I ♥ ILOILO
How to Get to Isla de Gigantes via Roxas or Iloilo CityIsla de Gigantes is still for me, one of the most beautiful off-the-beaten-path beaches in the Philippines and despite the difficulty of getting here, I would still recommend visiting these islands. It reminds me of El Nido because of its limestone karsts, white sand beaches and one-of-a-kind lagoons. Although there is only one lagoon included in the tours, I heard there are other lagoons in the area but much more difficult to reach. If you would like to make your trip hassle-free, there are tour groups that offer an almost all-inclusive day tour of the islands. Click here to check the inclusions and the price: Gigantes Island Tour from Iloilo To those who still prefer to go on their own or plans to stay overnight in the island, here are the ways to get there. 1. FLY TO ROXAS CITY OR ILOILO CITYFrom Manila: If you are coming from Manila, there will be 2 possible airports of entry -- Roxas City and Iloilo City. I would highly recommend that you go via Roxas City, which is nearer Estancia/Carles (the drop-off points to Isla de Gigantes). From Roxas City, Estancia/Carles would only be 2 hours away while it will be about 3-4 hours away if you're coming from Iloilo City. Flights tickets are generally cheaper as well via Roxas than Iloilo. AirAsia and Cebu Pacific both offer flights going to Roxas City. From other points in the Philippines : If you are coming from other parts of the Philippines, the only way would be through Iloilo City International Airport. There are direct flights to Iloilo City coming from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Clark, Davao, General Santos City and Puerto Princesa. From international airports: Only Singapore and Hong Kong via Cebu Pacific have direct flights to Iloilo City. All those coming from other countries need to pass through Manila. To book the flights, here are the websites of the local airlines flying through Iloilo International Airport:
2. RIDE A BUS/VAN GOING TO CARLES OR ESTANCIAThere are two seaports with boats going to Isla de Gigantes -- Carles and Estancia. Since Isla de Gigantes is part of Carles, would make more sense to come from there. The islands are also closer coming from Carles so the boat trip would be expectedly shorter. However, traveling to Carles would take more time because it's farther away than Estancia. There are also more public transportation heading for Estancia than Carles. So just weigh your options -- shorter land trip but longer boat ride or shorter boat ride but longer land trip? From Roxas City to Estancia Port:
From Roxas City to Carles/Bancal Port:
From Iloilo City: From any point in Iloilo City, go to Tagbak Terminal in Jaro District and ride a bus/van to Estancia or Carles. Then follow points #3 onwards from either of the instructions above. If you're coming from Iloilo and would like to go on a hassle-free trip, you also have the option to join a group day tour. Click here to check the inclusions and the price: Gigantes Island Tour from Iloilo 3. BOARD THE BOAT GOING TO ISLA DE GIGANTESWhether coming from Estancia Port or Bancal Port (Carles), you will need to ride a passenger boat to Isla de Gigantes via Langub Port in Gigantes Norte. Although the popular destinations are located in Gigantes Sur, Gigantes Norte would be a more popular drop off point since most of the resorts are here. From Estancia, the boat ride would normally take around 2 hours but coming from Bancal Port (Carles), the trip is cut to 1.5 hours only. Here are the public boat schedules: From Bancal Port (Carles) to Langub Port (Gigantes Norte):
From Langub Port (Gigantes Norte) to Bancal Port (Carles)
From Estancia Port to Langub Port (Gigantes Norte):
From Langub Port (Gigantes Norte) to Estancia Port:
More blogs and websites with information on how to go to Isla de Gigantes:
Here are my blog entries on places that you can go to in Isla de Gigantes: |
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