I’m back again with another update on our Islas de Gigantes jaunt several months back. This time, it’s our third stop, the Cabugao Gamay Island, which is definitely one of the requisite stops for all island-hopping tours in the islands. In fact, this small island has one of the most photographed spots in the area.
Full after our hearty lunch at the Bantigue Sandbar (blog post here), we boarded the boat and spent several more minutes until we arrived at another small island. The sand is so fine, mixed with what looked like ground corals, and looked almost white, especially with the bright sun shining down on it.
Can you see that hillock over there at the end of the island? That is the spot I was talking about, since it’ll afford you a view of the entire length of the island. And it is also the spot that is mainly responsible for making Cabugao Gamay island the most photographed island among the many islands in the Islas de Gigantes.
By the way, there was an entire stretch of the beach filled with cairns, or rocks/large pebbles piled on top of each other. There were so many of them that I could not help but wonder if this place has also proven to be an excellent spot for making wishes.
Time to start climbing up that large rock hill. Fortunately, several flights of steps made out of wood were built into the rock, making it easier for guests to climb up to the top. Of course, it’s still bound to wind you some, but with the view all around looking so gorgeous, I doubt you’d mind very much!
It’s a relatively quick climb. Two-three minutes, tops.
And then when you arrive at the top, you’d get to see the view that is most posted and talked about by many visitors who have gone to this place. I’m talking about the view from the top of the rock hill.
This one.
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As you can see, the island looks almost like a bigger sandbar, complete with lush vegetation, especially at the far end. And those rows of palm trees (or were they coconut trees? I’m not sure) in the middle made for a quirky centerpiece.
What makes this island quite well-known is its unique shape. Others view it almost like two islands with vegetation connected by a sandbar. I wouldn’t argue with that.
Personally, however, I think the best part of the view is the surrounding emerald waters. It’s like you can do a 360-degree turn and you’d see nothing but those clear inviting waters that seem to call you to jump in.
This view, tho.
The view deck is quite spacious, but fitting in more than 10 people at a time is probably not the best idea, since there are many jutting rocks here and there, which you can easily trip against.
We were so lucky that, when we got there, there were no other visitors around, so we had the place to ourselves. I read somewhere that it gets crowded here at times, you’d have to wait for your turn to take photos.
Apparently, this island is a favorite spot for swimming. You can get the best of both worlds, because swimmers can enjoy the sunrise on one side, and the sunset on the other.
Unfortunately, our limited time did not permit this experience. Maybe next time?
It was still just after lunchtime, and the sun was glaring right down at us. So we did not stay longer than 30 minutes here. Still, that short time was enough to take our breaths away. I mean, the place is just so beautiful, there’s no need for more words, is there?
Then we went off to the next stop of our island-hopping experience is Islas de Gigantes, made possible by Las Islas Travel (link at the end of the post).
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