NEGROS ROADTRIP: Danjugan Island

NEGROS ROADTRIP: Danjugan Island (October 23, 2010)

Exploring a country with approximately 7,107 islands is not an easy feat. In my 23 years, I’ve only been to less than 20. There are islands that are known worldwide, there are those I keep coming back to, there are those I haven’t been to but whose names ring familiar, and then there are those that I’ve never even heard of in my life. Danjugan Island belongs to the last category. Prior to this trip, I didn’t even know Danjugan Island existed.

Danjugan Island Marine Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary located in the Sulu Sea, about 3km away from the southwestern side of Negros. Officially, it’s part of the municipality of Cauayan and it's managed by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc. (PRRCFI). One of our country’s smaller islands, Danjugan island is about 1.5km long and 0.5km wide, with a total land area of approximately 43 hectares. The island’s topography is quite diverse with its mountains, rocks, caves, seawater lagoons (5 in total), mangroves, and tropical forests. It is also home to turtle-nesting white sand beaches and the most beautiful coral reefs and marine life. In other words, this little-known island is nothing short of paradise.

P U N T A  B U L A T A

We had Punta Bulata all to ourselves

From Takatuka Lodge in Sipalay, we drove for about 30 minutes until we reached Punta Bulata Beach Resort in Cauayan. We arranged for the Danjugan pump boat to pick us up there. However, we were able to leave Takatuka later than we originally planned, and by the time we arrived at Punta Bulata it was already 10AM. The boat was supposed to pick us up at 8AM, and since we were very late, it already went ahead of us with the other passengers. We had to wait but we were okay with it, because Punta Bulata is just magnificent. The white sand beach with its cerulean waters make for a breathtaking view, and the place was quite deserted. While waiting for our boat, we explored the shoreline, picked up various shells, waded through the waters, and of course, took lots of pictures.

The boat ride to Danjugan Island

Our contact from Danjugan called us and asked us to drive further to Antul Dive Spot (still in Cauayan, just a few kilometers from Punta Bulata), so the boat can pick us up there instead. We were more than glad to oblige, because by this time we had our fair share of Punta Bulata pictorials. 

F O R E S T  T R E K 

The visitor's welcoming area

After a 20-minute boat ride, we finally docked at the third lagoon, where we proceeded to the Marine & Wildlife Learning Center. They had a charming “visitor’s area” where our morning snacks were waiting for us. Here we were greeted by Mang Ruben, our guide. The welcoming area was located in a beautiful lagoon, and from here alone we could tell that Danjugan was going to be such a beautiful island. 

The lagoon as seen from the visitor's area

The bat cave

After our morning snacks we donned our aqua shoes and went on our forest trek. We passed by a mountain trail, and some parts were quite challenging, but we used to be Girl Scouts after all.

Deeper into the forest

A few steps into the forest we reached the bat cave, and there were so many bats we could hardly differentiate them from one another since they looked like a dense black blob. They were awake and noisy, and we could clearly smell their droppings from the cave opening. The trek took us further into the fragile forest, and along the way we saw wild berries, mangroves, and a lot of ants.

T U R T L E   B E A C H

Turtle Beach

After beautiful scenes of the forest, we found ourselves in a second lagoon, but this time it was inland. After a few more minutes of walking, we were finally at Turtle Beach. Turtle Beach is called such because so many turtles go there to lay their eggs. We probably visited at the wrong time, because we didn't encounter any turtles. We've had our fair share of beautiful beaches in Negros, but Turtle Beach ranks as one of the best. It was truly a breathtaking sight. 

T Y P H O O N   B E A C H

Walking to Typhoon Beach

From Turtle Beach we walked further to Typhoon Beach camp. This is where the cottages for overnight guests are located. This is also where our trust guide Mang Ruben briefed us about the island, its history, flora, fauna, and practically everything there is to know about it.

Mang Ruben

After the briefing we traced our steps back to where we came from, where our lunch was waiting for us. Lunch was really sumptuous. They served more than enough for the five of us, so we were more than satisfied because by this time we were pretty tired form our forest trek (a day later our muscles would be aching like hell). 

S N O R K E L I N G

Danjugan Island's beautiful marine life

While its forests and mangroves are beautiful, Danjugan Island is most famous for its marine life. So you can’t really say you’ve been to Danjugan Island until you see the marine life for yourself. With our snorkel gear in tow, we excitedly walked through the seagrass beds, swam to the sea, and soaked in as much coral reefs and marine life as our eyes could see. We were on the right side of the island, not on the side facing the Sulu Sea, so the water was calm and there were no waves at all. It was perfect for snorkeling. 

I’ve always been fascinated by marine life, so snorkeling is an activity I enjoy tremendously. Nothing compares to being submerged in water, watching out for fishes swimming in the midst of corals and sea anemones. We saw such beautiful marine life that day – from giant clams, to blue starfishes, to sea cucumbers, to all kinds of fishes in all colors imaginable.

Marine life up close

The highlight of our snorkeling experience (also our last stop before we went back to shore), was finding this sea anemone with a clown fish family. Yes, there were five Nemos! Two big ones, and three little ones. They were so cute and you could really observe that the father Nemo was bent on protecting his tiny Nemo family. He was squinting madly at us, circling around his family because to him we probably looked dangerous. But they were adorable.

Finding Nemo

R O A D  W A R R I O R S

We got carried away with snorkeling, so by the time we made it back to the Negros mainland, the sun was already setting. We had to drive all the way back to Dumaguete, which is on the opposite side of Negros. I didn’t want to go through the Southern route because of the unpaved roads, so we decided to take the mountain route instead. From Cauayan, we drove to Kabankalan City, where we stopped over for dinner (Jollibee!), gas refilling and a car checkup.

We then made our way up the mountains to Mabinay, crossing Negros to get to the other side. I’ve been driving for many years, and I’ve had my share of road experiences, but this was just the most intense. Imagine driving on a mountain at the dead of the night, with no street lamps and no people. Only darkness. And fog. My concentration had to be up by 110%, because I had to be extra careful and watch for potholes, blind curves, suicidal animals, and other road blockages. There was a part of the Mabinay road where only one lane was available, so this delayed us further. Of course we made it out alive, but because I was extra careful, we didn’t make it to Dumaguete as early as planned.

By the time we got home we were so tired, but we were so happy and fulfilled. It's a shame Danjugan Island is not as known to the public as the other islands in the Philippines, because it really is so beautiful. Hopefully more people will know about it, but nevertheless we feel so happy and blessed that we were able to experience its beauty.

One island down, more than seven thousand to go.

NEGROS ROADTRIP: Takatuka in Sipalay

NEGROS ROADTRIP: Takatuka in Sipalay (October 22, 2010)

I heard somewhere that nature is the best medicine. While this can be taken literally, I realized that this therapeutic effect is exactly why people go on all kinds of nature trips to “get away” from the hustle-bustle of the city and the normal, stressful routines of their daily lives. The lushness of the landscape that rolls by, the lull of the waves, the feel of the sugary sand on your feet – these things have always worked like magic. 

When it comes to spontaneous nature trips, Negros, with Dumaguete as its base, has always been a favorite. We’ve spent several weekends over the last two years discovering all that Negros Oriental has to offer, and our nature-hungry souls have always left this beautiful island satisfied. Because of this, we decided to finally venture out to the other side of the island, Negros Occidental.

T H E  L O N G  D R I V E  T H E R E

Leaving Cebu via barge

There are many ways to go to Negros, but this time we decided to bring a car and have a nice road trip down South. From Cebu City at around 5AM, we went on an early morning 3-hour trip to the tip of the island. Totaling to 150 kilometers, the trip down South covers the towns of Minganilla, Naga, San Fernando, Carcar, Argao, Dalaguete, Alcoy, Boljoon, Santander, and Samboan. From the Bato port we rode on a barge (Maayo Shipping Lines) to cross the narrow channel to Amlan port in Negros Oriental. The port is just about 21 kilometers north of Dumaguete City, so we arrived there in no time.

A pocket forest along the way

Going further down South from Dumaguete, the road trip is a feast for the eyes. The last time we went on a road trip like this, it was summer and the landscape was suffering from El Nino. Since we’re in the rainy season, the landscape that greeted us this time was greener and more vibrant. The trees, the sugarcane, the valleys, and the pocket forests greeted us in all their lush glory. Even the cows were more plump. By going South we passed by the towns of Bacong, Dauin, Zamboanguita, Siaton, and Sta. Catalina until reaching Bayawan City, where we stopped at this charming restaurant (Win’s Garden Restaurant) for lunch. The restaurant was mostly al fresco, and they had a garden with all sorts of birds as well as a pond with huge fishes swimming to their delight. Bayawan is the second to the last town under Negros Oriental, and from here we drove towards Basay and crossed the boundary to the other side of the island.

Navigating through the mud

The trip was mostly smooth and uneventful, except for a 15-minute rain shower that almost squashed our hopes for a sunny time at the beach. Between Basay and Hinoba-an is a 15-km stretch of dirt road that normally would not have mattered, but with the rain shower some parts were grotesquely muddy with huge puddles that covered the potholes. Again, this wouldn’t have mattered as much if I brought a bigger vehicle or a 4x4 drive. However, because I was driving a Toyota Vios with 3 passengers and a lot of luggage, it was another challenge altogether to navigate through the puddle-covered, pothole-infested obstacle course without ruining my car and getting stuck in one big muddy mess. Thankfully, my car made it out alive, and soon we were on concrete again. From Hinoba-an, the road took us up the mountains before going down to the coastal city of Sipalay. This approximately 200-km drive, together with the lunch stopover and the muddy obstacle course, took around 5 hours.

S I P A L A Y

Spontaneous road trippers and busy people that we are, we forgot to print (or even look at) the exact directions to the resort we booked, so getting there was another challenge. We ended up asking for directions from a preschool teacher (let's call her Melissa). Luckily, she lived along the road (Brgy. Nauhang) going to the resort so we asked her to get in the car and lead us there. This was purely coincidental but she was extremely helpful and essential to our not getting lost. For future reference, once you make it to the end of the road, there’s a junction saying "Sipalay 5km beach" to the left and "Cauayan" to the right. From here, turn right, and then turn left when you see the Brgy. Gil Montes Hall. This will take you to another 4-km dirt road going towards Takatuka Lodge. The resort is located in Langub beach, more famously known as the Sugar Beach of Sipalay.

T H E  S E A R C H  F O R  T A K A T U K A

We found out about Takatuka Lodge from the internet, and we booked it due to its good reviews, affordable rates, and artsy-fartsy style that we thought would fit our personalities perfectly. Apart from that, we knew nothing about Takatuka and didn’t know exactly what to expect. At the end of the dirt road, there was a tiny hut with a “parking area” that awaited us. From here we could already see the beach, but there were still no signs of the resort. We had to walk along a path that led us to a little cove. The shore by this time was already vast and we could already see the huge waves so we thought this was our resort. We were mistaken though, because there were still no signs of Takatuka.

Scenic view on the way to Takatuka

Shore between two rock islets

Apparently, we had to ride a tiny bangka to cross to the other side. Although the distance from the shore of the cove to the other tiny “shore” contained in between two rock islets was short and seemingly walkable, walking will submerge us totally because the water wasn't shallow. We had to go through all of these things with still no signs of our resort, and it only added to the Takatuka mystery. We still had no idea what to expect.

Walking some more

When we reached the other side, we had to walk some more. By this time we saw an incredibly vast shoreline, probably around 3 km long, with fine, light brown sand. The sun was showing the early signs of sunset, and the huge waves were crashing nearby. We found out later that we were actually facing the Sulu Sea. Finally, after a few more minutes of walking (our bags were heavy and the sea looked so inviting so this wasn’t an easy feat), we finally saw the first few signs of the resort we booked. 

The El Castillo

Takatuka is, in a word, CRAZY. This is the first beach resort I’ve ever been to where the cottages have themes. We were assigned to the El Castillo and The Cave. In the El Castillo, you feel like a king stuck in some castle during the medieval times. The room is full of artifacts from foreign empires, and the switches are hidden as artifacts so turning on the lights turned into a scavenger hunt.

Inside "The Cave"

The Cave, true to its name, has stalactites and stalagmites. The walls are cave-like, and everything inside the room, from the bed to the toilet-paper holder to the shower (waterfall-like), looks like it was taken straight out of the Stone Age.

Part of the main reception area

The craziness didn't end in the cottages. The main reception area and restaurant are also full of crazy things, but all done in a very artsy way. The resort exuded fun and craziness so we loved it so much.

T H E  S U N S E T  A N D  N I G H T  S W I M M I N G

Sipalay sunset

The beach, with its huge waves and powdery brown sand, looked so inviting. Since we arrived just in time for sunset, we had enough time to take pictures by the beautiful beach and the breathtaking sunset. The shoreline of Sugar Beach was so vast, and it looked like we were the only ones there. After sunset we decided to order our dinner and wait for them to prepare it. While waiting, we went for a little dip.

The crashing waves

“Little dip” is an understatement, because the waves were huge. The entire Sugar Beach was practically deserted, so walking towards the ocean with the huge waves crashing towards us felt so amazing. The waves were very strong as well, so our “little dip” in the ocean ended up becoming a workout session. Riding the waves and being smashed into the shore at the dead of the night with no one around? What an experience.

D I N N E R  A N D  C L U E

The food was as quirky as the resort

Takatuka’s cuisine was basically a mix of international flavors, but since the owners are German/Swiss, there were lots of those dishes. The owners do the actual cooking, so the food was AMAZING. Very affordable too. 

A game of Clue

After dinner we educated ourselves in the very addictive game of CLUE, and after three very intense rounds, we finally called it a night. It was a very long day, and most of it was spent traveling. Nevertheless, the experience was completely worth it.

L E A V I N G

Breakfast

After a good night’s sleep, it was time for an early breakfast. The food was just as amazing as dinner, and when it was time to leave the resort, we left with very satisfied stomachs and smiles on our faces. We were sent off by Maricel (our favorite waitress), Evarose (one of the German owners), and Lemmy the gorgeous white German shepherd.

The lagoon

We walked to the other end of the shoreline, but unlike yesterday, we went towards Driftwood Village instead. This featured a beautiful lagoon, which is where Takatuka’s pump boat was located. Crossing the lagoon led us straight to where our cars were parked. Here we reluctantly left the beautiful town of Sipalay, towards the next stop on our road trip.

If only we could stay longer