Hidden Quezon: Puting Buhangin & Kwebang Lampas

there it is!

Looking for a beach getaway near Manila…not so hard anymore. Well there’s Cavite and Batangas the famous city neighbors which has lots of beach resorts. Looking for a beach getaway near Manila that’s hidden, quiet, white sand (almost!)…hmm ok, that’s hard right? I’ll tell you about it, now “Kaja, let’s go” to Quezon!

May is our special month, I started looking for our summer/8th anniv getaway since March, actually when we got home from our last Laguna tour haha. As one of our back packing checklist, budget is always taken into consideration and the place should not be so mainstream. Again, we challenged ourselves to travel w/ a whole budget of P 2K-3K for 2 pax already, and this place is a match for our criteria, yey! Below is our schedule and fares computed for 2 pax…

May 11 Saturday

• 3:30am Jac Liner bus to Lucena – P 420.00 // 5:30am ETA Lucena Grand Terminal
• 5:45am Mini bus to Unisan – P 24.00 // 6:15am ETA Pagbilao Church
• 6:30am Tricycle to Ibabang Polo jeep terminal – P 36.00 (fixed fare)
• 6:45am Jeep to Ibabang Polo – P 70.00 // 7:45am Ibabang Polo tricycle to lake – P 200.00 (fixed fare)
• 8:15am Lake boat ride – P 40.00 (back and forth already) // 8:20am Trek to Kwebang Lampas/Puting Buhangin
• 8:40am – 4:00pm Beach bumming // 4:30 pm Tricycle to jeep terminal – P 200.00 (fixed)
• 5:00pm Jeep to Binaan – P 50.00  // 6:00pm AB Liner bus to DLTB Co bus terminal in Pagbilao – P 40.00 // 6:30pm DLTB Co bus to Manila – P 420.00
• 11:30pm – Manila once again

Location

Quezon is southeast of Metro Manila and is bordered by the provinces of Aurora to the north, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Batangas to the west and the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur to the east. A major tourism draw to the province is Mount Banahaw. surrounded by spiritual mysticism with many cults and religious organizations staying on the mountain. Nowadays this province also draws many tourists because it of it’s not so commercialized islands and serene almost white sand beaches.

Getting there (commuting): 

As shown in above schedule you’ll notice that even going to this place is no joke, even the commuting part is one of this getaway’s adventure haha. I suggest you take the early morning bus trips so travel time will just take 3 hours instead of 4-5. Lucena bound bus terminals are located in Buendia/Gil Puyat along Taft Avenue.

You’ll see this in your left side, you won’t miss this land mark

Your 2nd stop is at Lucena Grand Terminal, you have 2 options: ride a jeep to Pagbilao proper P 35.00 each this might take time since they only leave when the jeep is full or you can follow our DIY on the spot route (hooray for another experiment!) this is suggested since mini bus only waits for 15 minutes then leaves whether it’s full or not. Tell the bus conductor to drop you off at Pagbilao church (in front of Munisipyo) then take a tricycle to 3rd stop Ibabang Polo jeep terminal (recommended to ride rather than walking since it’s a bit far from the church). On the jeep terminal, I’ll have to warn you they really know how to squeeze in passengers and cargoes together haha so be prepared.

4th stop Team Energy Power Plant in Ibabang Polo if you see that thing, it’s a sign that you’re almost there! Just tell the driver you’re going to Kwebang Lampas and he’ll let you off in the tricycle terminal going to…5th stop Checkpoint/Entrance other travelers managed to walk from here to the lake but in our case we just rode another tricycle, I seriously recommend it..why? It’s a long, rough road and hot walk if you do and there’s no shady area so good luck hahaha, you have sun burns already and you’re not on the beach yet!

The 6th stop The Lake wherein the boat kids awaits, just a short ride and then the last stop..

7th Trek to Kwebang Lampas you won’t get lost but still be careful, just follow the trail and watch where you step, trekking this place is not easy as it looks.

if you see these, you’re safe haha congrats!

After 15-20 minutes, voila, there’s your hidden beach, go for it…ruuuuun!

Need I say more why is this place called Puting Buhangin and Kwebang Lampas?!?! You should know that it doesn’t have any resorts/accommodations so you need to bring your tent (overnight stay P 100.00/pax) don’t worry they now have tent rentals (P 300-500 can fit 2-4 pax). Be it day tour / overnight stay please make sure that you have all the necessities especially drinking water & food. They island sari2x store sells way too much than a popular supermarket (try to understand, this place is remote!), soft drinks at P 110.00 each, ice for P 10.00 each so I’ll say it again, please bring all food & drinks that you can to save up haha. Comfort room (don’t expect much) good enough for your nature callings & changing clothes but for a decent bath, not so.. I heard water is P 30.00 per  gallon.

Day tour is also recommended here since there’s an ample space to set your “own camp” nobody cares if you’ll just throw a blanket, put all your stuff there, lie down, stroll. Beach bumming at it’s finest, still please take care of your belongings haha so cliche. During low tide, visit Kwebang Lampas  and take photo ops  but the thing is, that part of the island is crowded boohoo. Anyways seeing that cave from afar is enough for us, amazing!

If you want more then why not go on an island hopping “Quezon Style” I recommend this for groups & families. You get to see Borawan (combination of Boracay & Palawan as they say) and Dampalitan (somewhat like Anawangin but w/ a mini sand bar). There are outriggers parked along the shore and just negotiate w/ the boatmen for the price. In our case, we prefer to stay on the island, enjoy unlimited beach bumming.. stroll.. sleep.. swim and took lots of snap shots! Here are some of our photos taken by of course, my dear http://jcrphotog.tumblr.com/

If you’ll ask me, Puting Buhangin and Kwebang Lampas is one of those places that again we wish won’t get commercialized (haha it applies to all places we went to :p) Seriously, visiting this place well can be hard but it’s worth it, the island is like your own play ground and the beach is your own pool! If this island gets even crowded just like the other famous ones, I don’t know it just spoils a sense of serenity to couple back packers like us. But we can’t be too selfish right? We also have to look on the other side that if this attracts tourism then comes opportunity & income for the natives of this place, more like a win-win situation I guess.

This island is worth visiting again but for now I guess..Potipot Island is still our top fave by heart hehehe. We also consider visiting it’s neighboring islands in the future and other islands scattered in Quezon province such as Polilio, Balesin, Cagbalete, Jomalig. Overall, thumbs up to this hidden getaway.. near the metro, budget friendly, nature tripping, beautiful scenery.. what more do you want!?!?

Budget/Expenses (2 pax)

• Transportation (including boat ride & entrance) – P 1,550.00
• Food & Pasalubong – P 600.00

Total Expenses: P 2,150.00 (challenge done again!)

Contact Info: Kuya Rodel 0919-3736150 (Tricycle ride Ibabang Polo to Lake and vice versa. Again, they offer fixed fare of P 200.00 per way regardless the number of persons.

Enjoy your trip! Please rate this post, thanks!