Not missing the blustery seven-hour lampitaw ride of my first journey there, I stepped out of the plane—moments after it made a historic first landing on the island—buoyed by a feeling akin to rekindling a tryst with a former lover. Calayan Island had that exact effect on me. It was likely because during my previous visit, the location had served as a backdrop to my memorable hilltop and beachside frolics with my then-girlfriend.
Calayan Island | A Sweet Hereafter Return
While that second visit was for a writing assignment witnessing a historic milestone: the maiden flight to Calayan Island, I could not dismiss the fact that a deep sense of fondness was being revived. Being summoned to once again explore the island’s stunning landscape felt like being given a second chance to create a new set of memories in a destination that always reminded me of splendid memory reels from four years prior.
Postcard-Image Cibang Cove
After a brief ceremony inaugurating the small airport of Calayan Island, we hit the explore button immediately and boarded a speedboat. Sailing over cerulean-colored waters sent me back into a spell of complete enthrallment. For the second time, I found myself embracing the island’s grand scheme of charms.
It did not take long before I gazed in the direction of a drawn-out cove known as Cibang—the same place where four years ago I was almost swept away to sea by its mighty waves. Beyond that near brush with drowning, it was also the same location I had defined to myself as the most beautiful length of oceanfront I had ever seen in my life.
Knowing full well that memories have a way of exaggerating, I stared at Cibang Cove’s white sandy shoreline as it sparkled like jewelry against the gleam of the sun. It was mesmerizing still. I directed my gaze at the forest that filled the surrounding serrated peaks before turning my attention to the lunar-like rock formations jutting out into the volatile ocean. It was precisely the Cibang Cove I remembered: raw, desolate, and tempestuously absorbing.
As our speedboat capered to the motions of the heavily rollicking waves, we each struggled to transfer to a small buoyant device that took us to the shore. Finally out of the vessel and with my feet planted on the soft, fine sands of Cibang Cove, I took off my shoes and walked barefoot.
Sinking my feet and feeling the scorching sands at every step, I tuned in to the sounds of the battering waves as they collided with the coastline. The blending of the colors all around me—white sands below me, indigo waters behind me, emerald forest-covered crests on my other side, and the blue skies above me—all constituted a sense that I was standing inside a postcard image. The lure of taking a dip in the crystal-clear waters was strong, but my craving for big lobsters and curacha crabs was mightier. Therefore, I headed straight to the opposite end of Cibang Cove and into a waiting feast.
Fascination Redux at Calayan
After our late lunch shared boodle-fight style, we rested a bit before proceeding to Nagudungan Hill. The short and breezy hike atop this rolling mound overlooking sequences of beguiling scenery—of deep ravines, the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean on both sides, and Cibang Cove below—brought back the same captivation Calayan had left on me during my first trip there.
This time around, as I separated myself from our group, I lumbered to the different high points of Nagudungan and immersed myself in the exceptional set of bounteous, beautiful nature around me.
While listening to myself think, I saw one of the ladies from the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) of the Philippines wandering on her own nearby. I had first noticed her during our plane ride to Calayan Island and figured her to be a snob. Here on top of Nagudungan Hill, though, she was entirely jovial and gamely striking poses. “Sir Marky, it’s so beautiful here,” Genesis said, initiating small talk. Not long after, we were engaged in a conversation centering on the beauty of the island and how rejuvenating it was to leave all worldly worries behind.
Later, as the sun started to set, we joined the others seated over a patch of grass sharing a bottle of locally made wild berry wine. Together, we watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon.
As the sky became an image of a scattered Roman candle explosion, I laid on the grass for a few minutes more. Delighted at experiencing the untouched splendor of the island once again, I turned the pages of my first Calayan Island experience into a new chapter: Fascination Redux. And “this is only day one,” I told myself.
Unending Quests
The next day, I awoke to a morning sky equal parts blue and a medley of streaks of red and blooming yellows. The rising sun was partly hidden by the clouds, and the waves of the sea kissed the pebble-filled beach with abandon. I took a short walk along the beachfront, eager to continue our exploration of the island. A couple of dogs snooped at the sands as they followed me. The icy daybreak wind then hushed me to sit on a rock and just stare at the endless swirling of the ocean’s whitecaps.
After breakfast, we divided ourselves into three groups, boarded a smaller boat, and cruised over the seas in a maritime convoy. Our first stop was Lusok Cave ('Lusok' is an Ilocano word for 'hole'), where a natural pool was hidden behind twin passageways beneath a mammoth, craggy rock wall.
Inside, we took turns diving into the refreshing indigo waters—a mixture of the sea and the fresh water dripping from the walls of the cave. Afterwards, we headed back to the island and visited the waterfalls of Bataraw and Caanawan—but not before enjoying another boodle fight feast consisting of fresh seafood and lechon by the roadside near Bataraw falls.
Caanawan Falls was located a few kilometers upland and necessitated riding a powerful habal-habal (motorcycle) to get to the jump-off point. From there, another ten-minute hike took us to the waterfalls.
It was almost nighttime when we got back to Apollo Resort on Dadao Beach—where we were billeted. Weary from back-to-back days of exploration and still high from the euphoric inauguration of the Calayan Island Airport, we spent the night bonding further. Wholeheartedly supportive of the TPB and the Calayan LGU’s plan to maintain the rawness of the island despite the new developments, we all felt immense excitement at the future of sustainable and responsible tourism practices on the island.
My return trip to Calayan Island was more than the "second time is a charm" cliché; it was also an eye-opener to the core importance of preserving the island against detrimental forms of development. As Mayor Al Llopis told us, “We won't let investors use Calayan Island as their playground,” I felt assured that the island was in good hands for now.
Calayan Island Eco-Adventure Blueprint
Special thanks to Wakay Tours for arranging all our tours, accommodations, and transportation on Calayan Island. If you have any questions regarding where to stay or what to do on Calayan Island, feel free to send them your inquiries.
