Bicol Roadtrip; Budget, Itinerary and Expenses

The Travel DebuggerSeptember 9, 2016 Bicol, Philippines, Travel 0 Comments

Bicol Roadtrip; Budget, Itinerary and Expenses
Being an employee and having a limited number of leaves per year sucks especially if you are a travel junkie. I
know lots of people can relate to this but instead of facing the wall of problems, let’s think and focus on the
solution.

One obvious and nifty trick is to plan your trip ahead on long weekends. That’s what we did in our 3 days
roadtrip to Bicolandia. This blog post will help out those who are planning the same trip and hopefully will
inspire others to do the same especially if you want a trip that’s fully flexible and wouldn’t mind long hours of
travel by land. Believe me, Mt. Mayon is worth seeing.

Our route
Blue arrow – Manila to Legazpi via SLEX

Red arrow – Legazpi to Manila via Laguna/Rizal

Our route, captured in google maps.

Going to Legazpi, Albay from Manila

We started our journey at our hometown in Pateros, traversed SLEX and exited at Calamba then at Sto. Tomas,
Batangas then drove all the way to Calauag, Quezon for a short stop-over and breakfast at a family friend
before heading to our final destination at Legazpi, Albay.

Pateros -> SLEX-> Sto. Tomas Exit -> Calauag, Quezon -> Legazpi, Albay

Going back to Manila via Tayabas/Laguna/Rizal

Heading back to Manila, we decided to go via the Tayabas/Laguna/Rizal route spending one night at Calauag,
Quezon as main stopover. From Legazpi, we went to Naga for church hopping then drove to our family friend
in Calauag for an overnight stay. The morning after, we headed to Tayabas, Quezon for lunch at Palaisdaan.
After lunch, we drove straight to Laguna, then Rizal then C6 road unto our home in Pateros.

Legazpi -> Naga -> Calauag -> Tayabas -> Laguna -> Rizal -> C6 Road -> Pateros

For the timings, please refer to our Itinerary. But if you will drive straight from Manila to Legazpi, it’ll take
you 10hrs.

Toll fee from C5 to End of Slex is P214. Then from Calamba to Sto Tomas Exit is P25.

Our Itinerary
Day 0 (Aug. 26)
12AM – Depart Manila

4:30AM – Stop-over Calauag, Quezon

Day 1 (Aug. 27)

6AM – Depart Calauag

11:30AM – Arrive Legazpi, Albay

Mt. Mayon

12PM – Lunch at 1st Colonial Grill

2PM – Check-in Balai Tinay Guesthouse, rest

5PM – Lignon Hill

6PM – Dinner at Bob Marlin

8PM – Drink then sleep

Day 2 (Aug. 28)
6:30AM – Breakfast

7AM – Cagsawa Ruins/ATV Mayon

Cagsawa Ruins

9:30AM –Daraga Church

12PM – Check-out Balai Tinay, Depart Legazpi

2:30PM – Church hopping in Naga

Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine

4:30PM – Depart Naga

8PM – Arrive Calauag, Quezon

Day 3 (Aug. 29)

7:30AM – Depart Calauag

11AM – Arrive Tayabas, Quezon. Lunch at Palaisdaan

1PM – Depart Tayabas

5:30PM – Arrive Pateros

Accommodation
We stayed at Balai Tinay guesthouse in Legazpi and booked 1 family room and 1 triple room.

Book your stay here in Balai Tinay through Agoda!

Lobby

It is a home converted into a guesthouse complete with kitchen, air-conditioned rooms (inverter type) with
LED TV and a viewing deck of Mt. Mayon. The guesthouse is very clean, well maintained and you’ll truly feel
like you’re just at home. They also serve free breakfast and unlimited coffee and tea all throughout your stay.

Balai Tinay’s Triple Room

We only had trouble locating Balai Tinay at first because it isn’t located in the main road and Waze points us
to a different direction. I then called Balai Tinay and gave me specific instructions on how to get there. You
have to drive through a narrow street in between Emong’s Pandesal and Bagumbayan elementary school along
Washington Drive.

Search for more hotels/hostels in Legazpi here

Legazpi City Hotels

Check-in

Check-out

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Guests
2 adults in 1 room

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Or try these accommodations:

Third and Seans Place

Embarcadero Hotel
Mayon Backpackers Hostel
Balay de la Rama Bed and Breakfast
In Calauag, we stayed one night at a inn of a family friend.

Places we went to and Activities

In Legazpi
 Lignon Hill
Lignon Hill is the highest point in Legazpi City where you can view of course, Mt. Mayon and downtown
Legazpi. My first actual sight of Mt. Mayon was in Lignon Hill and though covered with thick clouds at that
time, Mt. Mayon still took my breath away.
Mayon’s shy that day

It’s most famous for its perfect cone and though very beautiful, Mt. Mayon is the most active volcano in the
Philippines and is closely monitored by PHIVOLCS.

Besides Mayon, you can also view all of Legazpi city and Albay gulf from this hill. This is one of the reasons I
love travelling, these views!

View of Legazpi City and Albay gulf

Lignon Hill is one of the places that are perfect for viewing the mighty Mayon. If you don’t have a car with
you, you can either walk to the top (doable but very steep!) or hire a habal-habal to take you.

 Cagsawa Ruins and ATV Mayon

Of course, who would go to Albay without visiting the famous Cagsawa ruins! The Cagsaua church was built
in 1857 but was eventually destroyed and buried during the strongest eruption of Mayon Volcano in February
1, 1814 killing an estimated of 2000 people.

All that was left was the belfry that is still standing up to now. The ruins remind the people of the tragedy that
happened that day but it also symbolizes strength and hope for a better tomorrow.

Shameless selfie in the ruins

Pre-nup pictorial? Nope.

After some fun pictorials, it’s adventure time! The family went on a thrilling ride in an ATV at the foot of
Mayon! We chose the shortest trail though but it was still fun!

Splash!
It’s all in the family

The standard cost for the short trail is P699 but you can try to haggle.

 Church Visits
We visited 3 churches in Bicol. First was Daraga church wherein it is located atop a hill overlooking a
magnificent view of Mt. Mayon. It is an old historical baroque style church built by the Franciscan priests in
1772.
Daraga Church with a view of Mayon volcano

In Naga, there are actually several churches there but we only visited two of them as we are time constrained.
We visited both the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore and Our Lady of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore.

A mosaic inside Peñafrancia church

Peñafrancia Basilica
Food
Food in Bicol is just amazing. Expect something good anywhere you dine be it in carinderias or in malls.
Though our stay in Bicol is short, I think we tried some of the best dishes Bicolanos are proud of. Bicol dishes
are offered anywhere in Manila, but the authenticity of the dish and the feeling of eating it in Bicol is way
different.
1st Colonial Grill
No doubt, one of the best restaurants in Bicol. It’s already a given that their native Bicol dishes are great (just
like almost anywhere in Bicol) but what stands out are their desserts! I don’t like sweets that much but
1st Colonial’s grill’s dessert are top notch!
I ordered the Sili flavored ice-cream which they offer with 3 levels of spiciness. Mine was level 2, just mildly
spicy.

Sili Ice Cream. Yummy and spicy!

It tastes great and it definitely has a kick in it once it melts in your mouth. A must try when in Bicol.

Wifey ordered a Pili shake and my oh my, was it great! It is very creamy and you can really taste the natural
flavour of pili which we think that they really put lots of ground pili in it. Superb!
A must try!

Bob Marlin
Isn’t it obvious that the owner of this restaurant is a big Marley fan? For sure he is, because other than the
name, the theme in this resto is ‘Roots Rock Reggae’! Upon entering we saw images of Bob Marley, music of
Marley and Rastafarian themed colors so over-all, this restaurant exudes good vibration ‘mon’.
Anyway, let’s move on to the food. Bob Marlin offers numerous Bicol and Filipino specialties such as their
famous Crispy Pata, Kare Kare, Adobong Manok sa gata, Marlin Slab, Krispy Sisig to name a few. But what
really stood out from the rest is their Crispy Pata. Man, I can’t get enough of them crispy pork. Don’t get me
wrong, all of the dishes we ordered are spectacular, but their Crispy Pata is just that darn good. And the best
thing is, the serving is plenty! Price is very reasonable. For a group of 8, we only paid around P2,300.
Heaven for all pork lovers out there

Highly recommended whether you’re in Naga or Legazpi.

Palaisdaan Floating restaurant in Tayabas, Quezon

Coming from Naga, we planned to eat lunch at one of the Palaisdaan restos in Tayabas, Quezon. First, we
checked out Air Summit Gourmet but found out that the price is way beyond our budget (haha!) so after some
picture taking, we went to the nearby Palaisdaan floating restaurant.
Nice concept of Air Summit Gourmet

Lovely floating huts in Kamayan sa Palaisdaan

It’s similar to the Palaisdaan restaurant we went to in Calauan, Laguna but this one is simpler but offers way
better food. Some of the dishes that we ordered from what I recall are their fried chicken, pako
salad, ginataang pilipit na suso, fried tilapia, sinigang na baboy, chopsuey, calamares, creamy pesang dalag,
etc… We love all the dishes but the fried chicken was the best!

Tasty, juicy and delicious fried chicken

Expenses breakdown
Here is the detailed breakdown of our expenses. We are 8 adults in the group plus one kid.

We brought two vehicles with us and we are 4 in my car (with me and a family friend as drivers) so I separated
the transpo expenses from the other group.

We were also welcomed by the generous hospitality of a family friend in Calauag so you’ll see we didn’t pay
for accommodation and dinner in our second night.

Please also note that we got a discounted price for the ATV activity. I just listed the standard price here so that
it won’t affect the market price and competition between the ATV operators.

Per Total 4 Total 8

Remarks
Pax Pax Pax

Day 1

Balai Tinay Guesthouse 625 2500 5000 P3000 - Family room

P2000 - Triple Room

Lunch 1st colonial grill 254.87 1019.5 2039

Lignon Hill entrance 20 80 160

Dinner Bob Marlin 287.5 1150 2300

Day 2

Cagsawa Ruins entrance 10 40 80

ATV short trail 699 2796 5592

Lunch at carinderia 93.75 375 750

Day 3

Lunch in Palaisdaan 296.25 1185 2370

SUB-TOTAL 2286.37 9145.5 18291

Plus transpo expenses

SLEX Toll Fee 53.5 214

Calamba to Sto. Tomas Toll 6.25 25

Gasoline 782.75 3131 Total gas back and forth Bicol

GRAND TOTAL 3128.87 12515.5

There you go guys, just around P3000 you can have a wonderful trip to Bicol. You can just adjust it
accordingly like of course, you have to pay for your accommodation on your 2nd night whether it be in Bicol or
any other place along the way. Budget also depends on the type of vehicle you’ll use. Bring one that’s fuel
efficient and make sure to check your ride before hitting the road. Goodluck and happy road tripping!

Places to visit in Albay

Mayon Volcano
The ever-majestic and still active Mayon Volcano is the most visited tourist attraction in Bicol. It is well-known
for its almost perfect cone shape crater. Mayon Volcano was named after the princess heroine of an old
folklore story from the region, Daragang Magayon (Beautiful Lady). Another amazing fact about the Mayon is
that is was the first National Park in the country. Most of the time, Mayon shows its beauty around 5-8 in the
morning and 5-7 in the evening as otherwise there can be a lot of cloud cover.
 Cagsawa Ruins + ATV
Mayon Volcano may be strikingly beautiful but obviously dangerous when it erupts. There are plenty of
reminders of the power of nature and one of particular note are the remains of the Cagsawa church dating back
to when the Mayon erupted in 1814, an eruption that sadly killed around 2,000 people. It must have been an
horrendous experience for those poor people, but serves to remind us of how minuscule we are in the face of
nature at its most powerful. At present, the ruins have became one of the most recognizable landmarks in the
province of Albay and have stood as a reminder for all for over 200 years. If you have time try the ATV
experience (All Terrain Vehicle) its a fantastic, fun and exhilarating experience!
 Vanishing Island
Vanishing Island is located in the municipality of Malilipot Albay and can be accessed thru Bacacay, Albay. As
the name hints at, the island only reveals its true beauty during low-tide hours around 12NN-6PM. From
Bacacay port or Tabaco port, it takes around an hours boat ride to reach the island. It is actually situated in the
middle of the ocean but appears like a Far Eastern Brigadoon when low water permits, so be sure to check this
place out. A boat ride can be had for just 1,000 pesos and is good for up to 10 persons.
 Detailed Post: Vanishing Island, Malilipot, Albay

Sumlang Lake
An Eco concentrated tourism park is what Camalig, Albay offers to its visitors. Sumlang Lake has become a
major tourist attraction in the province of Albay mainly because it is one of the great spots to take a photo
of Mayon and for just 10 pesos entrance fee, you can roam around the area and get your perfect Mayon
Volcano shots!
 Getting around in Albay
The cheapest means of transportation from municipality to another is via Jeepneys. Trips here are continuous
until late night. Another means of transportation are thru buses, tricycles of Habal-habal.
 Day 0
Travel from Manila to Albay

If you opt to reach Albay by bus, it is advisable to depart from Manila the night before. Only if you
don’t mind sleeping on a bus the entire night. It will save you time significantly. If not, you can fly to
Legazpi Airport via Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines.

We took a Legazpi-bound bus from DLTB Cubao (near Shopwise). We reserved our bus tickets
ahead of time since it was peak season. Fare is ₱800 one way. We left Cubao at around 8PM and
reached Albay around 7:30AM the next day. It was almost 12 hours travel time.

We told the bus attendant to drop us off at Avia Inn at Daraga, but he seemed unfamiliar, so he
suggested he will just drop us off at the unloading zone in Daraga. Upon getting off the bus, we

learned that Avia inn is just a short walk away from the drop off point. Talk about convenience

Day 1
Kawa-kawa Nature Park + Let’s Pinangat + Cagsawa Ruins Park + Sili-Shake
Master

Our original plan is to spend our first 2 hours in Cagsawa Park. But after finding out that Mayon
was still shy, we decided to leave for Kawa-kawa Nature Park and come back later.

From Daraga, we took a jeepney bound for Ligao City. Fare is ₱25. We told the jeepney driver to
drop us off at the intersection to Kawa-kawa Hill. We reached Ligao after 45 minutes.

From the highway, we chartered a tricycle to take us to the park since there were no other
passengers to share the tricycle with that time. We all know that chartering a tricycle is more costly
than sharing it with other passengers, so we expected around ₱30 fare going to the park. But the
driver charged us only ₱9 per person.

Not only that, he even suggested to take us first to the sunflower farm at the base of the park
because according to him there were more full-grown sunflowers there, so we agreed.

1st Destination: Kawa-kawa Hill Nature Park, Ligao City, Albay

It’s just amazing to see these sunflowers facing the same direction. It’s as if they were worshipping
Mt. Mayon. Haha!

And guess what? The driver even waited for us to finish our photo-op sessions before taking us to
the main park without asking for additional charges. How blessed were we to have him?! Looking at
his tricycle, I figured why he’s that honest.
Then we’re off to the main park! Etrance fee is ₱20. It consists of 14 stations. The park is called
“kawa-kawa” as its shape resembles a cauldron (kawa or kawali in tagalog). And because of that
shape, it is also known as a hill without a hilltop. Just imagine a hill with a crater.
Upper left to upper right: Stations 1-3. Lower left to lower right: Stations 4-6

The trail from 1st to 7th station is quite steep so better wear your best comfy shoes. But you will be
rewarded of a good view when you reach station 7. The scenery is indeed worth the long walk.

The trail from station 7 through 14 is circular and inside the circle is a lower ground with an open
area where you could have an ATV ride. There are sari sari stores in the area where you could
buy snacks to refill some energy. It is also advisable to bring lots of water. Exploring the park, I’m
pretty sure this place is crowded during holy week.
Upper left to upper right: Stations 7-10. Lower left to lower right: Stations 11-13

Station 14

These images are just illustration of events, so there’s no reason for us* to pray on those images
(and in any other images).

It was already 2PM and our tummies started to growl for we haven’t had our lunch yet. We chartered
again a tricycle to take us to the highway where we could catch a jeepney going to Camalig.
After about 10 minutes of waiting, the jeepney finally arrived. We told the driver to drop us off at
Dad’s Special Pinangat and paid ₱15 each. But a local suggested to try Let’s Pinangat instead
because according to her, they serve more authentic Pinangat. Hearing an advice from a local, of
course we agreed with no hesitation at all.

2nd Destination: Let’s Pinangat, Camalig, Albay

Camalig is well known for authentic Pinangat which is one of Bicol’s trademark food other than pili
nuts and Bicol Express.

(L) Pinangat (R) Tinumok

Pinangat and tinumok looks almost the same but they definitely taste different. The recipe is almost
the same except that tinumok has crab meat.

I’m not really a fan of spicy dishes, but the experience is definitely worth it! Feeling Bicolana lang.
Haha! Though I actually have a Bicolana blood because my grandmother (my mom’s mother) is a
Bicolana from Catanduanes.
Sili na sinahugan ng pork meat, este, authentic Bicol Express!
The cold water was ready.

Camalig is not only about Pinangat. It also offers nature parks like Quitinday Hills, Quitinday Falls,
Hoyophoyopan Cave, and Sumlang Lake, to name a few. As much as we wanted to visit all of them
that time, but we could already see Mayon’s visibility cleary. So after having our late lunch at Let’s
Pinangat, we went straight to Cagsawa Ruins Park.

Let’s Pinangat is just along the highway so from there, we just took a jeepney going to Daraga. Fare
is around ₱10.

3rd Destination: Cagsawa Ruins Park, Daraga, Albay

It was my childhood dream to witness Mayon’s glory in flesh and not in postcards and history books
anymore. Though it wasn’t my first time to see Mayon as I’ve already seen her before when we
passed by Tabaco while we were on our way to visit our relatives in Catanduanes way back 2007,
but it was my first time to see her from Cagsawa Ruins Park.

Entrance fee: ₱10

Viewing Mt. Mayon from Cagsawa Ruins Park creates a different atmosphere compared to other
spots. Once you see the Cagsawa Church’s bell tower, you will automatically imagine how
disastrous it became when it erupted more than 200 years ago. The eruption buried the church by
rocks and lava, leaving only a potion of the bell tower.

History says the tragedy killed more than 1,200 people. I felt sorry for the lost lives, though
we* cannot pray for the dead. We just chose to enjoy the scenery at the park.
It is also the home of Sili Shake Master where you could order different fruit shake flavors with the
twist of spiciness of levels 1 to 3. I picked guyabano flavor with level 2 spiciness, while Jeric
picked mango level 3.
The shake also comes with a siling labuyo bling bling The spiciness is actually the after taste.
It’s still sweet and fruity when you sip it.

The park has a number of concrete cottages where visitors could have some rest. There are also
lots of souvenir shops clustered inside the park.

Feeling mowdel ng sili shake

There were lots of other tourists in the park that time. We looked for a spot where we could own the
scenery for ourselves. We walked towards the back of the bell tower without any idea where the path
would lead us.

We crossed a stream along the way and saw a local with his carabao friend. We asked him if it is
safe to go further since we haven’t seen any other people making their way here. And I think he said

yes (he answered in Bicolano language with matching turo-turo ).

Manong with his carabao baby

Then we saw this breath-taking view…..

And another breath-taking view…..

Feels like viewing Mayon from New Zealand. Haha!

We just spent the whole afternoon here. Just getting more and more astonished by the beauty of Mt.
Mayon. A perfect way to end our first day in Albay!

Of course, the experience is not complete without a solo photo with Mayon and Cagsawa Church as
background. Haha!

We left the park after sundown and went to our hotel. Avia Inn is just 1 jeepney ride away from
Cagsawa. Fare is ₱7. We bought our food from a nearby carinderia, had our dinner, and called it a
night. Having not enough decent sleep last night (for we spent the entire night at the bus) plus the
exhausting journey the whole day made us fall asleep as early as 7PM.

Day 2
ATV@Mayon Volcano Lava Trail + Quitinday Green Hills + 1st Colonial
Grill + Ligñon Hill

Feeling adventurous and excited for our first ever ATV ride, we woke up as early as 5AM, had our
sandwich breakfast, and went straight to Mayon Volcano Lava Trail near Cagsawa Park with no ligo-
ligo at all. Haha!
 4th Destination: Mayon Volcano Lava Trail ATV Ride, Daraga, Albay

Before the action, we first had to undergo a briefing and of course, pay some fees. ATV rental is
₱699 per person for Mayon Volcano Lava Trail which takes about 45 minutes to be finished. It is
pricier for Green Lava Trail which costs ₱1,500 per person and takes about 2-3 hours to finish the
route. Since we were first timers, we chose the former.

It was my first time to drive an actual vehicle ever. I’ve never driven even a bicycle before (like
seriously), so it was really a challenge for me at first. Haha! The feeling was a combination of fear
(10%), shyness (20%), excitement (70%), and audience impact (0%).
The vehicle is not actually difficult to operate. And since it’s an All-Terrain-Vehicle, you won’t need to
worry too much about the rocky trail. All you need to remember always is the brake. It is also worth
noting that it’s quite painful in the hands so better wear gloves.

While we were undergoing a briefing, a kid offered to be our “official photographer” for the tour, of
course for a fee. It’s really up to you how much you’re willing to pay. In our case, we agreed to pay

him ₱100 for 45 minutes

Looking at our photos, you would notice that the kid has a talent

The adventure lasted for almost an hour. I must confess, I was the cause of the delay because I was
such a bummer. Haha!
It was a great warm up indeed. What a great way to start our day! We finished the tour at around
7AM. We went straight to Camalig after the tour to visit the chocolate hills of Bicol situated at
Quitinday, Camalig. They call it Quitinday Green Hills.

From Daraga, we took a jeepney bound for Camalig and told the driver to drop us off at the
intersection going to Quitinday Green Hills. Fare is around ₱12 and travel time is 30 minutes.

From highway, we chartered a habal-habal to take us to Quitinday Green Hills for ₱300 round trip,
so we paid ₱150 each. But before that, by the way, we first bought some steamed sweet corn from
the market nearby as our filling snack since we knew this is going to be a jam-packed journey

again

5th Destination: Quitinday Green Hills, Camalig, Albay

We reached the park after around 30-min habal-habal ride. Entrance fee is ₱20. No need to hire a
guide as the trail is just easy to navigate. Take note though that the trail is steep and could be
muddy. But since you’re taking an information from a non-climber like me, and I survived, then
you’re good to go.
Quitinday Green Hills is the Bicol’s own version of chocolate hills. But unlike Bohol’s chocolate hills,
the hills here do not turn brown during summer. They might not as perfectly shaped as Bohol’s, but
it’s still a wonderful view especially when there’s a clear visibility of Mt. Mayon. Sadly, it was cloudy
during our visit. Mayon was hiding her beauty again, which left us a reason to come back again.
Quitinday Green Hills I can say is more of like a combination of Bohol’s Chocolate Hills and Cebu’s
Osmena Peak.

We just spent a few moments of relaxation at the hill top. There were very few people there, maybe
because of the weather. We decided to leave when the rain suddenly poured down. It was around
10AM.

Since the weather wasn’t being very cooperative that time, we decided to go back to our hotel which
gave us an opportunity to take a shower (at last!). Maybe that’s a sign that we need to take a bath
already. LOL.

What to do when it’s raining? My answer to that question is to go to a mall. From Avia Inn, we rode a
jeepney going to Pacific Mall. Fare is ₱12. What’s with Pacific Mall you ask? 1st Colonial Grill is
situated there. If there’s Sili Shake, there’s also Sili Ice Cream, and 1st Colonial Grill is famous for
that. The rain did not stop us from eating an ice cream (but with a twist of spiciness).
 6th Destination: 1st Colonial Grill, Legazpi City, Albay

We ordered our lunch and told the waiter to serve the sili ice cream later. Since we’re in the
province, we wanted to try their specialties. We ordered Tinutungang Manok, Bicol Express,
Pinangat, and Chicken Fillet. But why Chicken Fillet? Because it has unlimited tinapa rice that was
interestingly served in Mayon’s shape.

About the food, Tinutungang Manok is sooo delicious while Pinangat tastes really great! Bicol
Express was the best and Chicken Fillet was sooo yummy! Seriously guys, I’m not a foodie here. I
literally eat almost everything. But their Pinangat and Bicol Express is not that spicy compared to
authentic ones we’ve tried in Camalig.
Our Sili ice cream level 2

The sili ice cream actually tastes like a vanilla ice cream, but with an after taste of siling labuyo.
Sweet at first and then all the fiery hotness bursts at the last part. It’s definitely a must try when you

visit Albay

Feeling recharged and ready for another voyage, we headed our way to Ligñon Hill. We took a
jeepney (₱7) to the intersection and we chartered a tricycle (₱20) to take us to the park entrance.
Entrance fee is ₱20. From the entrance gate, you have an option to ride a habal-habal, or walk to
the park. It was an uphill road so we opted to ride a habal-habal (₱100).

7th Destination: Lignon Hill, Legazpi City, Albay

It was cloudy and Mayon was still hiding her beauty. People’s silence and the cool breeze added to
the gloomy vibe. We chose to enjoy the moment despite the dull colors around us.

And then we heard people screaming like they saw a celebrity. They all had their camera gadgets
raised up in the air pointing to Mayon. The show has already started!
Viewing Mayon from Ligñon Hill is another unique experience. It gives visitors an excellent viewing
angle towards Mayon. You will also be able to see the neighboring barangays since the area is
elevated.

This is also an excellent spot for an exotic sunset viewing. What a very photogenic creation crafted
by God’s hands!
The darkness slowly covered Mayon’s beauty which means it’s time to go home and move on. Haha!
We opted to walk to the highway since it’s now easier to go down.
There was a huge billboard of Jollibee featuring their all-new Hashbrown burger. We were drooling
so we went straight to Jollibee in Pacific Mall. Good job for an effective advertising technique. Haha!

Day 3
Busay Falls + Black Sand Beach + Travel back to Manila

The last day is always the saddest but we chose to enjoy and make the most out of it. Our first
destination for the day is Busay Falls in Malilipot.

From Daraga, we rode a jeepney to Pacific Mall (₱12). From Pacific Mall, we rode another jeepney
going to Malilipot (₱25). We reached Malilipot after around 45 minutes. From the highway, we
chartered a tricycle to Busay Falls (₱60).

8th Destination: Busay Falls, Malilipot, Albay

Busay Falls is a seven-tiered waterfalls where visitors could trek a fairly steep trail to see all the
seven cascades. It was a good sound of a jam-packed adventure again. However, it was raining and
visitors were not allowed to trek as the trail could get very slippery that time. Hashtag huhubels.

I was starting to get really disappointed, but then I’ve found a bright side out of this unacceptable
occurrence. The bad weather signaled other travelers to just stay inside their dens. Hashtag
nangangamoynophotobomber!

There’s an entrance fee of ₱10 and cottages clustered inside the premises are available for rent for
₱100.
There are no shower rooms available, only a makeshift room where you could change your clothes.
The makeshift room has no door, but at least the open side is facing the mountain wall. This might
be a downside for some, but for me it is relieving to know that the place is not yet developed. I just
love makeshift establishments in nature sites like this, I could feel the authenticity of the place being
natural.

We just spent a couple of hours swimming and enjoying the cold waters at the catch basin. It’s not
that deep, in fact, the deepest part (close to where the water drops) in my estimation, is just a little
below 5ft deep.
Since we cannot trek to see the other falls, we decided to leave and hire a habal-habal to take us
back to the highway (₱60). From there, we took a Legazpi-bound jeepney and asked the driver to
drop us off at the intersection going to black sand beaches in Sto. Domingo (₱12).

From the intersection, we chartered a tricycle and asked the driver to take us to his most
recommended resort since we had no idea where to go. But we were not satisfied about the first two
resorts that he offered (forgot the names of the resorts) because the black sand beaches are too
narrow and rocky.

Until he took us to Villa Acosta Beach Resort (formerly named as Mayon Spring Resort) and left us
in awe for it was our first time to experience a black sand beach. Entrance fee is ₱60.

9th Destination: Black Sand Beach at Villa Acosta Resort, Sto. Domingo, Albay
This is one of the most unusual and exotic sights I’ve ever seen. One need not to travel to Hawaii to
experience this one of a kind gift of nature.
The sands here are actually volcanic debris. These are tiny fragments of lava that came out from Mt.
Mayon. It’s not mud or soil. It doesn’t smudge and stain. The texture is just like any other sands
found on most beaches.

Villa Acosta Beach Resort also has swimming pools available for all guests. We just rented a small
open cottage (₱300) since we will just be around for a couple of hours.

There’s also a restaurant where we ordered our lunch. We left the resort right after having our lunch
and went straight to Legazpi Grand Terminal to catch a Cubao-bound bus.

We chose a daytime bus schedule because we wanted to experience sight seeing while on the
roads of Bicol and it was indeed a relaxing (and dramatic) way to end our Albay trip. Thank you and
see you again soon, Albay.

We spent around ₱4,500 per person, including everything. From transportation costs down to

unexpected expenses like snacks and tip. It’s not the cheapest, but at least it’s realistic It could
still be lower down depending on how you spend on food, choice of hotel, and how generous you are
on tipping.
Now, you see that Albay isn’t only about Mayon. There are also other places awaiting to be
explored, like the ones we visited. But there’s a lot more like Vera Falls, Embarcadero, Danao Lake,
Japanese Tunnels, Misibis Bay, Cagraray EcoPark, Quitinday Hills, Quitinday Falls, Hoyophoyopan

Cave, Sumlang Lake, etc. Yes, it’s true that one time visit here really isn’t enough

If you know other wonderful places to visit in Albay, I think it would be nice if you won’t just keep it to

yourselves. You can share them in the comments below!

You can now congratulate me for squeezing all those 9 sites in one blog post. Char!

God bless and happy travels!

Love,

SUGGESTED ITINERARY:

*Please note that for joined groups departure from Manila is every THURSDAY around 8PM at SM
MOA Arena parking lot in front of SMX Convention Center. Exclusive tours may suggest their own
departure date depending on the agreement of the group.

1st Day:
6:00am – Breakfast at Naga (pax account)
8:00am – Kawa Kawa Hill
10:00am – Early check-in
11:30nn – Lunch
1:00pm – Hoyop hoyopan cave
2:30pm – Cagsawa Ruins
3:00pm – Daraga Church (Our Lady of the Gate Parish)
5:00pm – Embarkadero
7:00pm – Back to Hotel
7:30pm – Dinner

2nd Day:
6:00am – Breakfast
7:30am – Lignon Hill
9:00am – Busay falls
12:00nn – Lunch
1:30am – Sto. Domingo Black Sand or Mayon ATV (pax account)
2:00pm – Swimming time
5:00pm – Back to Hotel
7:00pm – Dinner

3rd Day:
7:00am – Breakfast
8:00am – Check out
10:00am – CWC
12:00nn – Lunch
1:00pm – Our Lady of Penafrancia Basilica

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Zipline: Php 250.00 per head (pax account)
ATV: Price depends on the course that will be availed (pax account)
Wake boarding: Php 165.00 per head per hour (pax account)