SUBIC ISLAND: The Off the Beaten Path Wonder of Matnog, Sorsogon

The Marvelous Subic Island of Matnog, Sorsogon

Matnog--A Hidden Beauty
The province of Sorsogon in the Bicol Region has already become part of the Pinoy traveler's lingo.There's Donsol's whalesharks and Mt. Bulusan's famed crater lake, as well as Paguriran Island's whitesand beach and lagoon. Yet, there is more, and I'm referring to Subic Island and Juag Fish Sanctuary in Matnog, Sorsogon.

Matnog, Sorsogon lies on the southern-most tip of the Luzon Island and is the venue of a bustling port vital for being the gateway between the islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Of late, however, Matnog started to create a splash-- albeit a relatively small one --in the tourism scene due to its beautiful, serene and paradisaical white sand beaches. Subic Island Liit and Subic Island Daku are two of these.I first read about Subic Island over a year ago and was pleasantly surprised to know that very few people have heard of or know about it. Hence, when opportunity knocked, I immediately decided to pay a visit along with a number of fun and adventurous friends.

Plan-Itinerary
I was so itching for a low-budget travel last January and coincidentally, my friend Atty.Lheila Mendoza was also pining for a tipid biyahe, but all the piso-fare seats have already been sold out. I suggested Matnog and she instantly she said yes. We concluded that our budget should not go beyond P1500. In no time, we had Chris, Kends, Trina, Karen, Adolf, Dassel, Daday and Gelo to go with us too.

The Roadtrip Tropa @ the DENR Guesthouse in Matnog

Our itinerary was as follows:
Saturday:
5PM   -- Leave for Legazpi City from Naga City via a van at Naga City Van Terminal; fare was P210
7PM   -- arrival in Legazpi. Our plan was to spend the night at Lheila's parents' house. We had dinner, talks, etc, then sleep...

Sunday:
5AM   -- Wake up time; prepare, etc.
7AM   -- Left Legazpi for Sorsogon City
9 AM  -- Arrived at Sorsogon (picked up Adolf)
11 AM-- Arrival in Matnog (finally!)
11:30   -- Start of Island-hopping =)
12 NN -- Subic Island Liit; Lunch, Swim, Fun
2 PM   -- To Juag Fish Sanctuary
2:30 - 3:30 PM -- Juag Fish Sanctuary
4:00PM -- Matnog Port
4:30PM -- Depart for Mapaso Hot Spring in San Benon, Irosin
5:00PM--Mapaso Hotspring
5:30PM--Back to Sorsogon City, then to Naga City

The Trip
The group met on Sunday afternoon, travelled to Legazpi City from Naga City via van (fare is P210), and spent the night at the Mendoza's residence in Legazpi City. Lheila's mom was very generous to have allowed us--me, Kends and Chris--to sleep at their house. What is more, Lhei's parents even volunteered their vehicle for our mini get-away :) The following morning, we all woke up early, ate breakfast, and prepared for the trip. By 7AM, we were off to Sorsogon.

It was a long four-hour ride. From Legazpi, we first had to go to Sorsogon City, and from the city, we drove another 50+ kilometers to Matnog. For those who will be commuting, ride a van in Daraga--a town next to Legazpi, which you can reach by jeep--going to Sorsogon (fare is P85) and from Sorsogon City, ride again a jeep going to Matnog (fare is P90). The jeep will drop you off just several meters away from the port complex.

Definitely looking forward to travel with these guys again =)

The author with her friends, Kends and Trins

That is not the end of it though. From the Matnog Port we still had to ride a boat to reach our target destinations--Subic Island and Juag Fish Sanctuary. The tourism office of Matnog can assist tourists in getting a rented boa. On the other hand, there are several boat owners who are already waiting for tourists near the municipal hall and port and are willing to negotiate. The last time I asked, boat rental costs P1500 for a whole day trip that covers three islands.

Boat Ride

Sweet Escape: We Had Subic Island for Ourselves

Chris' dad, who is the PENRO of Sorsogon, arranged a rented boat for us and also took care of our lunch, which was really beyond our expectations. Hence, when we arrived in Matnog everything we needed were all taken cared of: there was a boat waiting to take us to the Islands and a sumptuous meal waiting to be devoured hehe. From Brgy. Tagban in Matnog, we were off to Subic Island (Liit) on an approx. 30-minute boat ride. Lheila's dad is also the Regional Technical Director of the DENR Region V, so the people who helped organize our island-hopping trip were very fond of her and made sure that we were comfortable and safe =)

Subic Island

It's not just the view. It's also the peace and calm that I so heart.

Subic Island took my breath away when we arrived. The island is amazing. Subic Island is also known as La Playa Rosa because of the pinkish tinge of its fine white sand. The long drive, heat and boat ride were worth it.  What is more, we have the island for ourselves. There were no crowds, bustling commercialism and expensive tourism establishments--only the beautiful sea, a small cottage, some free-range animals, coconut trees and of course, us. I am so lucky to have reached this beautiful place.

Nature-loving Chris--capturing the amazing view

Kends, Trina and Lhei, chatting while waiting for our lunch to cook

After arrival,we settled down and had our foods prepared by the island caretakers. Our meal was comprised of ginutaang langka (unripe jackfruit cooked in coconut milk) with crabs, boiled/steamed crabs (a real treat!), grilled liempo (bacon) and grilled molmol (parrot fish)--yummy! and lots of lots of rice. We ate as if we've been starved for a week hehe. 

Grilled Molmol (parrot fish) -- a really yummy , fatty fish

Atty. Adolf, enjoying the gulay na langka (jackfruit) in gata

Crabs galore! These are just the left-overs hehe

Grilled Liempo--a favorite picnic staple

Feasting on fresh young coconuts :)

After our festive meal, it's swimming time =)  Subic Island's waters is pretty deep so swimmers must be careful. The good thing is that the current was not very strong when we were there so we were able to snorkel and swim.

More than an hour in the water and our beach craving was satisfied. We were ready to move on to our next destination--the Juag Fish Sanctuary, which I will talk about in my next post.

For a budget biyahera like me, our Matnog adventure is a vacation bliss -- we had an uber time, visited an off-the-beaten-path beach paradise, got the chance to swim again and enjoyed fresh and delicious foods :) All these for a very minimal budget! I'm with the best travel friends and we were able to pull it off even with small budget and little planning. Indeed, some things are better when done spontaneously =) Anyhoo, how our trip turned out will not be the same without the help of Chris' dad and Lheila's parents. A really big, big thanks to them.This is it for now, but I'll be posting next about Juag Fish Sanctuary, which is a wonderful continuation of our Matnog trip :) FIN.

TRIP SUMMARY

If you are from Manila:

1) Ride a bus going to Sorsogon City. Fare ranges from 500 to 1000+ depending on the kind of bus. Or book a flight to Legazpi City. Then from Legazpi airport, ride a jeep to Daraga van terminal and then a van to Sorsogon City. The earlier the booking the cheaper.

2) In Sorsogon, look for jeeps going to Matnog. The jeep terminal is just located in the city center, you may just ask around for directions.

3) Upon arrival in Matnog (trip lasts around two hours), rent a boat. My contact there is Kuya Alex (09183045437). Rental rate is usually P1500 for a whole day of island-hopping covering three islands.