Tags: Beaches and Water Activities, Vacation
By Lawrence Casiraya
SAN JOSE, ROMBLON – Known as the “Marble Capital of the Philippines”, I don’t know much anything else about this province aside from what my elementary teacher taught me. The yet-to-be-discovered beaches of Carabao Island should put Romblon more prominently on the tourist map.
Come to think of it, location alone makes it an easy sell – Carabao Island is just a half an hour boat ride away from Boracay Island, the country’s pride and a mecca for beach lovers. Carabao Island is located at the southern tip of Romblon, while Boracay is at the northern tip of Aklan province.
The website Nextboracay.com – what looks like a useful portal for those seeking more beaches to conquer in the Philippines – describes Carabao Island as the perfect antidote to the party atmosphere of Boracay.
The island is part of the town of San Jose, and is roughly double the size of Boracay. Aside from its white-sand beaches, it is also said to offer perfect terrain for hiking and mountain biking. In his post for the Out of Town photo blog, Melo calls Carabao Island a diver’s paradise with excellent but yet-undiscovered dive spots.
The best set of photos I found, meanwhile, were those by RockerFem, who was able to visit the less touristy side of Carabao Island. The resorts apparently are flocked together on the side facing Boracay, and can be seen from Puka Beach, on the northern part of Boracay.
Businessmen have already started taking advantage of the opportunity to make Carabao Island a natural extension to Boracay. A Korean-owned firm has reportedly invested in a multimillion project that includes the construction of an airport, hotels and other facilities in the island.
Blogger GlamPinoy argued about the need for an airport in Carabao Island, when there are plans to build one in Caticlan, which serves as the entry point to Boracay. The proposed airport has been a subject of controversy involving local businessmen.
Whether Carabao Island can really rival Boracay in terms of tourism potential would depend on the developments taking place on the island. For now, its highly touted beaches await those seeking for a more laidback alternative.
How to get to Carabao Island (from nextboracay.com):
From Kalibo, Aklan Airport
Take bus to Caticlan. The bus trip takes about an hour. From Caticlan harbor, take a motor boat to Boracay. The boat takes around 20 to 30 minutes.
From Boracay
Take a motor boat to the town of San Jose/Carabao Island. Or direct from Caticlan, one-way fare to San Jose. A hired chartered motor boat from Boracay to Carabao is more costly. From Boracay, you can disembark directly to Lanas (Parcel II) or Tipok-pok (Parcel I). In fact these two sites are much nearer to Boracay than San Jose. San Jose town proper is at at the opposite side of Carabao island. Carabao island has paved road from San Jose to Lanas. By foot, mountain bike, or motorbike, Tipok-pok could be reached from both places.
(Images taken from Pinoy Travelr Blog)
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