Sample Itinerary for Bacolod-Guimaras-Iloilo

More than a year ago, I embarked on a solo journey to three beautiful places in the Philippines - Bacolod, Iloilo and Guimaras. Some of my friends have been asking for my itinerary on the said trip. That is why I decided to just share it here in my blog  so that anyone planning a 4days/3 nights can also have some ideas.

Day 1 - Bacolod

• Arrival in Bacolod City and check in at Bacolod Pension Plaza (Cuadra St., Bacolod City)
• Lunch at Nena's Beth for a taste of the famous chicken inasal (Manokan Country, near SM Bacolod)
• The Ruins in Talisay City - this is what remained of the grand mansion that Don Mariano Lacson built, following the death of his wife, Maria Braga. Today, it is a tourist attraction for its romantic, yet strong structures.  How to get to The Ruins: From Araneta Avenue (Old Bacolod City Hall), ride a jeepney with the Mandalangan-Lopues route. Alight at Lopues (another landmark is Robinson's Place) and ride another jeepney going to Talisay City. Alight at Bata (Pepsi bottling plant). You will see a signboard here going to The Ruins.  Ride a tricycle and tell the driver to bring you to The Ruins. Fare: Php80 one way.  You can have the driver wait for you since there are not many tricycles going that route. Travel time is around 15 minutes and you'll be transported back in time. Entrance fee is Php60. Best time to go there in the afternoon and wait for the sunset.
• Calea Cakes located at Lacson Street. Calea is quite famous in Bacolod and there are also many branches throughout.
• ANP Negros Showroom for souvenirs, also located in Lacson Street
• If you still have time, you can also visit the ancestral houses in Silay City

Day 2 - Guimaras

• Bredco Terminal - for ferries going to Iloilo. I took the Supercat, fare is Php320 for tourist class. Travel time is around 1 hour. There are also other ferry companies going to Iloilo. You can choose whatever you like. They have schedules almost every hour.
• Arrival at Muelle Loney Port, Iloilo. To get a taxi going to the hotel, you can walk until you reach the main street. There are taxis along the port but they charge a fixed rate of Php200 when going to Iloilo Midtown Hotel (which is just near the port).
• Check in at Iloilo Midtown Hotel - this is near Amigo Plaza (shopping mall) and SM Delgado
• Ortiz Port in Iloilo City - this is the terminal for pumpboats going to Guimaras. Fare is Php14 if you travel during the day and Php17 if you travel at night.  I think the earliest trip is at 6AM and the last trip is 10PM. Travel time is around 45 minutes.
• Jordan Port, Guimaras - upon arriving at the port, there are tricycle drivers that offer trips around Guimaras. I don't know their rates because I have already made arrangements with Kuya Jun, a local tour guide. I paid Php1000 for a tour. You can contact Kuya Jun at (0918) 367-1195.
• Tour around Guimaras: Daliran Cave, Trappist Monastery, Raymen Beach Resort, Smallest Plaza, Guisi Lighthouse and Balaan Bukid. I arrived in Guimaras at around lunch time so I did not get to see as many places as I could have been. So it is ideal to go there in the morning so you can explore more.
• Raymen Beach Resort - rates are Php400 per hour and Php150 for the succeeding hours. I only availed of the 1 hour tour and I was able to go to the Lawi Marine Turtle Rescue Center, Ave Maria Island and Baras Cave.
• Back to Jordan Port to catch the boat going back to Iloilo.

Day 3 - Iloilo

• Travel to Super (Iloilo wet market) - terminal for jeeps going to Miagao Church. Travel time is around  1.5 hours, fare Php50.
• Miagao Church - UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Other churches you will pass by and can explore:  Molo Church, Tigbauan Church, Guimbal Church
• Deco's La Paz Batchoy beside SM Delgado
• Roberto's Siopao located at JM Basa Street - famous for the Queen size siopao
• Tibiao Fish Spa - located in the lower ground floor at SM Iloilo (they also call it SM Mandurriao). The rate for a fish spa is Php120 for 30 minutes.
• Take home some biscocho from Reggie's or Biscocho Haus (located at near SM Iloilo Traveler's Lounge)
• Other suggestions: Museo Iloilo, Iloilo Provincial Capitol and Jaro Cathedral

Day 4 - Manila

• Back to Manila

Read more of my solo travel adventure to Bacolod, Guimaras and Iloilo.

Guimaras, how beautiful can you be?

My solo backpacking trip to Guimaras was one of the most memorable trips I ever had.  It was because I was able to feel a sense of peace in my heart.  Guimaras is so calm and quiet.  The air is fresh, there are beautiful beaches and the people are so warm.  Life is simple in Guimaras.  You can feel that the people are proud of their land and they are seeking ways to promote it.  I cannot capture the entire beauty of this place through my lens but I hope that somehow I could be able to give you a sneak peek of how beautiful this place is.

I took a  45-minute ride from Ortiz Port in Iloilo to Jordan Port in Guimaras.  I paid Php 14 and boarded on a pump boat called Chris Clyde.  Most of the passengers are residents of Guimaras who came to Iloilo to buy some of their supplies.  It was high noon when I traveled ang my shawl was my only  protection against the sun's scorching heat.  After a few minutes, I had my first glimpse of Guimaras and I can't help but feel excited.  I have done my research and listed my itinerary but I am also ready to be lost in the charm of this place.  I am excited how this trip will turn out!

I will meet my tour guide, Kuya Jun at the port.  I texted him the day before and I agreed on a Php 1,000 fee for the entire day's tour.  We will be riding a tricycle.  Honestly, at first I thought that the tour was kinda expensive considering that I would only have 4-5 hours.  But when we started going from one destination to another, I realized how far it was.  The Php 1,000 seems not enough because a large chunk of that fee came to the gas alone.  If ever you'll be in Guimaras you can contact Kuya Jun at 09351132252.

Our first stop is Daliran Cave.  Since the road to the cave is not paved, we have to get off from the tricycle and trek for about 30 minutes.  Can you imagine how hard it is to trek at 12 noon?  Well, it was just my first stop but I have burned a lot of calories already!  Until finally, we reached the cave.  It was just a small cave pero sabi ni Kuya Jun, pwede pa raw pumasok dun sa kaloob-looban.  I opted not to since I still have other places to go.  I just took some pictures of the cave and the stream near it.  Then, off to our next stop.

After about 15 minutes, we reached the Trappist Monastery.  The monastery is run by monks under the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance also known as the Trappists.  They live their monastic lives by being purified and strengthened by a long labor of prayer. They also sell products in which the ingredients were grown on their grounds.  The monastery has a lot of trees and the place was super quiet, a perfect place for meditation.  I really, really wanted to meet one of the monks here but unfortunately I didn't saw any.  My guide told me that there were specific times only when the monk would come and talk to the visitors.  Sayang!  I just went to their gift shop and bought some mango bars made by the monks themselves.

I passed by a small stall selling fresh mangoes and I told Kuya Jun to stop since I need to take home Guimaras' famous fruit.  They grow mangoes here all year round but the peak season is in April. This is also the time when the mangoes were at their sweetest.  Kuya Jun taught me how to spot a sweet mango: you have to smell the portion where the bud is, if it smells sweet, then it's sweet.  So there I was sniffling each piece and trying to pick the sweet ones.  I bought a kilo of mangoes for Php 80.

For the island hopping tour, we went to Raymen Beach Resort.  You can rent a boat for Php 400 for the first hour and Php 150 for each of the succeeding hours.  I think the boat can take up to 10 people so you could split the cost if you were in groups.

We first went to the Lawi Marine Turtle Rescue Center.  At that time, there were two turtles in the center. I asked the caretaker if I could hold the turtle in my hands and she gave it to me.  The turtle was flipping its legs when I carried it. I was careful not to drop him in the sand. He must have weighed around 2 kilos.

After my close encounter with the turtle, we went to Ave Maria Island and Baras Cave.  The boat entered the cave and I had some pictures taken there.

After an hour, we returned to Raymen Beach Resort and headed to our next destination, the Guisi Point Lighthouse.  The trail going to the lighthouse is spectacular since you get to see the beach near it.

Our last stop was the Smallest Plaza.  It used to hold the title of the Smallest Plaza in the Guinness Book of World Records until another country beats it.   But still it's the Smallest Plaza in the Philippines.

We went back to the port at around 5pm to catch the ferry back to Iloilo. I boarded the pump boat satisfied at the day's outcome. One thing that I will be bringing home with me was how special this place is - so peaceful, so quiet, so serene.  If there's one place where I would want to settle someday, Guimaras would definitely be on the list!