Gigantes Islands, Carles, Iloilo- Itinerary and Travel guide
Carles is a 2nd class municipality in the Northern most tip of Iloilo, a sleepy town gifted with spectacular island locations and a seafood haven, here lies one of the most popular destinations in the province, the Gigantes Group of Islands. If you're a true blue traveler and haven't been to this part of Iloilo this place should be in your bucket list, sometimes we have the list of places we want to visit if this isn't included to your Must Visit destinations probably it's time to dash off the list and consider this place.
I'm a traveler based in Manila, I merely focus on unveiling destinations 2-3 hours from the Metro so I dont't travel much in the Visayas and Mindanao, nonetheless I still have the impulse to explore more and discover the other islands of the Philippines. I'm slowly taking my steps to pull off that goal, now I have more reasons to stay to that course.
Isla de Gigantes
Is a group of islands that features collection of picturesque beach haven, the best time to visit is during the peak season, the waves are calmer and a bigger possibility to visit all the islands without the risk of getting your trip canceled due uncertain weather forecast. Be that as it may, the down side is the massive arrival of tourists from different cities and provinces nobody knows where. In the last five years, there’s a significant change to the influx of the tourists coming in to the island that helped the growth of local community of Carles especially its livelihood. Kudos to the LGU who maintained the orderliness and kept the system well-executed. Gigantes Group of Islands consists of 2 major islands : Gigantes Norte, Gigantes Sur (these are the two major islands) and 10 islands/islets but I only visited the Big 5 or the most popular ones namely Cabugao Gamay Island, Antonia Beach, Tanke Island/Lagoon, Bantigue Sandbar, Pulupandan Island.
Is a group of islands that features collection of picturesque beach haven, the best time to visit is during the peak season, the waves are calmer and a bigger possibility to visit all the islands without the risk of getting your trip canceled due uncertain weather forecast. Be that as it may, the down side is the massive arrival of tourists from different cities and provinces nobody knows where. In the last five years, there’s a significant change to the influx of the tourists coming in to the island that helped the growth of local community of Carles especially its livelihood. Kudos to the LGU who maintained the orderliness and kept the system well-executed. Gigantes Group of Islands consists of 2 major islands : Gigantes Norte, Gigantes Sur (these are the two major islands) and 10 islands/islets but I only visited the Big 5 or the most popular ones namely Cabugao Gamay Island, Antonia Beach, Tanke Island/Lagoon, Bantigue Sandbar, Pulupandan Island.
Pulupandan Island
This was the first island on our list, Pulupandan Island is a naked island with assortment of pebbles, creamy white sand and a rocky sea side. When I say naked Island that means you will barely see shade of trees anywhere, the photo of the solitary palm tree is the only green you’ll see in Pulupandan (which I find very iconic). The island conveys an appealing view of tranquility, the huge form of rocks at the side is a venue of photo ops, it took us minutes to take our turn so when we had that opportunity we kept the next in line wait longer (kidding).
This was the first island on our list, Pulupandan Island is a naked island with assortment of pebbles, creamy white sand and a rocky sea side. When I say naked Island that means you will barely see shade of trees anywhere, the photo of the solitary palm tree is the only green you’ll see in Pulupandan (which I find very iconic). The island conveys an appealing view of tranquility, the huge form of rocks at the side is a venue of photo ops, it took us minutes to take our turn so when we had that opportunity we kept the next in line wait longer (kidding).
Tangke Lagoon
This is my favorite amongst all the islands, getting closer to the island made my eyes widened, I couldn’t resolve what to do first, should I grab my camera or should I settle my eyes by just looking at it? Next thing I know I already had my cam on hand and started clicking. We got to the island ahead to the other groups. For a little while we had the lagoon just for ourselves, apparently this didn’t take long, just when I was about to take my photos "alone" the tourists arrived and they didn’t even have the courtesy to let us finish, I mean they blocked everything until I just gave up, funny though. What had happened I believe was a blessing in disguise, if these tourists didnt interrupt maybe I spent my entire time taking photos and would never take a dip, I had my moment enjoying the clear shallow water of Tangke Lagoon.
Antonia Beach
This beach looks more commercialized than the others, this is more of a dining and resting island for the visitors, here we took our lunch together with other guests. The photos below show spectacular images of picture perfect island, the color of palm trees are captivating to the eyes of its visitors, I also heard it's a good diving spot too.
Tinagong Dagat/The Little Boracay
True to its name, Tinagong Dagat is a cove extension of Tanke Island that boasts fine white sand quite similar to Boracay. Aside from its powdery white sand I noticed that it was well-maintained, trash were properly disposed. Tinagong Dagat is just a small portion of the entire Gigantes Islands, I reckon maintaining it won’t take much effort.
Cabugao Gamay
The most popular island in the Islas de Gigantes, the island that brings all islands in one. The scenic view overlooking the stretch of its beach is the most that we see in the ads, blogs, other promotional materials for Iloilo. Aside from the iconic view of Cabugao Gamay, there are cairns that ads more tropical vibe on the island.
Bantigue Island
This was supposed to be the last island in our itinerary however since it was the last, we reached the island at around 4pm, the the tide has already risen and we couldnt take a good shot of it. Bantigue Island is popular for its sandbar, this will be one of my reasons to go back for sure.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
I want to thank all behind this succesful Islas de Gigantes getaway, Atty. Helen Catalbas of DOT Region 6, Aph and Alex of Las Islas Travel and Tours and AirAsia. I never thought it was this fun to explore the islands of Carles, this for sure a trip to remember. Getting the best of Gigantes is not an easy catch for some , tourists need to be careful in booking their trips and not to trust anyone that offers them cheap packages. Just like we don’t live in a perfect world, there are numerous operators that doesnt follow the guideines of DOT, accordingly. It is essential for the operators to maximize the worth of our hard earned money and not put to waste.
We booked with Las Islas Travel and Tours, me together with other travel bloggers can attest to the smooth and hassle free vacation, they will take care of everything you need, from the itinerary, knowledgeable and friendly tour guides, food, places you must visit, registration fees, etc. Las Islas Travel and Tours will sure to give you the much needed vacation you deserve.
FOR BOOKINGS AND INQUIRIES
You may contact:
Las Islas Travel and Tours
Punta Dulog, Pueblo de Panay, Roxas City, Capiz
(just right across the Roxas City Terminal)
(G) 0917-709-3856 / (S) 0939-534-0828 / (L) 036-521-0725
Facebook page: Las Islas Travel and Tours
or
Bancal Port, Carles, Iloilo
All the expenses on the article posted were covered and shouldered by Lagaw Eats unless otherwise stated. The opinions and reviews for collaboration features were honest and no bias based on his experience.
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