Together with my friends, we went on a trip in 3 out of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines. This photo was taken above the hills of Nagsasa Cove in Zambales where we spent most of the time and set our campsite.
The mountainous Zambales Province is located on the West Coast near South China Sea.
How to get there from Manila?
The Nagsasa Cove is located in the west coast and is a remote area because it is located just beyond the mountains of Zambales which can only be accessed by a motorboat ride from Barangay Pundaquit in San Antonio, Zambales.
Going to Pundaquit
Take a bus with a route going to Iba or Santa Cruz in Zambales. Bus terminals are located in the cities of Pasay, Caloocan, or Cubao, Quezon City in Metro Manila. Then ask the driver to drop you off to San Antonio in Zambales. In our case, we took the Victory Liner's bus from Pasay City. The fare is Php 270 and the travel time is 4-5 hours.
From the bus stop in San Antonio, tricycles going to Barangay Pundaquit are available 24/7 and it will take a 20-minute ride with a fee of Php 30 per person. On the way to the drop-off point in Pundaquit, you will be charged Php 20 for the environmental fees.
Things you can do in Nagsasa Cove
- Camping
- Trekking and hiking (mountains, hills, grasslands, woods)
- Bonfiring
- Beach bumming
- Boating, paddle boarding
- Cliff-diving
- Snorkeling
- Fishing
- Trek and refresh at the Nagsasa Falls
- Take on a quieter creek swim
- Buying goods/products made by creative natives
- Island-hopping
0500H Arrived at the drop-off point.
The hospitable Sambali natives over there will then offer Nagsasa Cove-bound motorboats in your arrival. The average fees are in between Php 2,000-2,500 back-and-forth depends on the number of passengers. In our case, we paid Php 2,500 even we're just four because we asked them on a 3-island tour. They also offer tents for Php 200 each (good for two), drinking water for Php 50 per container, and bonfire logs for Php 100 each set. Cooking materials can be rented at the Nagsasa Cove.
Near the Nagsasa cove lies a little more crowded beach, the Anawangin beach which can be Php 1,000 cheaper than the Nagsasa Cove because of the nearer distance from the drop-off point.
We took an hour of rest before we start our journey because the motorboat drivers usually start their operations at 0600H.
The initial plan was to go to the islands in front of the beach (refer to the photo below), namely the Capones Island (left) and the Camara Island (right).
0600H We're all set to do the island-hopping.
Here's our route map, our first destination was the Camara Island. Satellite photo courtesy of Google Maps
The Camara Island is a huge lump of rock connected to a smaller rock formation (or virtually another island) by a beautiful sandbar. This island has some scenic views ideal for photoshoots.
Going to Capones Island
The Capones Island or previously called "Isla de Gran Capon" in the Spanish era, has a 2-kilometer area, a wide white-sand beach, and a lighthouse that was built in the 18th century.
more photos...
Going to Nagsasa Cove
The Capones and Camara islands has no commercial establishments so we didn't stay long. Going to Nagsasa took us an hour more of motorboat travel.
Few shots on our way to Nagsasa Cove
0730H Arrival at Nagsasa Cove
and 
prepared our tents and hammocks. I'm preparing the cookwares and food.
A bit of history
The volcanic sand of the beautiful Nagsasa Cove mostly came from the massive destruction caused by the Mt. Pinatubo of Zambales more than 20 years ago as the ashes,debris and the lahar from the erupted volcano fell on the whole province and its neighbor provinces and islands including the Nagsasa Cove.
The trip isn't complete without the Nagsasa Falls journey.
Behind the beach you'll see a wide range of mountains and hills, and after taking an hour and a half of trekking through the hills of Nagsasa, we enjoyed the beautiful waterfalls as the destination. We paid Php 100 each for a tour guide for us not to get lost. Feel free to ask the helpful caretakers of the island for this extra trip if you need a guide and it is recommended for your safety.
These tall grasses are the main culprit from possibly being lost.. However, there are trails.
1500H Arrival at Nagsasa Falls
We went back in our camp before dawn because we're hungry. Everyone felt bad about it because we could have stayed longer because we really enjoyed our moments from the falls.
During the night
Day 2
0600H The dogs ate our meals, so our breakfast was bread and coffee.
0800H We trekked uphill to see more scenic views of the islands and mountains.
1000H We went snorkeling
struggled to get back to the boat.After snorkeling, we did the beach bumming. Then after we took our lunch at 1200H, we spent a couple of hours to pack our things as we left the beautiful Nagsasa Cove at 1400H.
The things that i loved the most in this trip
- The Nagsasa Bay has a cool breeze, and its sea waters are slightly warm. The creek's water is cooler in its upper portion and a little warm at the bottom.
- The color of the mountains are turning golden brown in the afternoon and it's beautiful. It's green in the morning and before dawn.
- The people are so friendly and helpful.
- The natives are selling their cool handicrafts mostly made of carved wood or shells. I bought myself some keychains with the name of the place engraved. They are also selling small wooden bow and arrow, a peashooter (not so powerful enough, it's just for keeps), a wooden shotglass, loudspeaker dock for cellphones made of bamboo, wallets, bracelets, necklaces, and many more items with native Filipino design.
- The trip has made me feel fit and refreshed. If you are just reading these blogs in the internet, you might think the trekking and hiking portion is so much exhausting but for real it isn't, because in my experience i was too amazed from the environment plus having some fun conversations with my friends made me overlook the difficulties along the way. And when we went into the waters, i felt better, relaxed and refreshed.
My 3 basic tips for foreign travelers.
Familiarize - The itinerary, directions, weather, expenses, environment and its community are the few things to familiarize before you go to a specific vacation spot in the country. You can get these information by basically reading blogs like this in the internet, by consulting to travel agencies and from the tour guide. Familiarizing is recommended because the islands of the Philippines are inhabited by more than 175 Ethnolinguistic Nations (ethnic languages) which means that even they are all Filipinos, they still have several differences in their culture and traditions.
Be nice to the people - And because there are different cultures and traditions in the country itself, It maybe right that everywhere the Filipinos are welcoming and hospitable (which everyone basically knew). But it is not so accurate, there's still many cases of party-pooped travels in the country. So be aware that there are some other provinces in where you could receive their kindness and assistance when you first initiate and it's just so easy. A basic greeting or a smile will do, or just by being nice to everyone.
Money is the best preparation - Going for a camping for example, doesn't mean that you'll bring all your camping stuffs because they may become your burden. By familiarizing about your destination, you'll figure out the things to bring and not to bring. Most of the popular tourist spots in the country nowadays are offering the necessary equipment to rent and consumables to buy for your trip. And so about the money, you must then bring more than the expenses as you can.
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About the author
Oliver Cuico is a Steemian who formerly worked out of Lufthansa Technik Philippines. He loves basketball, cycling, cooking, computer gaming, songwriting and playing musical instruments. When he's not doing all those, he'll go out to bond with his friends or loved ones, to explore and socialize, or he's going to read, then try new things.