Anawangin
Anawangin, a word I could barely pronounce and spell the first time I
was told about it. I first heard about this place from a friend. We were
chatting online and talking about possible places where we can spend a
weekend getaway since summer’s approaching when she sent me some photos
of an amazingly beautiful place.
It was as though she was showing me some places in New Zealand. I was shocked when I learned the place is actually in the Philippines. I was immediately convinced to go to the place and we planned an immediate vacation the following weekend but it didn’t materialized.
Few more months had passed and going to Anawangin has been a frustration, especially when you keep hearing sweet words about the place from friends who have been there.
One blogger described Anawangin as a secret haven for mountaineers who hike the mountains in Zambales. But then eventually words of mouth spread and more people discovered the hidden beauty of the Anawangin cove. Being a “virgin” and unexploited beach, Anawangin became popular to beach-goers.
And just last weekend, despite the bad weather, two of my pals and I went there for an impulse trip. At last we’re gonna see for ourselves that amazing slice of New Zealand in Zambales.
With some clothes, a beach tent, some food (chips, bread, canned goods, bottled water and a bottle of vodka) we’re good to go. We took the 3 pm Victory Liner trip going to Olongapo since the one that’s bound to Iba is already full. The fare from Sampaloc, Manila to Olongapo costs P259. You can check Victory Liner’s website for other trips though.
After the three hour trip, we transferred to another bus going Iba and just asked the conductor to drop us in San Antonio market. The 45 minute bus ride costs P59. In the market, you can buy food and other supplies before going to your next destination which is the Pundaquit beach. Just ask a tricycle to bring you there. Drivers charge P30 per person for the 15-20 minutes bumpy ride. Most of the time, the driver will have to return alone so I guess it wouldn’t be a pain if you can give a tip to the diver.
In Pundaquit Beach, you can rent a cottage in one of the resorts in there, or camp if you have a tent and stay for the night. Well in our case, that’s just what we had to do. But if you arrived there earlier, you can immediately ask a boatman to take you directly to Anawangin where there are more campers. This isn’t a difficult task since almost every household in Pundaquit owns a boat.
Since we had to stay there for the night, we maximized our stay in Pundaquit beach. We rented a videoke machine and just sang and drank until midnight. It rained during the dawn and thanks to our good old beach tent that sheltered us from rain.
The next morning, we just waited for the weather to calm down and then
we’re off island hopping with the small boat we rented for P1400. The
price usually depends on how many islands you’ll be hopping to. If you
prefer to go directly to Anawangin, a small boat charges P1000, the
minimum. But I suggest you go island hopping. There are a lot more
islands to explore; Capones and Camara Islands are just overlooking
Pundaquit beach and they’re breathtakingly beautiful as well. Just make
sure to waterproof your things when you take the boat ride.
After our quick photo op session in Capones and Camara Islands, we
went to our ultimate destination, the Anawangin cove which is a 15-20
minute boat ride from Capones Island.
The cove is divided into several resorts; the one where we were dropped off is the ‘station one’ that’s how we call it since it’s the one that charges only P50 per person for conservation fee and the ‘other stations’ or resorts that charges P150.
I didn’t really expect to see a crowd upon setting my foot on the fine gray sand of Anawangin. Despite the bad weather and the fact that summer season is almost over, there are still a lot of people that seem to be enjoying their last summer hurrah.
We immediately look for some place where we could set up out tent and a cottage where we could place our things. Fortunately some campers are already on their way out of the island and with the help of the caretakers we got a place where we can settle in no time at all.
Our a cottage is located some meters away from the swamp (some people refer to it as a river), the shallow warm body of water that adds a more serene view for the towering pine trees beside the mountains. We eagerly went for a dip to feel the water that we only used to see from photos. This part can actually be considered as the main attraction of Anawangin cove. Who would actually expect that behind the green beach lies a forest that could actually provide an excellent setting for movies. Oh well, I guess movie producers already discovered the place since a local movie released in 2009 has some scenes shot in Anawangin.
Baguio City also has a lot of pines but that particular pines forest in Zambales is different. Perhaps it’s the location, or the mountains or the swamp that makes the forest New Zealand-ish.
Like most of the tourists who go there, you can have your photo options before taking a dip into the cold and clear sea. When you’ve had enough of the sea, you can also take a quick hike at the hill at the left side of the sea. The view from the top is awesome. Perhaps that made mountaineers fell in love with the place.
You could use a good read while lying on hammock during siesta. I
also heard that sunset in Anawangin is lovely. Unfortunately, we didn’t
have the chance to see this because we had to leave in the afternoon. By
the way, there is no electricity and no signal at the place so a
flashlight or candles are useful at night. I think a bonfire is allowed,
just make the fire manageable. I bet camping in Anawangin at night is
fun because because of the solemnity and peace. It’s like going back to
the basics and to the time when there is no electricity and technology.
We didn’t spend the night at the place since we have commitments the next day but definitely the next time, we will. See you again, Anawangin and hopefully in a better weather. :)
It was as though she was showing me some places in New Zealand. I was shocked when I learned the place is actually in the Philippines. I was immediately convinced to go to the place and we planned an immediate vacation the following weekend but it didn’t materialized.
Few more months had passed and going to Anawangin has been a frustration, especially when you keep hearing sweet words about the place from friends who have been there.
One blogger described Anawangin as a secret haven for mountaineers who hike the mountains in Zambales. But then eventually words of mouth spread and more people discovered the hidden beauty of the Anawangin cove. Being a “virgin” and unexploited beach, Anawangin became popular to beach-goers.
And just last weekend, despite the bad weather, two of my pals and I went there for an impulse trip. At last we’re gonna see for ourselves that amazing slice of New Zealand in Zambales.
With some clothes, a beach tent, some food (chips, bread, canned goods, bottled water and a bottle of vodka) we’re good to go. We took the 3 pm Victory Liner trip going to Olongapo since the one that’s bound to Iba is already full. The fare from Sampaloc, Manila to Olongapo costs P259. You can check Victory Liner’s website for other trips though.
After the three hour trip, we transferred to another bus going Iba and just asked the conductor to drop us in San Antonio market. The 45 minute bus ride costs P59. In the market, you can buy food and other supplies before going to your next destination which is the Pundaquit beach. Just ask a tricycle to bring you there. Drivers charge P30 per person for the 15-20 minutes bumpy ride. Most of the time, the driver will have to return alone so I guess it wouldn’t be a pain if you can give a tip to the diver.
In Pundaquit Beach, you can rent a cottage in one of the resorts in there, or camp if you have a tent and stay for the night. Well in our case, that’s just what we had to do. But if you arrived there earlier, you can immediately ask a boatman to take you directly to Anawangin where there are more campers. This isn’t a difficult task since almost every household in Pundaquit owns a boat.
Since we had to stay there for the night, we maximized our stay in Pundaquit beach. We rented a videoke machine and just sang and drank until midnight. It rained during the dawn and thanks to our good old beach tent that sheltered us from rain.
The cove is divided into several resorts; the one where we were dropped off is the ‘station one’ that’s how we call it since it’s the one that charges only P50 per person for conservation fee and the ‘other stations’ or resorts that charges P150.
I didn’t really expect to see a crowd upon setting my foot on the fine gray sand of Anawangin. Despite the bad weather and the fact that summer season is almost over, there are still a lot of people that seem to be enjoying their last summer hurrah.
We immediately look for some place where we could set up out tent and a cottage where we could place our things. Fortunately some campers are already on their way out of the island and with the help of the caretakers we got a place where we can settle in no time at all.
Our a cottage is located some meters away from the swamp (some people refer to it as a river), the shallow warm body of water that adds a more serene view for the towering pine trees beside the mountains. We eagerly went for a dip to feel the water that we only used to see from photos. This part can actually be considered as the main attraction of Anawangin cove. Who would actually expect that behind the green beach lies a forest that could actually provide an excellent setting for movies. Oh well, I guess movie producers already discovered the place since a local movie released in 2009 has some scenes shot in Anawangin.
Baguio City also has a lot of pines but that particular pines forest in Zambales is different. Perhaps it’s the location, or the mountains or the swamp that makes the forest New Zealand-ish.
Like most of the tourists who go there, you can have your photo options before taking a dip into the cold and clear sea. When you’ve had enough of the sea, you can also take a quick hike at the hill at the left side of the sea. The view from the top is awesome. Perhaps that made mountaineers fell in love with the place.
We didn’t spend the night at the place since we have commitments the next day but definitely the next time, we will. See you again, Anawangin and hopefully in a better weather. :)
