Kalanggaman Island, a mid-sea getaway on the calm waters of Visayas

Midway between Eastern Visayas and Central Visayas is a paradise described as a lone island that provides as a breather from the busy urban suburbs of Leyte and Cebu. Characterized as one of the country's best summer getaway with an ultimate photo opportunity with its picturesque sandbar and island escape. Kalanggaman Island houses one of the best sandbars in the country.

Panampangan Island, the Beach and the Longest Sandbar in the Philippines

Fine white sand on what seemed to be the longest sandbar with an island dotted with a countless number of coconut trees. This is how to describe what Panampangan Island is. Panampangan is one of two islands that is situated on a reef where it is part of. Panampangan is located just at the border between the municipalities of Panglima Sugala and Sapa-Sapa of the province of Tawi-Tawi. It is a 12-hectare island in the middle of the shallow waters of the northernmost extremities of Celebes Sea.

The Breathtaking Mardanas Island of Tawi-Tawi

Midway between the water-world town of Sitangkai in Tawi-Tawi to the Philippine-Malaysian border lies an uninhabited island. An island gifted with fine white sand, green grass and palm trees at its inner areas and vibrant turquoise seas with rich underwater ecosystem. This is Mardanas!

Panguan Island, the most remote island paradise of the Philippines

Panguan Island is the most remote island of the southernmost province in the Philippines, Tawi-Tawi. It is located just at the edge of the border between Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is also called Malamanok Island by some locals. A white-sand beach and turquoise waters getaway.

Tawi-Tawi: A mapping expedition to the Philippines Southernmost Sojourn

Tawi-Tawi is the southernmost province of the Philippines with about one hundred seven (107) islands scattered across the Sulu archipelago. It is bounded on the north by the Sulu Sea and the south by the Celebes Sea. The province is known to possess beautiful islands with powdery white and pink beaches, shallow turquoise waters, flourishing ecosystem and numerous sandbars. Hence, our original mission was to map the province for tourism development. Chain of events has made this expedition more complicated as we have originally planned.

The 7100 Islands of the Philippines

As Filipinos, we know very well from our elementary school days that the Philippine archipelago has 7,107 islands during low tide and 7,100 islands during high tide. But the list and the basis of the number has not been included in any textbooks to date. Not until a private library has shared the 1939 Census Atlas of the Philippines which provided a list of all the islands in the country thus giving us 7,100 reasons to enjoy the Philippines!

Island Hopping Guide at Siargao Islands

March 1-2, 2015
Siargao Islands is primarily famous for its awesome waves to which surfers all over the world are worth riding for. But aside from surfing, Siargao offers a few of its small islands for beach lovers. Fine white sands, turquoise sea and intimate connection with nature is what these islands can offer. This is a travel guide to Siargao, the country's gateway to Pacific Ocean.

What is with this small paradise called Canigao Island

March 2-3, 2015

White sand, turquoise seas, uninhabited island, pristine, and clean. These are the qualities of a beach getaway you have always wanted. Add the word cheap, and there's nothing more you can ask for. Located at about five kilometers off the shores of  Matalom, Leyte's town center, there is no doubt this is one of the best beach getaway of Eastern Visayas.

A Travel Guide to Sablayan and Pandan Island of Occidental Mindoro

February 13-16, 2014
Part 3 of Sablayan and Apo Reef Series

Sablayan of Occidental Mindoro is famous for Pandan Island, a golden beach island just a few minutes of the coast of the town. But Pandan which is a favorite island stop and beach bum location of foreigners visiting the town, Sablayan offers much more. Being a town that is a jump-off to the 2nd largest contiguous coral reef of the world, the Apo Reef, the town provides a stunning history. A melting pot of culture from where the first inhabitants of the Mindoro settled until Spanish and American colonization, to Japanese occupation, the town preserved its tribal roots and endemic Taramaraws while opening its shores to modernization and tourism.

Apo Reef Travel Guide

Part 2 of Sablayan and Apo Reef Series
Apo Reef is the 2nd largest contiguous coral reef in the world and the Philippines' largest. It is well noted for its wide area of coral reef that divers are eager to explore. Being a part of the country's natural reserve and protected area, the undersea features are astounding due to vast corals underneath and various marine species that swim under it. Aside from a coral reef, it has an island with fine white sand, uninhabited and secluded being 48 kilometers away from the shores of Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro to which it is directly administered. Know how to get to this reef and know why we consider this island escape as the best in the Philippines as of yet.

The Captivating Apo Reef of Mindoro - A reef diver and beach fanatic's paradise

February 15, 2014
Part 1 of Sablayan and Apo Reef Series 

It was almost the second week of February. Coming from an unusually cold January in the Philippines, the temperature suddenly spiked up one warm weekend of February. For me it was a sign that summer has bitten the country. A sad time bidding goodbye to the cold cozy weather and time to start up the year's summer season. What would be the best way to greet the season? Greet it with powdery white beach, stunning turquoise waters, magnificent underwater view and an uninhabited island away from civilization. So where could that be? Why not try it at the country's largest coral reef and world's second largest? The Apo Reef!

Sabitang Laya - the best island beach getaway of the Caramoan

Part 5 of the Caramoan Series

Sabitang Laya is so far the best island beach get away in the Caramoan Peninsula. Being situated at one of the nearer islands from the main island hopping jump-off of Barangay Bikal, it is only about 20 minutes away. The island features a campground and shallow turquoise waters touching its fine golden sands with natural granite towers. It is no doubt that this island is one of the beautiful location being sought in Caramoan by Filipinos and foreigners alike.

Manlawi Sandbar - The floating cottages of Caramoan

Part 4 of the Caramoan Series

Manlawi Sandbar of the Caramoan Peninsula is one of the jewels of the island hopping itinerary at this group of islets. It is a sandbar situated east of the largest of the island group, Lahuy that becomes completely submerged at high tide and a one-kilometer wide sandbar during low tide. Eight huts are constructed for those who would like to enjoy the scenery of this wide sandbar and these huts are designed to float during high tide.

The Cotivas Island - the perfect beach spot of the Caramoan

Part 3 of the Caramoan Series

The Cotivas island is a small island in the middle of two larger islands at the northernmost part of the Caramoan peninsula. Notable for its golden sand beach tip and coconut trees that proliferate at the middle of the island. It is a usual beach stop for the island hopping itinerary due to its calm waves being protected by 2 larger islands on both of its sides and the huts that provide shelter.

The Scenic Guinahuan Island and Liwan Beach of the Caramoan

Part 2 of the Caramoan Series

The Guinahuan island is one of the island destination on the group of islets north of the Caramoan Peninsula and is one of the farther islands from the docking ports of Barangay Bikal, the usual jump-off for the island hopping itinerary on this peninsula. The island features a wide grassland and rolling hills to where you can trek up to its highest point to where a lighthouse stands and see the view of the islands from above.

Lusong Island - Coron Palawan's wealth of underwater species for divers.

Lusong Island is one of the island member of the Calamian Group. Located at the northern tip of Palawan and is famously known as Coron to many. The island is south of Busuanga, the major island of the Calamian where its beauty is seen underwater. The island possesses the Coral Gardens, an area southwest of the island to where corals thrives. And at its southeast is the Lusong Gunboat, a 10-meter shipwreck during World War II and is now transformed to a plethora of corals and fish species to which divers can enjoy.

Windows Photo Viewer Icon and the Philippines

Are you using Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system on your computers? More likely you have used the default photo viewer of these operating systems, which is the Microsoft Photo Viewer. I was working on an 8-year-old DVD archive of my photo shoots last night and my DVD-ROM could hardly read the DVD and so the images' thumbnails were not yet loaded as I look at them at the windows file explorer. And so the default Photo Viewer icon is shown.  The program's icon kept me thinking. I think I saw this before. Have you?

Discovering Jomalig: The Golden Island of Eastern Luzon

April 12-14, 2013

Jomalig, pronounced as ho-ma-lig', is the farthest and easternmost island of the Polilio Group of Islands of Eastern Luzon which is primarily flat. Of which the highest elevation of the island would be at Alog Point at only 30MASL. Jomalig is a 5th class municipality and its main source of income is fishing and copra. Unknown to many, this island is a hidden paradise of golden beaches and pink sunsets.

Jomalig Map-up and Kids Feeding Project 1st Wave is a Success

April 12-14, 2013

Jomalig Island is a remote island of Quezon province. Too remote that it already borders with the Pacific Ocean; requires three hours land travel from Manila and an additional six hours boat ride from Real, Quezon while facing the challenge of strong waves coming from the ocean. As such, this island has become a point of concern of James Betia of Journeying James for his feeding project and Schadow1 Expeditions' Mapping Project. This article is an account of the 1st wave of getting in to the island to reach out.

Crocodile Island of Cagayan, an islet with many names

March 28, 2013

Crocodile Island, as it is famously known by the locals and tourists of Sta. Ana, Cagayan at the northeastern tip of the Philippines is a lone island cliff situated at the middle of Balintang Channel just off the shore of Barangay San Vicente of the main town. The island is a must visit as it is blocking the way to Palaui's main village, Punta Verde. The waters to it is shallow and can be used as a snorkeling spot as well.