It has been over a decade since my ex-girlfriend, a friend, and I embarked on a memorable long weekend castaway trip to Calaguas Islands’ Mahabang Buhangin. During that time, the island was known only to avid backpackers. I vividly recall the confused expression on the fisherman's face when we approached him in the town of Paracale and shared our plan to journey to the island.
Calaguas Islands: A Return Long Time Coming
“That’s far away,” he told us in Tagalog. “What will you do there? There’s nothing there. The island is bare,” he added. While the mighty waves of the Pacific Ocean were still unknown to us, we chartered his small boat. It didn't take long before we started noticing the growing swells rocking and jerking our vessel. The three of us—myself, Lauren, and Sharlyn—immediately fell silent, reciting all the prayers we knew while our boatman and his assistant remained calm throughout.
That boat ride to and from Calaguas’ Mahabang Buhangin, along with almost getting toasted by the sun and the beginning of my attachment to Lauren, remained the highlights of my first trip to Calaguas. After my romantic relationship with Lauren fizzled out a few years later when she migrated to Canada, I believed it was time to create a new memory in Calaguas more than a decade later.
As the sun gradually set on the horizon, the memories of my 2010 trip to Calaguas began to blend seamlessly with my current experience of the place. I found these two remarkable episodes taking place in this stunning part of Camarines Norte as timestamps reminding me of how far I've come—literally—as a traveler.
Coming Back to Calaguas Island’s Mahabang Buhangin
Many things have happened since my first trip to the island. From my early days starting to embrace wanderlust in the summer of 2010, I’ve literally and figuratively amassed thousands of miles on the road, charting a path escaping the corporate world and becoming a travel writer.
Over time, my travels have expanded to include various destinations across the country and parts of Asia, with the frequency of my trips increasing to two or three times per month. Lauren has chosen to stay in Montreal, while Sharlyn embarked on a new chapter of her life as a married woman and a mother. In Calaguas’ case, it has since turned into a popular destination among beach junkies. Despite its remote location, travelers have included it in their travel bucket list in the Bicol region.
The once-barren island, which used to have only one or two small huts and a tiny well for its water supply, has now undergone significant changes. Today, at least four resorts stand on the island; yet, despite the major transformations that have occurred, the landscape remains as beautiful as ever. This became clear to me as soon as our boat docked on the island's notable white powdery sands.
“An ganda pa rin” (It’s still pretty), I mumbled to myself as I sank my feet into the crystal-clear waters and gently weaved my way onto the cool, fine sand that stretched across both sides of the island. While I prefer the untouched Mahabang Buhangin of old, the present-day version, with its aptly sized rooms, soft beds, electricity, and nighttime air conditioning, brings added comfort to visitors. Fortunately, the few resorts allowed to be built are situated in an area with a wide setback distance from the beach. As a result, the vast shoreline of Mahabang Buhangin remains untouched and just as pristine as it was before.
Unless you arrive carrying an Elon Musk Starlink kit, your only internet connection is through a 150-peso-an-hour internet access code sold at the resort. Mobile phone charging costs fifty pesos since electricity on the island is powered only by solar panels and a generator set. The power is turned on from 6:00 PM until 6:00 AM the next morning, thus giving you a sound rest cooled by air conditioning through the night. Other than that, it is best to set aside your dependence on gadgets and simply embrace the island experience.
Unlike my first Calaguas Islands trip, this time I got to go on a side excursion to another island in the cluster called Balagbag Island, where a panoramic view of the surrounding waters and islands awaited us. While the sand of Balagbag is less refined than that of Mahabang Buhangin, it compensates with its picturesque, rolling terrain. A winding trail, lined with tall, swaying grass, leads to rocky cliffs offering a breathtaking view of the ocean's azure waters and its foamy swells.
Balagbag Island Side Trip
After making my way down from the tallest rocky outcrop, I found a flat clearing and sat there to take in the view before flying my drone to get a bird's-eye perspective of the jaw-dropping landscape. Just before sundown, our little party of travel journalists returned to Mahabang Buhangin. Since it was a weekday, we had the whole stretch of the beach to ourselves.
Calaguas Island Travel Guide (2026 Update)
🚍 1. How to get to Calaguas
Usual route (from Manila)
Board a bus from Cubao or Pasay terminals. Expected travel time is six to eight hours. Daet serves as the primary regional transit hub, while Vinzons sits closer to the coastal boat departure jump-off points.
Take a local passenger van or jeepney. Transit duration ranges between one to two hours depending on trail flow.
Depart securely via scheduled motorboats from Paracale Port or Vinzons Port. Requires a two and a half to four hour open-sea crossing over the Pacific gateway swells.
🚤 2. Boat Transfer Costs (2026 Estimates)
Transit tariffs correspond directly to whether you secure pre-arranged coordinate joiner packages or launch independently via DIY charters.
- Joiner Tour Packages: ₱2,000 to ₱3,500 per individual passenger. Includes roundtrip sea crossing, basic island camping setups, pre-cooked camp meals, and mandatory local municipal environmental registration clearing fees.
- DIY Private Charter Outriggers: ₱3,500 to ₱7,000 per outrigger boat for small independent parties. Standard larger vessels scale between ₱8,000 to ₱12,000 plus. Costs are distributed evenly among your private travel group.
- Mandatory Out-of-Pocket Surcharges: Municipal Environmental Fee scales around ₱100 to ₱200; Port Registration Fee tracks between ₱50 to ₱100; Day-use Beach Cottages range between ₱300 to ₱800.
🏕️ 3. Island Accommodation Options
- Wilderness Beach Camping (Most Common): Travelers set up personal tents over designated shores. Offers basic public island restroom pavilions and manually sourced deep-well fresh water lines lacking premium mainland electrical infrastructure. Best suited for extreme budget-friendly, authentic island castaway environments.
- Barangay Homestays & Local Huts: Constructed natively inside residential village clearings tucked behind the primary Mahabang Buhangin resort setback lines. Rates average ₱500 to ₱1,500 per night.
- Pre-Arranged Luxury Glamping Packages: Managed explicitly by boutique tour operators, offering premium beachfront dome tents with fully catered meals and pre-assigned local guides.
