This has got to be one of my most favorite places in mainland Luzon not just because of its accessibility from Metro Manila but due to the diversity of its tourist attractions. 📍Bolinao Falls
🇵🇭BOLINAO ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Bolinao, Pangasinan:
⏺ Ride a bus from Metro Manila to Bolinao (e.g. Five Star Bus in Cubao or Pasay; travel time is 6 – 7 hours depending on traffic condition and number/duration of stop-overs).
⏺ Hire a tricycle to get to the tourist spots of Bolinao.
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
Enchanted Cave
Wonderful Cave
Cindy’s Cave
Patar Beach
Cape Bolinao Lighthouse
Rock View Beach Resort
Balingasay Bridge/River
Bolinao Falls 1 & 2
St. James The Great Parish Church
I first explored the town of Bolinao in November 2015. My friend and I just had our island hopping day tour in Alaminos. We took a bus en route to the town proper of Bolinao where our guide picked us up on his tricycle. Upon arrival, we checked in at our accommodation just a few meters away from this famous beach of Bolinao, Patar Beach.We no longer had enough time to explore Bolinao that afternoon so we opted to chill out at the beach while waiting for the sunset.The next day, we checked out in the morning to start our inland tour. Our guide picked us up and we drove from Patar Beach towards this lighthouse, Cape Bolinao. The place was deserted since it was still early.Just a kilometer away from where we were is Rock View Beach Resort. Just like the lighthouse, there was no one around when we entered its premises.This resort offers a panoramic view of the West Philippine Sea. Its coastline is rocky though, so it’s not really a safe place to swim but the scenery of crashing waves against the infinity of the ocean is picture-perfect. My bad for the poor quality of my photos taken using my cheap action camera.We proceeded to Enchanted Cave for a relaxing swim. Unfortunately, our camera phones didn’t give us sharp images. That’s understandable, considering the low light condition inside the cave pool. We just enjoyed the serenity of the place as we got it all to ourselves. As soon as another group of visitors arrived, we packed up and headed to Balingasay River. We were strolling by this bridge when I saw an opportunity for an awesome shot. Yes, that’s me jumping off the bridge. The moment I resurfaced, I swam hard back to the riverbank because the current was a bit strong and I didn’t want to be carried away to the mouth of the river which is connected to the vast South China Sea.We then traversed the rough road to Bolinao Falls 1 where I did another jump. I would never forget that instant when I hit the water below the strong cascade. I actually freaked out underwater because it felt like it was taking forever before I resurfaced as if the gushing water was pushing me down. Besides, jumping into bodies of seawater is way different compared to rivers and waterfalls due to buoyancy.We spent the rest of our time here at Bolinao Falls 2. The main cascade may be small but like its taller sister, the color of its water was inviting nonetheless.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE DAY TOUR ITINERARY:
12:00 AM ETD for Bolinao
6:00 AM Breakfast
7:30 AM Patar Beach
9:00 AM Rock View Beach Resort
10:00 AM Cape Bolinao Lighthouse
11:00 AM Enchanted Cave / Wonderful Cave / Cindy’s Cave
1:00 PM Balingasay Bridge/River
2:00 PM Bolinao Falls 1
3:00 PM Bolinao Falls 2
4:00 PM Wash up
5:00 PM St. James The Great Parish Church
6:00 PM ETD for Manila
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 2,500 – Php 3,000
***Expenses may vary depending on personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the tricycle tour rates.
After almost a year, I decided to go back to Bolinao with my sister for my sweet 16th birthday (*wink). It has always been a tradition of mine to go out of town when I celebrate my natal day. 📍Patar BeachWe only planned for a day tour in Bolinao. It may be exhausting but I knew it was possible. So we left Manila by midnight. Good thing Five Star has a bus about to leave for Bolinao when we reached its terminal in Pasay.The sun was already up when we arrived at Poblacion in Bolinao. The same contact who toured me around during my first trip here picked us up from the terminal. We passed by a store to buy some snacks before finally heading to our first stop.Enchanted Cave was still closed so we opted to go to Wonderful Cave first. The caretaker must have been surprised to see us. It was only 7:00 in the morning. But I knew that we arrived at the right time. Considering the small size of this cave pool, it would be hard to take photos had we visited later in the day due to the huge number of people who would swim inside.I actually find the name of Wonderful Cave funny but at least it lives up to the meaning of its name. We didn’t stay that long because I already got the shots that I wanted since we were the first visitors at that time.We proceeded next to Patar Beach. Aside from getting here early in the morning, it was also a weekday that’s why no other visitors welcomed us. Just its raw beauty and of course, this playful dog.The sand here at Patar Beach is much coarser than that of some of the beaches in the country. But its distinct feature is its golden color especially when it’s touched by sunrays when the light is directional. I also love beaches like this that have consistent quality of sand without pebbles, larger beads or crushed corals.If you think a day tour is not enough or if you find following a jam-packed itinerary exhausting, you may opt to spend the night here at Patar Beach. Just book your accommodation in advance to avoid the hassle especially during peak season.We stayed for quite some time, chilling out and enjoying the perfect weather as we captured photos. What a great place to celebrate my birthday!Just a stone’s throw away from Patar Beach is Cape Bolinao Lighthouse. I may have seen it during my first trip but it was my sister’s first time in Bolinao so we made a quick stop here to get some photos.Because the place was devoid of tourists, it was the perfect opportunity to take our shots.It was finally time to see one of my favorite spots in this municipality. My fingers were crossed as we entered the premises of Enchanted Cave, hoping that we were the first guests. I also considered seeing Cindy’s Cave but I decided to skip it to allot more time here at Enchanted Cave for long exposure photography.Beach. Cave pools. River. Waterfalls. You get to have all of these in just one municipality. And what’s the best thing about it? Aside from the fact that Bolinao is a family-friendly tourist destination, you can actually visit all these spots in one day. 📍Enchanted CaveI knew other tourists would start arriving anytime soon so I quickly set up my tripod for my long exposure shots. I have been to various cave pools in the country but the ones in Bolinao like Enchanted Cave are well-maintained. The entrance fee for each cave might be relatively expensive but you are getting what you pay for. Besides, they have available restrooms where you can wash up and change your clothes.By lunch time, we traveled to the last destination in our itinerary. I was a bit shocked to see the changes here in Bolinao Falls. According to our guide, its topography was largely altered by flash floods caused by typhoons that hit Region I in the past.Someone asked me why this waterfall in my photo looked nicer like a curtain than when he visited? I asked what month he went to Bolinao and it was during summer. This picture of mine however was taken in August. The monsoon rains the past few days before our visit had poured enough water thus making the current strong. ***Travel Hack: The sunrays were hitting the waterfall and I didn’t have an ND filter with me so I just used my sunglasses to achieve my desired motion blur.We only stayed for a couple of minutes at the first waterfall and spent the rest of our day here at Bolinao Falls 2.Most of the time, the first waterfall is always quieter compared to this second one. That’s because the majority of tourists stay at Bolinao Falls 2 since this has small pools for kids and non-swimmers. Visitors may also rent cottages ideal for family picnics. But during our visit, we were fortunate as the place was empty. It’s as if the multiverse conspired in my favor so I could enjoy my birthday without any nuisance at all.Our guide brought us back to the town center by early afternoon. We had lunch first at a local eatery before walking to the bus terminal. We were exhausted but it was one of my most fun-filled birthdays ever.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌It is possible to visit all tourist spots in one day. Just leave Manila early in the morning (first trip of Five Star Bus leaves at 12:00 AM).
📌Patar Beach is crowded during summer (March-May) so book your accommodation in advance if you wish to spend the night. The tricycle driver can also help you find your hotel/lodge.
📌Expect rain during monsoon season (June-February).
📌You can also avail of tour packages offered by travel agencies online.
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
Fast forward to the first quarter of 2019, I brought my family and relatives to Pangasinan. The first leg of our trip was a quick island hopping tour at Hundred Islands. We then made our way to Bolinao Falls where my uncle and aunt took a quick dip while the rest of us waited at one of the cottages. 📍Patar BeachWe headed to Saint James the Great Parish Church and parked inside the church’s compound as they went to the market to check out Bolinao’s specialties such as shrimp paste. Our next destination was Cape Bolinao Lighthouse where we were greeted with tons of people. It was a weekend so I was not surprised to see loads of tourists wherever we go.We checked in at a newly constructed resort here at Patar Beach. We freshened up and rested for a bit before going to the beachfront area just a few meters away from our room.This is still part of the long stretch of Patar’s coastline but the entrance to this area is through this resort.The scorching sun was our biggest enemy when we decided to take a walk by the shore. There were only a few kids swimming during that time. We agreed to just come back to capture the sunset as it was difficult to enjoy the view amidst the hot weather.While the rest of our companions were taking a rest in our room, my sister and I decided to go outside the resort to eat some street food at a nearby store. We then went back to the beach to catch the sunset.If you notice, I no longer took photos of other tourist spots we visited since it was already my third time here in Bolinao. My main goal though was to get pictures of Patar Beach especially during sunset. So I set up my action camera to take a timelapse footage. I recently bought my GoPro so I was really excited to try it out.Most of the guests in our accommodation and neighboring resorts were already swimming and walking by the beach so we had to find the perfect spot without photobombers.We patiently watched as the sun painted its colors against the sky canvas while listening to the therapeutic sound of the waves. The next day, we had a peek at Enchanted Cave in the morning then capped off our weekend trip by availing of the river cruise at Balingasay River while munching on the feast prepared by Sungayan Grill. This restaurant is known for boodle fights of fresh seafood best enjoyed while cruising Balingasay River which is similar to the river tour in Loboc and Loay in Bohol. This is definitely a must-try for families and groups of friends visiting Bolinao.
***For other destinations in Pangasinan and Ilocos Region, you may visit this link.
