📌Please be reminded that Hermana Menor has been closed to the public indefinitely for rehabilitation.
What’s the best thing about sailing in South China Sea on a small boat good for only five people without any life jackets amidst a weather disturbance? The ginormous waves. Oops, SWELL rather. But for views like this, it’s all worth it.
🇵🇭HERMANA MENOR ISLAND ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Hermana Menor Island, Zambales:
⏺ Ride a bus from Metro Manila bound for Santa Cruz, Zambales (e.g. Victory Liner in Monumento, Caloocan) .
⏺ Remind the bus conductor to drop you off at Petron Gas Station of Barangay Lipay, Santa Cruz (travel time: 5 – 6 hours).
⏺ Hail a tricycle to get to the jump-off.
⏺ Charter a boat that will take you to the island (travel time: 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on sea condition).
Also known as Makatira Island, I first saw photos of Hermana Menor on a post of a blogger on her Facebook page. Since it’s pretty much possible to visit it on a day tour, I invited two of my friends on a beach bumming trip to this island in Zambales.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
12:00 AM ETD for Santa Cruz
6:00 AM ETA Santa Cruz town proper / breakfast / buy supplies for lunch
8:00 ETD for Hermana Menor
9:00 AM ETA Hermana Menor (swimming / free time / photo ops)
12:00 PM Lunch
3:00 PM Head back to jump-off
4:00 PM Wash-up
5:00 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 boat transfer rates.
Our adventure started off before midnight at Victory Liner in Caloocan. There were loads of passengers waiting at the terminal when we arrived and all the buses were almost full because it was a holiday the next day.We patiently waited and boy were my fingers crossed hoping to get seated inside the bus en route to our destination. I could still remember that intense moment when we squeezed ourselves through the door as if we were fighting for our dear lives so we could get to the vacant seats first. It all paid off since we were lucky to be seated in the vehicle. The remaining passengers, however, had to stand at the aisle for the whole duration of the trip.It was quite a long road trip to the municipality of Santa Cruz, Zambales. Thankfully it was already midnight so the roads were virtually empty that’s why it only took us roughly five hours before reaching the town proper of Santa Cruz.We had breakfast first at the market before buying supplies for our snacks and lunch. We then chartered a tricycle that took us to the gasoline station where our contact person picked us up and took us to the jump-off where the boat was waiting for us.Our boat was small and it could fit more or less five people. There were three of us plus our boatman so there was ample space for us.We sailed through the calm waters of the West Philippine Sea. After less than an hour on the boat, we were already about to dock at Hermana Menor. I quickly noticed some tourists as we were approaching the shoreline.The island’s caretaker welcomed us and we decided to rent a huge cottage by the beach. Thank the gods we were early as tourists kept arriving every hour.Considering Hermana Manor was not yet a popular beach getaway back then, there were only a few cottages for its visitors. Before lunch time, the island already ran out of huts for its guests so they had no choice but to set up their improvised picnic areas on the sand.We rested for a while before prepping for our photo session. We had to take advantage of this opportunity that the beach was not yet crowded.We began taking pictures by the shore in front of our cottage. This part was devoid of people that morning.While walking on Hermana Menor’s sand, I noticed that the granules were coarser compared to other Philippines beaches I have visited before but this island is still beautiful in its own right.We decided to go to the other side of the island and captured some pictures, albeit taken slightly against the light.We walked farther past the sandbar amidst this wide expanse of sand.This portion of the coastline greeted us but it was still early for a swim.The turquoise water of Hermana Menor was really enticing us but we agreed to capture photos first before the crowd of people finally filled our frames.The island’s sand reminds me of the sand of Patar Beach because it may not be super fine but its consistent quality has no pebbles or crushed corals.We then reached this part with crystal clear water. I always have a thing for beaches with no obstruction for swimming such as huge rocks and seaweeds.I was so ecstatic that the weather cooperated that day. It may be scorching hot but at least our photos were lively because of the sunlight. I always wish for a sunny weather whenever I go to the beach or even in the mountains. I only approve of gloomy clouds if I’m on a chasing-waterfall adventure. But in general, I always need the sun so that the elements in my pictures won’t look flat and dull.We stepped on this rock jutting from the coastline to get a different angle of the beach.Hermana Menor’s beach area may not be that huge but there are lots of angles that are Instagram-worthy. We braved the heat as we covered even this part of its shoreline that are not usually frequented by visitors. It was totally fine with us. Like I said, I’d rather be sunburnt than deal with rain or overcast skies.We had one last set of photos at this portion before deciding to go back to our cottage to rest our skin from the heat of the sun.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌Hermana Menor (also known as Makatira Island) is a private island and tourists are not allowed to stay overnight.
📌There are available cottages which you can rent.
📌Check the weather first before visiting the island. The sea condition is usually rough during monsoon season (June-February) since you will be sailing in the West Philippine Sea.
📌You can join organized travel events online to save on time and cut on costs.
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contact:
📌Boat: Kuya Gabriel Arcelao (09502508569 / 09466861680)
We passed by the sandbar again and the lighting condition proved to be much better.As we strolled back to our cottage, I noticed more and more boats arriving. This island may not be in the mainstream tourism map yet but it surely is beginning to be popularized by blogs online.We shot some photos here with mainland Luzon as our backdrop. As you can see, this part of Hermana Menor’s coast has seagrasses so it’s not really ideal for swimming.We took a breather inside our cottage then walked farther to the other side with this huge rock wall in our frame.The cottages were full and the majority of tourists already set up their makeshift tents where they can eat. We ate our lunch then agreed to check out the part of Hermana Menor facing its sister, Hermana Mayor. We followed the trail behind the cottages and walked for a few minutes. Both Hermana Menor and Hermana Mayor are actually privately-owned but Hermana Menor is the only one that is open to the public.I didn’t shoot any photos of the shore across Hermana Mayor since it’s not that fascinating as the coastline facing mainland Zambales. So we walked back to our cottage and rested for a bit and gathered all our energy before going out to the sandbar for the last time to chill and swim.Because the noontime sun was really scorching hot, almost all of the visitors were resting and eating so it was the perfect opportunity to take photos at the sandbar.There were quite a few individuals taking their pictures so we waited until they’re done.The relaxing hues of the beach was perfect for our Insta-worthy shots.I noticed that it has become windy and the waves became rough judging from this photo. At least it was still sunny though.The sandbar of Hermana Menor is a short one but its curved shape is one of its distinct features.Since it was still relatively quieter without the crowd here at the sandbar, we reckoned it was the best time to swim before we head back to the jump-off.This crescent-shaped sandbar of the island makes the illusion as if this is a blue hole.We ended our pictorial and spent less than an hour swimming and chilling out.We had one last look at the tip of the sandbar before walking back to our cottage to wash up. My skin this time was no longer sun-kissed. It was roasted. Unfortunately, there was no water available at the toilet so we packed up and asked our boatman to head back to the jump-off where we could shower and change clothes at his place.I knew the rough waves while we were swimming felt as though Mum Nature was giving us a warning. If our morning boat ride to the island was so calm as if we were sailing on a lake, our ride back to the mainland was scary as hell. We were almost thrown off our boat as we battled rough waves. I’ve been in this situation numerous times but sometimes, you still can’t help but feel anxious especially since we only have one boatman with us. What if something happened to him? And even if we know how to swim, it would be hard to survive the ginormous swell of South China Sea. We would probably be carried away to Vietnam if we stayed afloat with our life vests. Kidding aside, at least we reached the jump-off in one piece. Our boat ride might have taken longer than our travel time to the island in the morning but thank the gods we were safe. We headed back to the bus terminal after washing up. It was a tiring yet fun-filled day.
***For other destinations in Zambales and Central Luzon, you may visit this link.
