Comments on: Camarines Norte

By: thepinaysolobackpacker

thepinaysolobackpacker — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:15:00 +0000

wow! a very comprehensive guide of Cam Norte! :) I totally agree with you, Cam Norte is has a lot to offer! Sigh, if only the local gov’t would put great interest in tourism! But hey thanks to our fellow travel bloggers, Cam Norte is slowly being discovered and much thnx to you all! :)

I had a solo trip to Cam Norte last year and it was a great experience! As usual, I didn’t take the pricey tourist boat though (Php 6000 for an overnight camp for Calaguas??? I definitely cnt afford that! (Peace Melvic! :D I’m a cheapskate traveler tht’s why, but thnx man for doing a great job in promoting Calaguas. I’d definitely refer you to tourists for a hassle free tour. =)).

Last year I was able to haggle the price down to Php 1,500 for a trip to Calaguas frm Paracale (the nearest jump off point to Calaguas, there are buses that would drop by to Paracale, btw) and it cost me 100 to Apuao Grande (thnx to a local fisherman who let me tag along on their boat, you can pay more than Php100 though, it just so happened that I have not enough cash w/ me. hehe ) I stayed overnight at Apuao Grande. I regret not bringing a tent w/ me, could’ve camped out instead in Calaguas. Boatmen don’t normally have cellphones but once you get to Paracale or Vinzons, there’s a lot of boats there so nothing to worry.As of the last visit of some travel bloggers, the boat to Calaguas from Paracale though is now at Php2,000-Php2,500 (overnight). here’s my post: http://thepinaysolobackpacker.com/2010/02/28/the-search-for-the-virgin-beach/#more-1960

I wish to revisit Cam Norte again, as I was pressed for time on my last trip. Glad I’ve stumbled on this post. It’s really a helpful site, I’m browsing every destination for my future trips! Great job guys and more power! :)

Cheers,
Gael

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:25:49 +0000

Hi Chef Janjie,

Contact Melvic Briñas. His number is in this article.

By: Chef Janjie

Chef Janjie — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:43:11 +0000

Hi Ryan,

Great blog. Please provide me with any contact number of the boatmen in Vinzons if you have any? This would be very helpful to us when we go to Calaguas this coming May 7, 2010.

Thank you in advance.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Chef Janjie

By: glyssa

glyssa — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:04:00 +0000

i have been in camarines norte for 4 times already… and i must say i FELL IN LOVE with the place… i just keep on coming back… i have been to pulangdaga beach which is one of the best beaches in cam norte… im looking forward in visiting calaguas and cayucyucan island…. my friends says i should not miss the mampurog lake….. haaaaaaaaayyy i love bicol so many great things to see!

By: rico

rico — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:12:02 +0000

I’ve tried the not so known ‘Formosa Pineapple.’ It was addicting! It doesn’t have the awful ‘tongue-pricking sensation’ unlike the usual tropical pineapple and it is considerably sweeter. B)

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:41:46 +0000

rico,

We are thinking of finally pushing through with that trip to Calaguas… So will do a more focused article on that island. :) I think Camarines is better, with less people. :)

Ryan

By: rico

rico — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 03:22:42 +0000

You made my wanderlust itching for Camarines Norte!! This province could rival Anawangin’s scenery & La Union as a surfing destination plus the white sand beaches, given the aggressive exposure. I want to hang out in Bagasbas and go beachcombing in the islands of Mercedes & Calaguas soon!

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:05:46 +0000

thanks ryan =)

just the night settings but a very close shot with the zoom maximized. this is the only decent shot i got. it helped also that there’s a bit of sunlight left when we went out.

Mike

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:26:08 +0000

Hi Mike,

Wow, great panoramic photos you got there mate! As for Caramoan, actually, it doesn’t really matter if there is a Survivor filming because at any time, only a few islands are blocked off (you can still head out to the other many islands). When we were in Caramoan, they were filming Survivor Serbia and we even met some of the castaways.

For Daet, oh well, you can just head back next time. :) It is pretty close to Manila so… you can do it anytime.

Well, it seemed that you had a fantastic trip!

Cheers,

Ryan

ps. what were your settings on your camera when you took those firefly photos? I couldn’t seem to figure out to take any of them save for one… :(

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:35:11 +0000

Hi Ryan,

Just came back! I followed your advise to start from Legazpi going to Naga. Unfortunately, I did not push thru with Caramoan and Daet Islang hopping because I saw an advice from one of the caramoan resorts that a survivor franchise is currently showing in caramoan and budget constraints for Daet.

Anyway, I started from Legazpi (Linon Hill, Lava Wall Tour, Cagsawa Ruins) then Donsol, Sorsogon (Butanding, Firefly watching) and CWC in Pili, Camarines Sur.

Things learned:

1. You can go to the Lava Wall of Mt Mayon by motorcycle. Negotiate the price with motorcycle drivers at Linon Hill. Its way cheaper than renting the ATVs which cost 1800 per hour!

2. Talk to other tourists and share the cost of boat rental in Donsol both for the butanding and firefly tours. You can find transient houses in the town center which are cheaper than the resorts.

3. CWC’s have reasonable prices for their accomodations but the food in the resto is a little bit pricey. I like the facilities and the free shuttle service to naga.

4. Public transport to these places are very reliable. Although, you need to arrange for pick up for the tricycle drivers going inside Cagsawa Ruins if you dont have the patience to wait.

5. And Ryan was correct, eat where the locals eat!

You can view my pictures here : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55832&id=1481464155&l=a4a63d0013