The Travel Archives

Island hopping in Caramoan is a must! Their waters are glittered with white-sand islands that everyone will surely enjoy.

Caramoan’s island hopping activities consists of 2 trips, which we suggest for you to experience in 2 days. One is the “short trip,” which we’ll share more about in this post.

The short trip usually costs P1,500. This is inclusive of:

• Boatman
• Boat that’s good for up to 6-10 pax (it really depends on the size of the boat you’re getting)
• Life vests

What you need to bring are the following:

• Food for lunch, which you may order from the inn you’re staying at (P100-200 per pax), or in numerous eateries you’ll find in Caramoan (estimated at P80-120 per pax)
• Water
• Snorkel gear
• Dry bag (Your things will get wet so keep your valuables safe. If you don’t have a dry bag, wrap your things in plastic/Ziplock.)
• Sarong/lightweight mat in case you want to chill at the island for a bit
• A hat and loads of sunblock (You’ll honestly need this. Apply your sunblock regularly.)

Caramoan’s famous short trip can be done in half a day or less, but should you want to take your time in each island, do so, by all means. This group of islands you’ll be visiting are close to each other, and they are about 30 minutes away from your pick-up point at Bikal Port or Paniman Beach.

We had 5 stops during our short trip, which we’ll freely share below for your easy planning!

Minalahos Island





This island is a great eye-pleaser; it boasts of the breathtaking beauty this province has to offer. It is a small cove with fine white sand.

At the back of its shore is a small lagoon, which you may see by climbing across the island's limestones.




Lastly, make sure to visit this island during high tide! Your boat won’t be able to reach the shore if you visit this during low tide.

Cagbalinad Island


Cagbalinad Island looks similar to Minalahos Island, but with a wider shoreline. You will see Hunongan Cove from here, which Caramoan has developed into a private resort.

Snorkeling or Skin Diving off the coast of Cagbalinad Island


You may opt to stop for a while off the coast of Cagbalinad Island to snorkel or skin dive. Experience Caramoan’s life underwaters while engulfed in Caramoan’s most beautiful limestone islands.

We had our lunch right at this point. As there were only two of us in this trip, we had enough space in the boat to enjoy our meals.

Lahos Island


The next wonder we visited in our island hopping activity is called Lahos Island. This is a bigger island compared to Minalahos and Cagbalinad.

Fresh buko juice and halo-halo are sold here for P25.

Matukad Island



Matukad Island is the last island we visited. In my opinion, this island has the softest white sand amongst all islands we’ve visited so far. The shoreline is vast, and it gives you a wide view of its crystal blue waters.

Fresh buko juice and halo-halo are sold here as well.

People most often bring their tents and camp in this island to let the afternoon stroll by.

Up in the island's limestone structures is a hidden lagoon that breeds milkfish or bangus. To see the lagoon, you have to climb the steep limestone walls without any form of harness or support. We did not climb this anymore as I got scared during my experience in Minalahos Island. Our friends, however, said that it’s very easy and safe. Even non-sporty people can do this, and take selfies while at it.

We then headed back to our accommodations at West Peninsula Villas after our Caramoan short trip. We dipped and relaxed in their swimming pool after our tiring day!

Eat plenty and have a good rest afterwards so you can wake up early for your next island hopping activity called the “long trip,” which we’ll be sharing in a different post.

Enjoy!