I have seen numerous sandbars but Kalanggaman will always have a special place in my heart as one of my favorites.
🇵🇭KALANGGAMAN ISLAND ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Kalanggaman Island, Leyte:
⏺ OPTION 1:
📌Take a plane from Metro Manila to Tacloban City, Leyte (e.g. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia).
📌Ride a taxi or jeepney to get to the terminal of vans bound for the town of Palompon.
📌Transfer to a van to reach Palompon (travel time: 3 – 4 hours).
📌At the tourism office, hire a boat that will take you to the island (travel time: 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on sea condition).
⏺ OPTION 2:
📌Ride a bus from Metro Manila to Matnog Port, Sorsogon (e.g. DLTB and Philtranco; travel time: 15 – 16 hours depending on traffic condition and number/duration of stop-overs).
📌Take the RORO ferry from Matnog Port en route to the port of Allen in Northern Samar (travel time: 1 – 2 hours depending on sea condition).
📌Ride a bus or van to reach Tacloban City (travel time: 5 – 7 hours depending on traffic condition and number/duration of stop-overs).
📌Transfer to a van to get to Palompon then hire a boat to reach Kalanggaman Island.
Our visit in Kalanggaman was part of our ultimate Bicol-Samar-Leyte road trip during the Holy Week of 2015. We traveled all the way from Manila to the islands of Samar and Leyte via our rented van. The butt-numbing trip was worth it because I was able to see Biri and Kalanggaman Islands in that adventure leg.After spending the night at the relatives’ house of one of our organizers in Dulag, Leyte, we woke up early to travel to the town of Palompon. Upon arrival, our hope of seeing the island was lost when the tourism office broke the news to us that all boat trips to the island were cancelled due to a gale warning issued by the coast guard. As much as we insisted and begged for them to allow us, this was a matter of safety for tourists.Considering Kalanggaman’s proximity to the tourism office, one could actually see the island from where we were. It felt so near yet so far. Damn this weather. We were supposed to camp out and stay overnight at the island but we didn’t give up so we opted to adjust our itinerary.It was not part of the plan to check in here at Lingganay Point Beach Resort but we were left with no choice but to move our visit to Kalanggaman the next day.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE DAY TOUR ITINERARY:
5:00 AM ETD for Palompon
8:00 AM ETA Palompon
8:30 AM ETD for Kalanggaman Island
9:30 AM ETA Kalanggaman Island
3:00 PM ETD for Palompon’s Tourism Office
4:00 PM ETA Tourism Office / wash up
5:00 PM ETD for Tacloban City
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 1,500 – Php 2,000 (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on personal consumption of food and other necessities.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌There are no hotels in the island so bring your camping gears if you want to stay overnight.
📌Expect rain and rough sea condition during monsoon season (June-February).
📌If you are traveling alone, you can ask other visitors at Palompon’s tourism office if you can join them and share the cost of boat rental.
📌You can join organized travel events online to save on time and cut on costs.
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
We got up early the next morning with our fingers crossed. We proceeded right away to the coast guard office just beside the tourism center. We cried our hearts out when we learned the news that the gale warning had been lifted. Besides, the calm sea condition was pretty much obvious judging from the still water at the jump-off. After an hour or so of preparation, we were finally on our way to this piece of paradise.Our boat ride took about less than an hour. The sea was so peaceful as if we were sailing on a lake. I couldn’t contain my excitement by the time our boat was nearing the shore.There were already a couple of tourists when we arrived. We hastily got off the boat and started walking towards the sandbar.My photos will prove how beautiful this piece of heaven is. Everything just glistens with the island’s turquoise water.We were fortunate that the sandbar was not crowded during our visit. At least we were given this one-of-a-kind chance to capture our solo shots at this awesome beach.It could have been a great experience had we been able to camp here the day before. As we were enjoying our photo session, I imagined myself frolicking all day until sunset by the beautiful shoreline of this island.The long stretch of Kalanggaman’s sandbar spans for about 750+ meters. It’s a good thing that you won’t see any obstruction along the sandbar that might ruin your photos.By the way, don’t expect consistent fine sand when you get to Kalanggaman since some portions have crushed pebbles and corals. But I didn’t mind anyway. Its long sandbar, surrounded by inviting crystal clear water, was enough to strike its visitors with awe.Boy was my skin so roasted from our adventure hence my sunburnt look in this picture. But hey, I would never trade this experience for the world.One of my friends and I decided to relax and take a dip beside our parked boat while the rest of the group continued their photo shoot. Who could resist this tempting allure of Kalanggaman’s shore?We bid goodbye to the island before lunch time. That’s because we still had to travel back all the way to Allen, Northern Samar then cross San Bernardino Strait to reach Matnog, Sorsogon. One unforgettable thing that we encountered on our boat ride to the mainland was the group of dolphins and manta rays swimming alongside our boat. Never in a million years had I thought that I’d be able to witness manta rays somersaulting in the air. Watching these animals in zoos and ocean parks is one thing but seeing them in the wild is another. It was indeed an epic show.
***For other destinations in Leyte, you may visit this link.
