Kalanggaman Island Travel Guide (June 2017)

An hour boat ride away from Palompon Leyte lies a beautiful island known as Kalanggaman. It has become a popular destination of many beach enthusiasts due to its long stretch of white sandbar and crystal clear water. I've visited this place twice already and it always amazes me. I just love how the water is so warm and comfortable. It's definitely a nice place to hang out with friends!

How to go to Kalanggaman Island from Manila (via Tacloban)

1. Book a flight going to Tacloban.

2. From Tacloban airport, go to New Bus Terminal. 

*You can ride a ‘San Jose – Tacloban’ jeepney going to “Downtown”. Fare is Php10 (approx. 15-20 mins). Once you see SM Savemore store, you can get off and look for a “New Bus Terminal” multicab (Php7, 10-15mins). This is convenient if you have lesser baggage, otherwise you can just choose and haggle with the vehicle drivers waiting outside the airport and let them take you to New Bus Terminal directly. The cost depends with the driver but I think 100-150 pesos would be fair enough for a tricycle ride.

3.  From New Bus Terminal, ride a van going to Palompon. 

Fare is Php150, 2-3 hours travel time.Look for Palompon tourism office (across Liberty Park). This is just a few meters away from Palompon Terminal but you can ride a pedicab if you want.

4. Pay the fees and rent a tent if you’ll stay overnight.

 

List of environmental fees and boat rates

How to go to Kalanggaman Island from Cebu

1. Ride a ferry going to Ormoc. 

You may click this link for the schedule and prices of different sea vessels plying to and from Ormoc. (I personally like the night roro trip, Roble 10PM, because you can rest and sleep in your cabin. Then at 4 or 5AM the next day, you’re already in Ormoc, which means you can be early to arrive in Kalanggaman Island.)

2.  From Ormoc, ride a van going to Palompon and follow steps 4 and 5 above.

*If you’re already in Malapascua Island in Cebu, you can avail a day tour trip going to Kalanggaman with lunch included. Usually it’s Php800 per head but the price may change without prior notice. It’s always offered by the locals in Malapascua so no need to worry about who to contact. For a travel guide about Malapascua Island, you may click this link.

Important: 

If you don’t want to starve in the island, make sure to buy everything first in Palompon public market. It’s just near the terminal and tourism office. Here are your Kalanggaman Essentials (best when you’re with barkada or family):

1. Chicken/pork/fish or any meat

2. Charcoal or uling; tongs (for grilling) 
3. Lighter or matchsticks
4. Condiments (salt, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, etc)
5.  Plastic spoon and fork
6.  paper plates and cups
7.  drinking water (P100 per jug)
8. Cooler (can be rented from the tourism office)
9. Ice, drinks and more ice!

Reminders:

1. You may need to call Palompom tourism office first to book your trip especially during summer (high peak season) – Landline (053) 555-9731; Mobile: 09173037267 / 09173037269 / 09985550572

2. There’s no electricity in the island, only solar energy. Make sure to bring ‘powerful’ powerbanks.

3. No fancy hotels or restaurant. You can bring your tent or sleeping bags. There are no mosquitoes.

4. Only Smart mobile signal works good. Globe or TM are almost out of coverage.

5. Some comfort rooms could be dirty especially at night. (I had to pee on a dark corner near the beach because there was a little poopie smiling at me from the toilet bowl)

6. Few food items and alcoholic beverages are available but the cost is twice the original price.

7. It’s better to arrive early so you can choose the best spot for your tent or table.

8. The use of shampoo and soaps are prohibited (for environmental purposes). Just be ready for an 'Island life' experience.

9. Segregate your trash properly. You will be given one black trash bag for non-biodegradable items and a transparent one for biodegradable (or vice versa).

10.  Stick with the agreed return time with the boatmen especially when you’re with joiners. Our boat left us because we were late to arrive at the docking area for about 10 mins. We had to call the tourism office and wait for 3 hours for the boat to be back and pick us up. We can’t completely blame them because we also had our mistake but we were hoping that at least they could have informed us before actually leaving. Anyway, let this be a warning to everyone, just be on time.

For solo travellers, the tourism officer can help you join with other tourists for boat transfers, so you can save money. Take note that the standard rate is Php3,000 for the boat ride (back and forth), which is good for 15 pax. If you get lucky and join in with other 14 tourists, you can just pay Php200. However, there's a possibility that you'll pay for the whole amount of 3k if you're the only traveller on that day.

The medyo uncomfortable comfort rooms

Better comfort rooms in the works

Halo-halo for 90 pesos. Kaching!

Coffee person? You can have it here

For a hassle-free tour, get in touch with Hinablayan peeps! Contact details showing on the photo. Click to enlarge.

Tabi-tabi po, aawra lang po . . lol

With beshies sa sandbar

Crystal clear water! #NoFilter

Beautiful Sunset

 Watch my travel guide video here! :D

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