Island Hopping In Burias ~ Prologue

ust few weeks after my Calaguas Island Adventure, there’s something inside me that craves for another adventure. I was able to conquer my fear of sea travel so why not go for another island hopping adventure right? Luckily, I saw another package tour hosted by Paloy Traveler (the same tour agency that hosted my Baler and Calaguas escapades). It was their first event in Burias so our tour was more like an ocular visit and that makes our journey more exciting because we really don’t know what to expect. This time, we are no longer dealing with an island or two but we will hop from one island to another for two days. We managed to visit a total of six different islands in our tour.
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Burias is one of the major three islands in the province of Masbate (the other two includes Ticao and Masbate Island). Burias much like Calaguas is also a group of scattered islands and they are starting to get attention recently and slowly becoming a top tourist destination in Masbate due to awesome scenery and impressive rock formations that the islands in Burias have to offer.

Unlike Ticao and Masbate Island, The Burias Group of Islands are not yet strongly established and yes, the islands are not yet spoiled which makes it a perfect summer getaway especially for those who want to unwind. What I really love about this adventure is the fact that each island seemingly offered a different kind of paradise. Each has their own qualities.
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It’s an eight-hour long travel from Manila to San Andres Quezon. Burias can also be reached via port in Naga but it takes additional hours to reach that place. We dropped by in a beach resort in San Andres Quezon. It’s not a port but boats from Burias can pick up the tourists from there. From San Andres, Quezon, it only took us an hour to reach our first island. Now, without any further ado, allow me to show you all the six islands that we visited in Burias Masbate. This is just a prologue and I will share more pictures in my next entries.

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Islang Dapa / Snake Island

The name of the island may not seem so inviting but Islang Dapa or sometimes called Snake Island will offer a different kind of paradise. It is called Islang Dapa merely because of the island’s topography. It doesn’t feature any tall rock formations or anything. It is merely a flat island and thus they named it Islang Dapa. The name Snake Island, on the other hand, was given to this island because it is shaped like a snake if being viewed from top and interestingly , they said that the island is also inhabited by sea snakes. Well sea snakes are nocturnal so we’re glad they put it first on our list. Despite of the very sharp rock formation and narrow shores, we are greeted with breathtaking scenery from the top. We have witnessed a stunning panoramic view of the crystal clear turquoise water. (Check more: The Islang Dapa / Snake Island)

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Iniwaran Island

We briefly landed on Sombrero Island just to unload our things and we decided to proceed to our island hopping adventure until we came across this island. It’s not really an island visit but we had a glimpse of this so-called Iniwaran Island. It also has a unique formation and it notable for its caves. They said that the caves of Iniwaran are adorned with stunning stalagmites and stalactites formations. It is also inhabited by wide variety of reptiles, bats and birds. Since we didn’t get a chance to include this island on the tour, I just took some time capturing the site. One of the island’s notable feature is the huge white cross on top. It is also an an ideal site for cliff jumping. (Check more : A Glimpse of Iniwaran Island / Templo Island)

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Animasola Island

If Snake island boasts its rugged yet unique features, Animasola is proud of its unique rock formation. Animasola Island is possibly one of the most visited islands in Burias and has become one of tourist favorite destinations. Tourists can climb up to that unique “Lion-King-esque” rock formation but it could be quite a challenge to reach the top. Animasola by the way is a Latin word for Lonely Soul. The island has an interesting formation, the upper most portion of the island is seemingly a plateau but reaching the huge grassfield on top requires a lot of skills. (Check more : Animasola Island)

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Tinalisayan Islands and Sandbar

Snake Island is known for the sharp rock features while Animasola is famous for its unique and astounding rock formations, Tinalisayan, on the other hand,  is known for its sandbars! We were welcomed by its powdery white sand and crystal clear water. We spotted tables and benches on top  of the island and a seemingly abandoned store as well. A part of the island is also adorned with pebbled stones while various islets can be spotted from afar. It was really a sight to behold! It was my first time to witness a sand bar so I left Tinalisayan with so much glee! (Check more : Tinalisayan Island and Sand Bar)

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Sombrero Island

We concluded our first day in Burias by going back to the Island of Sombrero. Sombrero is basically a Tagalog term which means “hat” and the island is aptly named such because of the silhouette that the island resembles. We spent our night in Sombrero and I was able to witness both the breathtaking sunset and sunrise in this island. The island is known for its immaculate powdery white sand (although it is also mixed with coral stones of different sizes), translucent and pristine waters and also known as a breeding ground of sea turtles. (Check more: Sombrero Island)

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Verga Island

We were supposed to visit the Alibijaban Island the next day but that’s already part of Quezon so our tour guide just took us somewhere else and we were taken into the island of Verga. The Verga Island is known for its cliff diving spot. We were greeted by narrow shores yet filled with so much corals and many other sea creatures. We spotted sea urchins, star fishes and jellyfishes near the shore. In order to reach the cliff diving spot, you need to do a minor trek to reach the top. I was about to try the cliff dive and I’m already on the diving spot but the coward in me stopped me from doing so. (Check more: Verga Island)

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Castillo Islands

Just when we thought that our tour is over, our guide was quite generous that time and he decided to take us somewhere that is not often visited by the tourists. He took us to an island called “Castillo” and it’s probably one of the best parts of our tour. We spotted no one in the island and we are welcomed by this super clear water. The water near the island is very narrow and it’s just about waist deep. There was this huge area of clear sand bottom and it feels like we are swimming on a pool. While we are busy swimming, our tour guide caught a bunch of sea urchins and even showed us how to eat them raw! (Check more : Castillo Island)

It was truly a memorable island hopping journey in Burias. There are so many islands in Burias that we failed to include in our trip and we all went home completely satisfied. It felt like hopping from one paradise to another. Much like I usually do, I will have a separate entry for each destination! I will post more of my #IslandHoppingIn Burias in my next entries

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Just in case you missed my previous entries, feel free to check them here

►Island Hopping In Burias ~ Prologue
►The Islang Dapa / Snake Island
►A Glimpse of Iniwaran Island / Templo Island
►Animasola Island
►Tinalisayan Island and Sand Bar
►Sombrero Island
►Verga Island
►Castillo Island

6 thoughts on “Island Hopping In Burias ~ Prologue

  • May 15, 2017 at 2:20 pm
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    Aw. My body’s in dire need of a vacation and a dose of vitamin sea!
    This places looks so inviting. Ang ganda! Looking forward to read more about it.

    Reply
  • May 17, 2017 at 8:38 pm
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    Wow that Castillo Island is amazing, it’s my fave island (base in your picture) here. How long is the travel time from Manila to that place?

    Reply
  • May 17, 2017 at 9:48 pm
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    Wow! The seawater looks so clean and clear. And the rock formations in those Islands are so beautiful. I wish they strictly maintain the area. You know, there are a lot of undisciplined travelers nowadays. They might destroy the beauty of mother nature.

    Reply
  • May 18, 2017 at 6:36 am
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    This article really made me want to visit Burias Island. Amazing photos too! Good thing we have so many long weekends this year. I could definitely include this on my travel this year! 🙂

    Angelo
    http://www.AngeloTheExplorer.com

    Reply
  • May 20, 2017 at 7:50 pm
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    Wow! Paradise that is. I loved all the photos. Thank you so much for sharing. I missed the Philippines even more.

    Reply

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