Ilonggos are lucky to have an escape just minutes from the hustle and bustle of Iloilo City. A lush island filled with beach and mountain resorts plus natural and man made attractions that beckons with a lot of activities from afar.
Welcome to Guimaras! More than the world famous mangoes, the famed Isla Naburot, the scenic Bala-an Bukid, the infamous oil spill and things you may have heard or read about - Guimaras is waiting to be discovered. Whether an overnight stay or just a day trip - Guimaras is surely an island that fits your taste!
Transportation
Despite easy and cheap access from Iloilo City, traveling in and around the island may somewhat be challenging. First and foremost upon arriving either on Jordan or Buenavista wharves, one has to register at the tourist information center just outside. They will give your suggestions where to go and what to do if you come sort of unprepared. Tourism guides will be able to facilitate your transportation need at the reasonable price.
Transporation would play a key role on how your trip will be. Commuting by jeeps would be the cheapest but you will be wasting precious time waiting and seeking transfers from one attraction to another.
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| Special service jeepney: The Guimaras Express |
Here are some suggest places and attractions plus to visit and activities to do while on the island.
Bala-an Bukid
A picturesque hill that is adorned with the Stations of the Cross and a summit capped with a giant Cross that can be seen from almost all parts of Iloilo City. The hilltop offers a breathtaking view of Guimaras and Iloilo City. It takes around 1.5 hours to complete the whole journey.
Guimaras Capitol Complex and Museum
The seat of governance in the whole island province and offers a wide open space used for activities. The new museum is a landmark architecture that houses artifacts donated by some residents of the island. It also has a special display devoted to the oil spill of 2006.
Trappist Monastery
The Our Lady of the Philippines - Trappist monastery is the only one of its order in the country. It offers a quiet and serene atmosphere perfect for solitary adventures and personal recollections. Bring home some of the monks labours of love for it also houses pasalubong center that offers trinkets, shirts, fresh produce, fruit preserves and a whole lot baked goodies.
Valle Verde
A contrast to the usual beachside resorts dotting the island, Valle Verde offers lush greens and great scenery. A 15-minute travel off the main highway takes you to a lush mountain resort with amenities like a pool, rooms, conference halls, a natural spring and more. Entrance fee is Php10 for visitors who want to drop by the mountain resort.
Camp Alfredo
This 2-hectare parkland is a family adventure destination. It had adventure facilities like the 300-m zipline, obstacle course and rapel. It has an infinity pool overlooking a stream and has cabins for accommodation. It has a grand gazebo for events and meetings. Camp Alfredo on Facebook.
Camiña Balay nga Kawayan and Springbloom FarmsAround 30 minutes from the Jordan Pier is Springbloom Farms in Sibunag , Guimaras and right in the middle of it is a gastronomic escape. The newly opened Terraza at Camiña Balay nga Kawayan aims to contribute to the fast-rising Farm-2-Plate tourism thrust in the island province of Guimaras.
With the formal launching of The Terraza at Camiña Balay nga Bato in Guimaras, Springbloom Farms can now showcase its various produce through its Farm-to-Plate Culinary Experience. Inspired by the Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork) movement, this kind of gastronomy refers to the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption.
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| Guisi Beach as seen on top of the lighthouse |
Another popular beach, Guisi is famed because of its more rustic appeal. No big resorts are found in the area and you really have to bring everything here. The beach is more private, the waters cleared and there are rock formations for photo ops. Climbing a few steps up brings you to an 18th century lighthouse that has become a landmark of the place. This is more of a community based beach and often times the whole community welcomes guests with songs and dances on special occasions.
Alubihod beach
The most popular beach on the island and home to resorts like Raymen. Around 45 minutes from the Jordan wharf, this beach has also one of the longest stretches of sand in the island even though it’s only around 300 meters. It is also a popular jump off point to one of the highlights of any visit to Guimaras – island hopping.
Island hopping
The many islands, coves and beaches of Guimaras offer great opportunities for this activity but the most popular jump off point is at Alubihod beach. Just pay for the entrance fee at Raymen (PhP10) and no need to book for rooms or huts. The boating rates among the cheapest in the country and offers a whole lot of activities, places to go, beaches and island to offer and some scenes found only in Guimaras.
Mostly it starts with a visit to the pawikan sanctuary where, for a small donation, one can touch and have pictures taken with a sea turtle and fishes. Leisurely boating around the nooks and crack of this limestone island, one can find a lot of rock formations, coves, isolated islands with good beaches like the Ave Maria islet.
One can also visit other resorts like Baras beach resort and the famed Isla Naburot. However, the latter being a private island resort prohibits island hoppers from alighting their boats. A trip inside the Baras cave offers some thrills of being inside a little cave on a boat. One can even take a dip in the waters or just linger around the cave. But watch out for the snakes and bats.
For the more adventurous ones, a trip to the Isla Tiniguiban worth the thrill and excitement but most of the time tension filled trip. It’s a little way out in the open and big waves tend to pound the boat along the way. But the little island offers a lot of big surprises, the most enchanting of which are the fames pulang pasayan. Literally translated as red shrimps, it’s among the few places where one can find live red shrimps – swimming and scavenging for food. Shrimps and other crustaceans usually turned red only when subjected to heat – cook that is, but here, shrimps are in their natural state of reddish orange. These shrimps only come out of the crevices during high tide so be sure to check the calendars.
But even without the shrimps, the island has also a lot to offer. Even as a private island, the caretaker is warm enough to welcome anybody. He’ll show you around the nice sand and pebble beaches, the rocky island across, some secret coves which can be your own very private beach and some hilltops that offer greats views of the smaller and main island of Guimaras. Time can really stood still while you’re in this island. But be sure to bring in the necessary things like food, water, etc because you won’t find in the island.
Small boats good for 4-6 persons go for the rates of Php400/first hour and PhP150 for the succeeding hours. Boats with a bigger capacity command higher rate.
Up north
The tip of the island also offers good beaches and activities; the most famous landmark is Roca Encantada (The Enchanted Rock) and is the (former?) vacation home of one the richest families in the country – The Lopezes. The mansion sits on a rock across the sea and sometimes becomes an island itself during high tide but a concrete walkway provides easy access for visitors. An entrance fee of PhP50 per person is collected at the nearby El Retiro Beach Resort to those who want to get a good view from the mansion itself.
Indeed it pays to go up Roca Encantada as it provides a perfect view of another attraction nearby but out to the sea. Siete Pecados (seven sins) are islets jutting out like rocks thrown out to the sea.
The oldest church in the island, the parish of San Isidro Labrador in Navals is also worth a visit along the way.
Mangoes and more
Guimaras mangoes are among the sweetest in the world –they claim. But while there you can prove it yourself if it’s true. The Manggahan Festival during April, showcases the islanders veneration for this golden yellow fruit and aside from being the showcase of the various performances, a display of mango related products can be seen and bought during the festivities. But an “Eat-all-you-can” Guimaras mangoes completes the day.
Visitors can also visit one of the largest mango farms in the country owned by Oro Verde Holdings Inc, located at, ironically, Brgy. Pinya in Buenavista
Here's a guide to the resorts, attractions and other places of interest in Guimaras as published by the Guimaras provincial tourism board.
This guide covers only a little of what Guimaras has to offer. More beaches and islands, resorts - seaside and mountain, and activities. But for a limited yet quality time in Guimaras this guide offers an enjoyable itinerary to make Guimaras the island that fits your taste.Acknowledgment: Some photos used courtesy of www.EXPLOREILOILO.com, www.VISITA-IGLESIA.com, www.BYAHILO.com, www.PUNTAVILLA.com, www.DATREKKER.blogspot.com, www.SKYSCRAPERCITY.com, Dept. of Tourism - Region 6, IAMME of SSC, FHEL from FB and others through GOOGLE and FLICKR.