The famous overlooking view of Gigantes and finally, got to visit this place. At fist, I thought this trip will not push through as 3 of my companions couldn't make it and that means, just the 3 of us again 😀. But the trip must go on. Even if the planning was just 2 days before the trip. Been busy contacting travel agencies as the contact that I got from a friend was a private tour and it will be too pricey if it will just be the 3 of us to divide the expenses. No rooms reserved but the trip went well surprisingly. Even though the weather didn't cooperated at first .
We booked a ticket from Cebu going to Iloilo but it should have been Roxas as it was the nearest from the Gigantes Island.
How we get there
From the Iloilo airport, we went to SM Iloilo to eat our dinner and to meet our friend who went hours earlier than us. From SM, rode a jeep to Leganes and we stayed at North Inn View which is just near the bus terminal or the van going to Gigantes. You can find the jeep bound to Leganes near the SM and you can see a flyover and snake line of people waiting. Don't worry as the line will dissolve in a minute.
Wake up time was 3 AM since the receptionist warned us that travel time will took us 6 hours. It was a bit scary walking in the middle of the night at the sleeping town and there are a group of people calling us if we are bound to Gigantes. Of course we were a bit scared so we just walked and didn't mind them. They called again and said that there were no buses in the terminal and if our agency is Circulo. We thought that it was legit since they knew our agency name so we got near them and got inside the van. We didn't know that the take off time will be 7 AM. That means we will wait for 3 hours and wait for the other tourists. Well, we are a bit thankful of course since it will save us time and we can also make sure that we will not be late going to the island.
Expenses:
Van ride from Airport to SM - 50 PHP
Jeep from SM to Leganes - 10 PHP
Van ride from Leganes to Bancal Port - 300 PHP back and forth
Circulo Agency - 999 PHP
Places We Visited
Arrived at the Bancal Port in just 2 hours. We waited at the restaurant near the port and registered our names before the island hopping starts. You can buy a big plastic bag to protect your bags from getting wet. Boat ride from the port to the islands will took 30 minutes.
Cabugao Gamay - the famous and probably the most picturesque place at Gigantes. Overlooking view will capture your heart but be ready for the swarm of people at the top. Well, everyone wants to have a picture with the star and that includes me!
Cabugao Dako - The biggest island among the 5 islands we visited. Dipped into the clear water of the place with the perfect view.
Antonia Island - My favourite island during our Gigantes Island Hopping. The view is perfect. Perfect for Instagram 😀 We didn't swam in the area that time since they warned us that there are jellyfishes in the beach.
Tangke - When we docked to this place, it was a bit struggle but good thing the bangkeros are very helpful and they always make sure that it is safe to docked. At first, we were told that we might not be able to visit the place due to the rainy weather but the weather changed its mood afterwards. For the adventure seeker, you can go cliff jumping.
Lunch Time
Last but not the least, lunch time. We ate our lunch at 2 PM and everyone were so hungry and were now talking about the island's famous scallops. Feast on the fresh scallops and this may be the most awaited things to do in Gigantes, except for the both of us. Me and my vegan friend ate veggie tapa which I brought as I think they don't serve vegetables nor fruits. We won't be at a loss paying for the package coz Daniel ate scallops for I think good for 3 persons 😆
You may want to check out our trip after Gigantes:
Day 2 at Guimaras
Day 3 at Gingham Farm, Stairway to Heaven
Accommodation
North View Inn - the perfect place to stay as this is just near the bus terminal and the van going to the Gigantes Island. The price was cheap and they are usually fully booked but luckily when we inquire, there were still vacant rooms.
Tel#: 09483546326 or as per below picture
Price: 750 PHP good for two; 150 PHP for additional foam
88 Plaza - we booked at this place for 2 nights since all the other hostels are fully booked. Clean and good place.
Price: 870 PHP good for 3 persons. Paid 150 PHP for the hours beyond the check out time.
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