June 4 - 7, 2015
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| A typical mangrove tree in San Salvador island showing its pneumatophore during a low tide. |
If you are looking to enjoy an unusual travel experience in
Luzon without having to hop on a plane or a ferry, the five-hour drive from
Metro Manila to this northern town of Zambales province may be well worth the
time and effort.
How to get there:
From Cubao, Take a Victory Liner Bus going to Olongapo (it’ll
take about 3 hours to get there)then Ride a UV Express Van going to Sta. Cruz
(another 3 hours). Tell the Van driver to drop you off in Masinloc “Bayan”.
It’s Easy!
In Masinloc, you will observe a Plaza “City Square” which
comprises a school, market, church, public park etc. In Palenke, You can ride a passenger boat
going to San Salvador Island “Polo/Pulo”. To get to Magalawa Island, ask the
passenger boat captain to bring you there but you need to pay additional charge
because of the far distance between the islands.
Masinloc offers a good Ecotourism program for visitors.
Their “Echo Tour” program includes a round trip to their ecotourism sites:
Taklobo Farm, Yaha Mangroves, and Bacala Resthouse/Sandbar. During our visit, we decided to spend the
night in Magalawa Island since it offers a superb sunset and sunrise view.
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| Logo of Masinloc |
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| A typical busy palenke day in the vegetable section |
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| a boy selling some freshly caught seafoods |
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| Masinloc Municipal Hall |
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| Boat view heading to San Salvador Island |
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| First Boat Stop |
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| Low Tide |
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| Young carabao |
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Tripneustes sp.
The first stop is Reef Discovery, where visitors can snorkel
or scuba dive while exploring San Salvador Island’s two adjacent ecotourism
projects: a 2-hectare giant clam (taklobo) farm and the San Salvador marine
protected area (MPA).
Beth Sarmiento, secretary of Samahang Pangkabuhayan sa San
Salvador, the people’s organization (PO) in charge of this destination, says
the MPA used to be a “dead zone” of corals destroyed by dynamite and cyanide
fishing.
“More than 10 years ago, there was an alarming decline in
fish population so fisherfolk and residents sought the help of the University
of the Philippines Marine Science Institute in Pangasinan to mitigate the
threat,” she says. Now it has become a coral farm where the taklobo species are
restocked and reseeded before they are transplanted in identified areas within
the island’s 127-ha territory.
Today, San Salvador Island holds the distinction of being
the first community-run MPA and a model for coastal resource management in the
country. The PO works with the local government in documenting the population
of giant clams, stingrays and various reef fish found there.
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| Giant Clam "Tridacna gigas" |
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| Artificial Reef System |
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| Pangangawil: Hand FIshing |
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| Native Orchid can be found in most trees of San Salvador Island |
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| Sea Cucumber "Balat" |
Yaha Mangrove
Mangrove Forest Adventure. From Bacala, it is only a
15-minute boat ride to Yaha, a 9-ha islet of mangrove forest in the middle of
the bay. Yaha is one of the few places in the country where a hybrid species of
mangrove known as bakawan lalake and bakawan bato or Rhizophora lamarckii could
be found, according to the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Program.
Like the San Salvador sanctuary, Yaha is one of the four
MPAs on Masinloc Bay. The other two MPAs are the 50-ha Bani, one of the best
dive sites in Zambales, and the 20-ha Panglit Island, where a 5-ha ranching
site for sea cucumbers is located.
Since Yaha is part of Panglit Island, reef rangers cover
this part of the tour. From the big boat they transfer their guests to smaller
canoes with flat bottoms, with three persons in each canoe, for the next
adventure that takes them deeper into the verdant mangrove forest.
The reef rangers push the smaller boats, steering their
poles along the trails, taking care not to hit sea grass plantations where
seahorses thrive. Once in a while, excitement breaks out among their passengers
at the sight of marine creatures swimming alongside their canoes.
Bacala sandbar
Standing on a sandbar in the middle of the blue and clear
bay waters is a beach house that locals call “Bacala.” The structure was built
by the local government and is a favorite part of the tour. From the taklobo
and coral farms, this is where the touring boat stops for lunch and swimming.
Here, visitors may sample Masinloc’s native fare, usually
the fresh catch of the day—fish, shrimps, rock lobsters or crabs, steamed or
fried, and stacked on banana leaves by reef rangers.
Steamed vegetables or the local version of pinakbet, and
fresh ararosip (a variety of seaweeds that may be harvested from the bay
all-year round) complete the meal. When in season, ripe and green mangoes with
bagoong (shrimp paste) are also served. Visitors with children particularly
enjoy swimming in Bacala since the shallow water is safe even for nonswimmers.
After the Echo Tour, It is no time to spend the evening in Magalawa Island
Source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/159334/masinloc-offers-access-to-unique-ecotourism-sites
Let’s learn and discover the Marine Protected Area of
Masinloc.
Reminder: If you want to go
to Masinloc, It is advisable to gather 10 people or more and inform the tourism
office for your visit. Their Echo tour package should have a minimum of 10
participants. Good enough to shoulder the boat fee and guide fees. They also
discourage solo backpackers/travelers because of the expenses and environmental
impact.
Itinerary:
Day 1
3:00 am
Departure from Victory Liner Cubao
6:00 am ETA
Olongapo
6:10 am
Breakfast in Olongapo
6:30 am Ride
a Van going to Masinloc
9:30 am ETA
Masinloc
9:35 am Tour
around the Place (Church)
10:00 am Go
to Market Replenish some supplies
10:30 am Start
the Echo Tour
3:00 pm End
Echo tour as the boatman to bring you to Magalawa Island
3:40 pm ETA
Magalawa Island
4:00 pm Set
camp at Ruiz Resort, prepare Dinner
4:50 pm Walk
around the Resort and Island, find a good sunset spot
6:50 pm Eat
Dinner
7:30 pm
Socials
9:00 pm Lights
out
Day 2
5:30 am Wake
up, Sunrise in Magalawa Island
6:30 am
prepare breakfast
7:00 am eat
breakfast
7:30 am
Snorkeling Time
8:30 am Wash
up
9:00 am
Break Camp
9:30 am
search for boat going to Bayan of Masinloc
10:00 am ETD
Magalawa
11:00 am ETA
Masinloc Bayan
11:00 am
Lunch in Masinloc
12:00 am
Ride a UV Express Van going to Olongapo
3:00 pm ETA
Olongapo
3:30 pm Ride
a Victory Liner Bus going to Manila
7:00 pm ETA
Manila
*ETA –
Estimated Time of Arrival
Things to Bring:
Foods and
non-disposable utensils
Water 2
liters or more
Clothes,
Swimming Clothes
Snorkeling
Gear or Swimming Goggles
Garbage bag
and Eco Bags
Camera
Money
Breakdown of Expenses:
440 php (220
x 2) Victory Liner Bus Cubao-Olongapo *Vice versa
340 php (170
x 2) UV Express Van Olongapo-Masinloc *
680 php Echo
Tour Package (Lunch, boat, guide, site fee, environmental fee, snorkeling set)
100 php
Entrance fee in Ruiz Resort Magalawa
200 php Tent
Fee (whatever size)
75 php boat
from Magalawa to Masinloc Bayan (depends on the number of persons, haggling
skills)
200 php
Foods/water
TOTAL: 2035
What to Expect :
The shallow
waters of Masinloc showcase green, light blue, blue, clear waters. While on the
boat, you will see patches of sandbars and tons of sea grass sites. Starfish
and sea urchins are very common along the area so you have to be careful while
snorkeling. Their ecotourism sites are clean and has a relaxing calm aura.
People there are so kind and nice.
Contact Person:
Tita Beth - 09103172614
Contact Person:
Tita Beth - 09103172614
