Unlike Itbayat, Sabtang is only 20-minute boat ride from Batan island. Sabtang is known for the “old stone houses” and the Mahayaw arch. We were stranded on the island for 2 or 3 hours because of the weather. Coast guard in the island is strict. The old houses are beautiful, and the owners are so accommodating – some allow tourists to go inside their houses for picture-taking. We only had a day tour in the island and here are some of the photos during our visit.
Biking in Basco
On our last day, it was both bad and good news – bad news because our flight back to Manila is cancelled due to the strong winds. But the good news is that we still have another day to enjoy the place. And so we decided to go biking. See how strong the winds are?
Batanes is one of my favorite places. Definitely I will go back to this paradise.