Miked's Travel PH

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Guimaras Island is a perfect side trip destination when you are visiting Iloilo and Negros. The island is home to some pristine white-sand beaches and beautiful islets and of course, its mangoes are considered to be one of the sweetest in the world. So, here's a travel guide and itinerary that can give you some ideas for your travel in Guimaras.

Welcome to the home of the sweetest mangoes!

How to get there

Guimaras is an island between the island of Panay and Negros. The only way to get to the island is via sea travel since there are no commercial flights available here.

Jordan Port

FROM ILOILO

Ride a jeep or cab going to either Ortiz Wharf or Parola Wharf.

Take a 15-minute boat ride to Jordan Port in Guimaras for 14.00 per person(one-way).

In Jordan Port, You can rent a tricycle for PhP 250.00 (max of 4) that will take you directly to your destination

If you prefer commuting, you can take a jeep for PhP 30.00 to the town proper. From there, you need to ride a tricycle again going to your destination.

You can also hire the entire boat for PhP 500.00.

The earliest trip starts 5:30 am from Ortiz Wharf while 6:30 am from Jordan. The boat usually carries 45 passengers and usually leaves every 15 minutes or when it gets full.

Tourist Information Center in Jordan

FROM BACOLOD

From the city proper, take a 30-45 minute bus or cab ride to Pulupandan Wharf.

Then take a pump boat in the port going to San Lorenzo, Guimaras.

Travel time is around 45 minutes and the fare is PhP 75.00. The first trip usually starts around 8 am.

Where to Stay

Accommodations in the islands are mostly beach resorts. Alubihod beach in Nueva Valencia is a popular beach on the island where tourists also stay since it's also a jump-off point for island hopping activities.

Raymen Beach Resort: +63 918 520-7271 (Rates from PhP 700)

BarasBeach Resort: +63 918 520-7271 (Rates from PhP 700)

Alobijod Cove: +63 922 862-6972 (Rates from PhP 1000)

Camp Alfredo: +63 908 123-2977 (Rates from PhP 1500)

Raymen Beach Resort

Lifeguard house at Raymen

Getting Around the Island

The main mode of public transportation in the island is by jeepney. There are also tricycles, motorcycles, and multi-cabs. Taking a jeepney usually takes more time since you have to wait for them to come or they have to load passengers in some barangay. Tricycles, motorcycles and multi-cabs however, are more convenient but costs more.

Tricycles and motorcycles along San Miguel, Jordan

Map and tourist destinations in Guimaras (*insert"what is this? a map for ants?!"meme here*)

Activities and Attraction

Here are some attractions you can see and activities you can do in Guimaras.

Explore the Island - Have a land tour via motorcycle or multi-cab. You can visit different tourist destinations like The Smallest Plaza, Windmills in San Lorenzo, Holy Family Hills, Trappist Monastery, Guisi Lighthouse and many more.

Windmills in San Lorenzo

Island Hopping - See the natural beauty of Guimaras by having an island hopping tour. Visit the beautiful islets and pristine white-sand beaches of the island.

Alubihod Beach

Have an Adventure - Try out some outdoor activities like a game of paintball, rappelling, zip line, obstacle course and crossing a hanging bridge in Guimaras Adventure Park and Camp Alfredo.

Camp Alfredo

Taste the Sweetest Mango - Have a taste of one of the sweetest mango in the world. You also try the famous Mango Pizza in Pitstop Restaurant.

Pitstop Restaurant's Mango Pizza

Shop for Pasalubong and Souvenirs - Buy some pasalubong at Trappist Monastery's gift shop like dried mangoes, mango bars, otaps and more. You can also buy a miniature galleon ship made by the locals.

Trappist Monastic Products

Itinerary

Here's a basic 2 days, 1-night side trip itinerary that includes some land tours and island hopping tour.

Day 1 - Explore the Island

08:30 AM - ETD Ortiz Wharf, Iloilo
08:45 AM - ETA Jordan Wharf, Guimaras (15-minute boat ride)
08:50 AM - Register in Tourist Information Center / Start of Land Tour
09:00 AM - First Half Stops: Smallest Plaza, San Lorenzo Windmills, Holy Family Hills
12:00 NN - Lunch at Pitstop Restaurant in San Miguel, Jordan
01:00 PM - Second Half Stops: Trappist Monastery, Camp Alfredo, Guisi Lighthouse/Beach, Alubihod Beach
07:00 PM - Check in to Beach Resort

Day 2 - Island Hopping

07:00 AM - Wake up time / Breakfast
08:00 AM - ETD Beach Resort / Start of Island Hopping
11:00 AM - End of 3-hour Island Hopping Tour (you can see 5 destinations in 3 hours)
12:00 NN - Lunch time / Free time till departure from the island
--:-- PM - Back to Iloilo

Crabs for lunch in Raymen Beach Resort

Bangus Feeding in SEAFDEC

Snorkeling spot near SEAFDE

Expenses

Here's a breakdown of our expenses in our 2 days, 1-night side trip on Guimaras island. The breakdown is per person and only includes necessary expenses like transportation, meals, entrance fees and accommodation. Tips and other expenses like "pasalubong" are not included.

Day 1 - Iloilo to Guimaras

Jeepney Fare to Ortiz Wharf: PhP 7.00
Boat Fare to Jordan Port, Guimaras: PhP 14.00
Land Tour (via Tricycle - good for 4): PhP 1300.00 (1300/2 = 650 per person)
Lunch PhP 200.00
Entrance Fee at Guisi Lighthouse: PhP 20.00
Fan Room Accommodation at Raymen (good for 2): PhP 950.00 (950/2 = 475 per person)
Dinner PhP 125.00
Total: PhP 1491.00

Day 2 - Guimaras to Iloilo

Breakfast: PhP 90.00
3-Hour Island Hopping Tour: PhP 700.00 (700/2 = 350 per person)
Entrance Fee at SEAFDEC: PhP 25.00
Lunch: PhP 250.00
Tricycle Fare from Resort to Highway: PhP 25.00
Jeepney Fare to Jordan Port: Php 30.00
Boat Fare to Iloilo: PhP 14.00
Total: PhP 784.00

Total Expense: PhP 2,275.00

Come on, let's go!

Alubihod Beach

We woke up early since we are excited for the highlight of our Guimaras escapade, the island hopping tour. Unfortunately, big waves are preventing us from getting to some certain areas. So we just went to some places that we can.

Island Hopping Booth

Island Hopping Rates

Alubihod Beach is the jump-off point for the island hopping activities. Several beach resorts offer the activity and have a standard rate for it. Here are the rates:

6 Persons - First Hour: PhP 400.00 / Succeding Hour: PhP 150.00

10 Persons - First Hour: PhP 500.00 / Succeding Hour: PhP 150.00

50 Persons - First Hour: PhP 2000.00 / Succeding Hour: PhP 500.00

Snorkeling Gear - PhP 100

Boat for the island hopping

Island Hopping Destinations

There are several destinations you can go in the island hopping activity.

Ave Maria Islet - An islet with a white sand beach that is perfect for swimming.

Baras Cave - A small cave with two entrances with rock formations inside.

Nagtago Beach - A private island with a beach resort on it.

Fairy Castle - A rock formation islet shaped like fantasy castle.

Isla Naburot - A beach island where there is also a resort in it.

Turtle Island - An inhabited island that is a sanctuary for sea turtles or Pawikan.

SEAFDEC - A floating marine station for research of marine life.

SEAFDEC

Since the waves are still big at the moment, we went first to SEAFDEC (Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center) at the Igang Marine Station. A 20 to 30 minutes boat ride from Raymen Beach Resort in Alubihod. The waves we encountered going to the station isn't that friendly, but our boatman said that is is just normal.

Apparently, these kind of waves are just normal

Our Experience

We arrived at the Marine Station a little dizzy because of the waves. We were approached by the caretaker and tour us around the area. SEAFDEC is a research center where they study different fishes and also breed them. We saw some huge Grouper or "Lapu-lapu", Sea Bass or "Apahap and the biggest "Bangus" I've ever seen.

Bangus

Not sure what fish are these

We also had the chance to feed the "Bangus". They'll immediately approach you when you hand them some fish pellets. The caretaker also named some of his favorite "Bangus". We learned a lot about some fishes during our visit in the Research Center. We also saw a "Pawikan" that the fisherman caught and surrendered to the Research Station. Entrance fee to SEAFDEC, by the way, is PhP 25.00.

Feeding the Bangus

One huge Bangus

The Pawikan in the Research Station

After the SEAFDEC, we were supposed to go to Ave Maria Islet and Baras Beach. Unfortunately, waves are still big, probably because of Typhoon Lando that hit Luzon at the time. So what we could do now is just go snorkeling in a small island near SEAFDEC. We just snorkeled there for half an hour since we couldn't go anywhere else. I also wanted to go to the Pawikan Caring and Feeding Station, but our boatman said there's no Pawikan in there anymore, so we just went back to Alubihod Beach.

Approaching the snorkeling spot

Small shore in the snorkeling spot

Some corals you'll see in the snorkeling spot

Though there are corals, only a few fishes swim in the area

More corals

We only just reached 2 destinations in our island hopping tour. We didn't see the other white sand beaches of Guimaras, but it was fun to see and interact with the fishes at SEAFDEC. Thanks for reading!

Cheers from Guimaras!

When I think of Guimaras, I always thought of the sweetest mangoes in the world. But, aside from the sweetest mangoes in the world, there are a more to see in Guimaras. Let me share with you, our day of exploration on the island of Guimaras.

Failed attempt to hold the mango

Hello, Guimaras!

Guimaras is just a 15-minute boat ride from Iloilo. We arrived at Guimaras around 10 in the morning. After arriving at Jordan Port, we were guided to the tourist information center. They provided us some information about transportation around the island and some accommodations and resorts.

Boarding the boat to Guimaras

If you will be staying at Alubihod beach, you need to ride a vehicle going to the beach from the port. You can rent a tricycle (multicab for 5 persons or more) to take you directly to your resort, or commute via jeepney to the town proper and ride again going to your resort.

Inside Tourist Information Center

At first, we decided to just go commute since it's cheaper. But the persistent tricycle drivers changed our mind since they also offered us to tour around the island. They usually charged PhP 1200.00 to 1500.00 for the whole day tour, we got ours for PhP 1300.00. So we asked for a map in the tourist information center and they marked all the possible spots we could go to.

On the way to our first destination

Smallest Plaza

Our tour started without me know that it already started LOL. Not far from Jordan Port, our tricycle stopped and our driver points out our first tour destination. The Smallest Plaza used to be in the Guinness Book of World Records before as the you guessed it, the smallest plaza in the world. Today it is not the smallest in the world, but the smallest in the Philippines.

The Smallest Plaza in the Philippines

Statue of Dr. Jose Rizal at the center of the plaza

San Lorenzo Windmills

The next destination in the tour is around 45-minute ride from the port. The giant windmills in the town of San Lorenzo is a new attraction in Guimaras. There are 27 windmills in San Lorenzo that are scattered around. You can see one at the side of the road, and others are in a hill. The project aims to build a total of 54 windmills in the whole island.

Wind turbines are seen along the road

Huge wind turbine ahead

Our tricycle driver took us to a spot where a windmill stands. The area is on a higher ground so it gives a great view of the other windmills as well as the island of Negros.

Checking out the windmills

Windmills in Nueva Valencia

View from the other side (not sure what islands are that)

Holy Family Hills

Next on the tour is also located in San Lorenzo. A rough 30-minute ride and we reached Holy Family Hills in Brgy. Tamborong. Holy Family Hills is a 52-hectare land with some various religious structures. It is a place for a spiritual renewal. It reminded me of 'Kamay ni Hesus' in Lucban, Quezon.

Holy Family statue at the top of a gazebo

Station of the cross, from the Last Supper to the Fall of Jesus to the Ground

From, Jesus is helped by Simon to the Death in the Cross

Laid in the tomb to the Arise from Death

A small chapel inside the vicinity

Inside the chapel

Guimaras Adventure Park

After San Lorenzo, we went back to Jordan and stop by at the Guimaras Adventure Park. We didn't recognize the place as there is no sign or banner in the entrance. I'm also not sure if it's still open LOL. Anyways, they offer here outdoor activities like paintball, airsoft, rappelling and more.

The adventure park's activities

San Miguel, Jordan

San Miguel or locally known Alibjon is where the provincial government center and business establishment is located. It is passed lunchtime and we were hungry, so time to pig out. We were supposed to go to Pitstop Restaurant, but it's crowded at that time, so our driver took us to Grillers where they also serve Pitstop's famous mango pizza.

Tne Grillers

The Menu

Griller's Baby Back Ribs + Yang Chow Rice + Guimaras Blend short and Iced Tea + Mango Pizza

The famous Mango Pizza

Trappist Monastery

Trappist Monastery is also located in San Miguel. It is the only Trappist monastery in the Philippines, which is run by monks. The monastery is popular for their gift shop where they sell their own products like dried mangoes, Mango Otap, Mango Jams, their best seller Mango bars and more under the brand "Trappist Monastic Products". They also sell souvenirs like ref magnets and religious artifacts.

The church inside the monastery

Inside the church

Trappist's Gift Shop

Products inside the gift shop

Camp Alfredo

Not far from Trappist Monastery is a place where you can have an extreme adventure. Camp Alfredo in Brgy. Ravina in Sibunag offers activities like rappelling, zip line, obstacle course and crossing a hanging bridge. They also have a pool and also offers accommodation. We didn't go inside since they have an entrance fee.

Camp Alfredo

Guisi Lighthouse/Beach

The day is almost done and we were up to our second to the last destination which is probably the farthest also. Guisi Lighthouse is located in Brgy. Dolores, Nueva Valencia. The road going here is also kinda rough. The lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in the country. The 18th-century Spanish-colonial lighthouse stands beside the ruins of a Spanish outpost. Guisi beach is just below the lighthouse where there are also resorts that you can stay.

Guisi Beach just below the road going to the lighthouse

The first lighthouse, also an 18-century lighthouse

Spanish-colonial Outpost

The new solar powered lighthouse

The 18th-Century Guisi Lighthouse

More photos of the lighthouse

Alubijod Beach

For the last stop in our tour, we went to Sitio Alubijod, where the beach is and where we also spent the night. There are several beach resorts in the area and a popular one is Raymen Beach Resort, where we stayed. Alubijod is a jump-off point for the island hopping activity. The beach is short but still has a nice creamy sand and nice blue waters.

View from Raymen Beach Resort

Alubihod Beach

A day is not just enough to explore the beautiful island of Guimaras, but this experience is truly a wonderful one. I hope you got some ideas on what to do and visit in Guimaras, thanks for reading!