The Pinay Solo Backpacker

Zambales is well-known for its beaches, especially Subic,but not most Pinoy probably know Pundaquit. It is a small  fishing village facing the South China Sea in San Antonio, Zambales. Pundaquit is a famous jump off point to Camara Island, Capones Island, Anawangin Cove and Nagsasa Cove.

How to Get to Anawangin Cove, Capones Island and Camara Island:

By Land:

Manila to Zambales:

take a Victory Liner bus bound to Iba, Zambales in Kalookan. You can also take a bus off to Olongapo in Pasay or Cubao,then you can take a bus bound to Iba, Zambales in Olongapo. Aske the driver to drop you off to San Antonio town.  From there, you can take a tricycle (Php 50 if your solo or Php 25 per person) to Pundaquit. Travel time is about 4-5 hours depending on traffic. Fare is more or less Php250.

Victory Liner website : http://www.victoryliner.com/

From Pundaquit to Capones Island, Anawangin  Coveand Camara Island:

The island  is  accessible by a  15-20 minute boat ride from Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales . For Anawangin, another route is by a 4-6 hour trek through open trails thru the Pundaquit mountain range where you can also hire a guide at the jump off point.

Boat for Island hopping:

You may try contact Ate Fe @ 09176601068 or 09176675374 .

Php 1,500 for the small boat which can accommodate 6 people and Php300 each person for a larger boat which can accommodate 20 people.

Pundakit/Pundaquit Accomodations:

If you’re not planning to camp in any of the islands, Ate Fe and his family also owns cheap rooms for rent in Pundaquit. Kindly contact her for the rates.

Hotels/Inns in Pundakit/Pundaquit:

* Wildrose Beach Inn- contact#: 0910 661 5613 — JR or Engr. Doria

website: http://wildrosebeachinn.com/

*MEGAN’S BEACH RESORT: Tel. No.: (0063) 47-6030232/ 47-6030233

Cell#:: (0063) 9194808520/ 9217936797

email: virgieh@mail.com

Website: http://www.megansresort.net/

*NORA’S BEACH RESORT: contact#: 0918 278 8188 or 0919 637 4917

website:http://norasbeachresort.zambalesphilippines.com/

PUNDAQUIT LUXURY RESORT: contact#: + 63 917 512 2307 or + 63 919 354 7999

website: http://www.pundaquitluxuryresort.com/

*Punta de Uian (luxury resort)

contact #:0918-808-8426 or 0918-800-8426 Mr.Gio Aquino
Email: gda.puntadeuian@gmail.com

website: http://www.puntadeuian.net/

BEACH ACTIVITIES:
—>Island hopping: Capones Island, Camara Island, Anawangin cove (rate is normally Php1500(roughly US$34) for a small boat that can accommodate 6 people whereas for large boats (max 20 persons) rate is normally at Php 300 (roughly US $7) per pax  or Php 2,500 (roughly US$56) (rates may vary depending on the boatman and boat you hire). Nagsasa Cove is 1 hour from Brgy. Pundaquit (the jump off point), so this is normally a separate activity which will cost you another boat fare for Php 1,500 (roughly US $34).
—->Trekking Mt. Pundaquit – another route to Anawangin, for the adventurous souls this is recommended, may take 4-6 hours
—-> Trekking the lighthouse in Capones

—->Swimming – take note of the warnings for the sudden deep spots in Anawangin, while in Capones, the waves can be a bit huge sometimes.

—->Skimboarding- most locals find the beach ideal for skim boarding even the beach at the jump off point in Brgy.Pundaquit
—->Surfing- no equipments for rent so bring your own but Crystal beach a neighboring beach has surf equipments for rent, but the beach is not really the ideal surfing spot as the waves are flat and the current is strong.

—->Diving- (for Capones and Camara) but you may be disappointed because most corals are dead due to dynamite fishing.
—->Photography – the ruggedness of the terrains, the breathtaking sunset and sunrise and the starry sky at night makes it ideal for photography enthusiasts.

Travel tips:

* There’s no electricity, no mobile network signal nor hotels in Anawangin, your only option is to camp  if you intend to stay overnight so bring camping gears and tent  and drinks and food.

*Always wear your life vest while you are at the sea , the waters to the islands  can be rough sometimes. I recommend that you arrive early in Pundaquit while the water is still calm.

* Pasay and Kalookan Victory Liner  serves buses to Iba, Zambales  (none in Cubao). Last trip is at 11pm, arrive early so you can reserve seats as it gets fully loaded especially on weekends. The last trip is the best time to get to Pundaquit if you don’t intend to stay there overnight, you may just drop off at Olongapo and stay in a convenience stor or 24hour fastfood chain till around 5pm before you head to Pundaquit.  There are several buses bound to Iba, Zambales in Olongapo, mostly non-airconditioned buses, just ask the driver to drop you off in San Antonio, Zambales.

*If you plan to stay longer  in the island, bring extra water and food with you and remember to put on your sunscreen.

* Never leave your trash behind. Plastic bags or wrappers that flow out to the sea are mistakenly eaten by marine life.

Save our shores! THEpinaysolobackpacker supports responsible and sustainable tourism.

Viewed 8067 times by 3170 viewers