Cagbalete Island is a quiet island getaway that has been rising in popularity among backpackers and budget travelers. Located just off the coast of Mauban town proper in Quezon just a few hours from Manila, this island offers beautiful beachfront campsites and a wide white-sand beach.

It’s not a place for partygoers, but more for nature tripping. Don’t expect five-star resorts or lots of dining options. Despite its proximity to Manila, Cagbalete Island still feels laid-back and remote. There’s still no electricity here, which makes it great for communing with nature and beach camping.

To celebrate Valentine’s weekend, Outside Slacker and I decided to take a chill road trip by riding our motorcycles to Mauban and staying overnight in Cagbalete. I really enjoyed the serene and peaceful vibe of the island. Except for another group of campers, we had the beach mostly to ourselves. Aside from appealing to couples, I think Cagbalete would make a pretty good destination for solo riders/travelers looking for a quiet beach spot.

It helped that we stayed on a weekday during the lean season, which lasts from November to February. I heard that it gets way more crowded during weekends and summer months starting March onwards.

Where exactly is Cagbalete?

Cagbalete Island is located just off the east coast of Luzon. The jump-off point is the town of Mauban in the province of Quezon, roughly 3-5 hours drive from Manila depending on where you’re coming from and the traffic. By public passenger boat, the island is just 45 mins to 1 hour away from the Mauban port, making it relatively accessible to visit from the mainland.

Why it’s great for riders

The road leading to Mauban offers a scenic drive for those who like road tripping. It’s a relatively chill road trip with fun mountain twisties. Coming from the East, the distance (176 km or 4 hours / one way) is very doable for a weekend ride. There’s not much traffic except for a few chokepoints in major town intersections.

You get to pass rural provincial scenery and can make stops in other towns and points of interest along the way. While you can drive straight to Mauban without any stops, Pagsanjan makes a good halfway point for meals and fuel coming from the East. There are lots of historic restaurants & dining options to choose from here compared to the other towns. If you’re coming from the South, Lucban would be the major pit stop before the last stretch.

How to get to Mauban

Private transportation

1. via SLEX Sto. Tomas, Batangas exit

• Route: Sto Tomas – San Pablo – Tiaong – Candelaria – Sariaya – Tayabas – Mauban
• Total road distance is about 168 km
• Travel very early morning to take you only 3 hours

2. via SLEX Calamba exit

• Route: Los Banos – Sta. Cruz – Pagsanjan – Cavinti – Lusiana – Lucban (do not enter main town) – Sampaloc – Mauban
• Route is shorter if you are coming from Rizal – Sta. Cruz and you can pass via Sampaloc then Mauban
• Takes only about 3 hours if you leave Manila very early in the morning

3. via Antipolo

• Route: Teresa – Morong – Fami – Siniloan – Paete – Luban – Pagsanjan – Cavinti – Lusiana – Lucban (do not enter main town) – Sampaloc – Mauban
• Most ideal to avoid traffic in SLEX and Los Banos (i.e. holidays)
• Nice view of majestic windmills and mountains and zigzag roads of Mabitac town
• No toll fees (best for small displacement bikes)
• Around 3.5 hours from Manila

Public transportation / commute to Mauban

Bus to Lucena + van to Mauban

• Take JAC Liner/JAM Liner/Lucena Lines Station in Kamias, Cubao or Buendia-Taft LRT Bus to Lucena, then transfer to van to Mauban
• Hourly bus trips cost around P200/head (2:00 am first trip) to Lucena (3 hrs travel time)
• Take aircon van at Lucena City Grand Terminal costing around P70/head bound for Mauban (1.0 hour travel time). Van will travel anytime when van is full (24 hours )
• There are air-conditioned vans stationed in Lucena SM Mall going to Mauban for P70/head and first and last trip for aircon vans is 9am and 9pm respectively (1 hour travel time)

JAC Liner Bus direct MAUBAN trip

• LRT TERMINAL – 4:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM
• KAMIAS TERMINAL – 4:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 2:30 PM
• P280/head

Route map for Road Trip (small displacement bikes)

Day 1: QC to Mauban

You can get to Mauban via two main routes: via SLEX or going East through Antipolo. Coming from Quezon City, we always prefer to pass the East route and usually take a longer detour through Marilaque just to skip the Antipolo and Teresa traffic. We started our ride at around 10 am, passing the towns of Tanay, Baras, Pililla, Famy, Lumban, Pagsanjan and Luisiana.

Before reaching the town proper in Lucban, there’s an intersection and gas station where you need to turn left towards Sampaloc and Mauban. Total travel time was about 4 hours with minimal stops. We got to Mauban by 2 pm in time to register at the tourist part area, buy supplies at the market, park vehicles and ride the 3:30 pm boat crossing.

Tourist Registration Process

The tourist port is fairly large and well-organized in a gym, with a large waiting area. All visits to Cagbalete Island have a strict no booking, no sailing policy. If you didn’t make any reservations at a resort, you will need to do so at the tourist port. Tables have been set up showing the different lodging or camping options.

1. Resort Booking / Package Tour
2. Register
3. Environmental Fee Payments – P50 per pax
4. Tourist Boat Reservation / Passenger Boats – P100 per pax (pay in the boat)

To reduce trash on the island because of the influx of visitors, the tourist port issues Eco-Bottles (they’ll ask for a refundable deposit of P100) where tourists are supposed to put all their non-biodegradable waste and plastic.

Where to Park in Mauban

Secure parking areas are available near the tourist port, so riders can park and leave their vehicles without any worries before taking the boat. Parking slots are limited during the peak season, so locals advise reserving slots beforehand, especially for those doing group rides. Tourists can not just leave their vehicles parked along the streets or Boulevard or near the port as streets are narrow and these could impede the flow of traffic.

We parked in Ambon Pay Parking, which charged us P75/motorcycle per day. For those bringing cars, the fee is P160/day. They have a restroom where you can change into beachwear before the ride. The owners secured our helmets for us. Ambon Pay Parking. Contact: Joy – 0921-7373221

Passenger Boat Schedule (as of February 2020)

The public passenger/cargo boats from Mauban to Cagbalete departs only twice a day, ferrying 50-60 passengers each. Fare is P100 per passenger. Travel time by boat is 45 mins to 1 hour.

• Mauban to Cagbalete Island: 10:30 am and 3:30 pm
• Cagbalete Island to Mauban: 7:00 am and 1:00 pm

If you miss the passenger boat, you can always charter a private boat to take you to the island, but it’s more expensive if you’re not in a group. The price range for private boats for the two-way trip (Mauban-Cagbalete-Mauban) is around P1,500 for 1 to 2 persons; P3,500 for 9 to 11 persons; and P5,000 for 18 to 20 persons.

Once you get to the port on Cagbalete Island, there’ll be a bunch of habal -habal drivers offering to take you to your resort. The island is pretty small, and technically you could just walk the 1.5 km from the port to most of the resorts, but if you’re carrying a lot of stuff, the habal-habal ride is faster, costs just P50 each, and gives locals extra income.

NOTE: While portions of the road are paved, some parts are still dirt roads that get muddy with deep puddles. I was wondering why the drivers were barefoot until we had to go through knee-deep waters and one of the motorcycles died halfway through. Be prepared to walk and wade in mud.

Where to Stay in Cagbalete: Villa Cleofas

Villa Cleofas is a pleasant beachfront resort on the East side of the island, with a wide and shallow 300-meter wide beach, and grassy area under trees where people can enjoy beachfront camping and hammocking.

There are common public restrooms for campers, which are clean and well-maintained. The resort also offers various cottages, including aircon rooms, fan rooms and family rooms for those who want more privacy.

The resort has a dining hall, kitchen, small store and bar facilities where people can cook and prepare food, eat and buy drinks. They do not have a restaurant but they do offer basic value meals (Corned beef, Tuna, Sardines with rice and egg for P150 each).

It’s best to just prepare your own food and bring your own ingredients. I was really glad we got bought fresh seafood from the market for our V-Day dinner. Kitchen utensils are for rent for a minimal fee (ex. pots, pans, pitcher, etc.) but use of the grill is free.

It was low tide when we got there, and the water was really shallow, but there was something romantic about the patterns left on the shore. The water gets high and is best for photography around mid-morning to noon.

Rates (effective January 2020)

• Big Cottage (FAN Rooms only) – 2 separate rooms for group of 35 – Whole cottage @ P11,000/night (P100/head in excess of 35 people) + 50/head entrance fee
  • If Room A only (20 people capacity)  – P6,000/night  + P50/head entrance fee (with private CR/bath inside)
  • If Room B only (15 people capacity) – P5,000/night + P50/head entrance fee, (with private CR/bath inside)
• Medium Cottages (FAN Rooms only) – 12 people capacity (with private CR/bath detached at the back) – P3,800/night (P100/head in excess of 12 people) + P50/head entrance fee
• Small Cottages (FAN Rooms only) – 8 people capacity (with private CR/bath detached at the back) – P3,300/night (P100/head in excess of 8 people) + P50/head entrance fee
• Studio-type AIRCON Rooms (with private CR inside the room)
  • 2 person capacity @ P2,700/night (with aircon) + P50/head entrance fee
  • 4 person capacity @ P3,700/night (with aircon) + P50/head entrance fee
• Duplex1  AIRCON Cottages – 6 person capacity @ P4,500/night (with aircon) + P50/head entrance fee
• Duplex2  AIRCON Cottages – 6 person capacity @ P5,500/night (with aircon) + P50/head entrance fee
• Beach Cottages (FAN Rooms only), common CR/bath – 4-5 people capacity at P2,200/night (P100/head in excess of 5) + P50/head entrance fee
• Resort Tents for Rent (common CR/bath): 1-3 pax capacity at P500/night + P50/head entrance fee
• Guests’ Own Tent (pitching fee)
  • P300/night (1 – 3 people capacity) + P50/head entrance fee
  • P550/night (4 – 6 people capacity) + P50/head entrance fee

• Address: Villa Cleofas, Cagbalete Island Camping Resort, Inc., Cagbalete, Mauban, Quezon
• Contact: 0917-8395852, 0917-8143475, 0919-2205000
• Facebook: Villa Cleofas
• Website: www.cagbalete.net

Other resorts in Cagbalete

Aquazul Resort and Hotel
09237428390; 09237426208; 09237428368

Casa Verde Beach Resort
09178212796

Doña Choleng Camping Resort
09266549958; 09108823346; 09201551552; 09279680690

Joven’s Blue Sea Beach Resort
09392899752; 09179848505

MVT Sto. Niño
09176787080

Nilandingan Cove
09152117037 or via facebook.com/nilandingancove

Pansacola Beach Resort
09175465901; 09285058633

Villa Cleofas
09178395852; 09178143475; 09192205000

Villa Noe Beach Resort
0921-784-9062; 0906-519-7126

Day 2: Mauban to QC

Villa Cleofas offers a few beach activities and island-hopping tours. However, we were content to just hang out in a hammock, walk along the beach, go sunbathing and basically do nothing the whole morning before catching the passenger boat that departs at noon.

Things to do in Cagbalete Island

• Go kayaking
• Snorkeling
• Beach Volleyball
• Beach soccer
• Beach gold
• Horseback riding
• Fishing Tour
• Read books
• Go island-hopping
• Chill on a hammock
• Go to Bonsai Island
• Videoke
• Take Kiteboarding lessons

Where to eat in Mauban & beyond

It was really hot by the time we got back to Mauban, so we decided to cool down in one of the restos in town. There’s a small heritage town vibe here, comparable to Pagsanjan and Taal. Interesting restaurants include Tia Leonings and Wild Wings Buffalo Wings set in heritage houses along the main highway and Kamayan sa Tabing Ilog, a riverside resto.

We also made a stop in Pagsanjan at Aling Taleng’s Halo-Halo, which has been serving their signature dessert in Pagsanjan since 1933. The restaurant is very popular for road-trippers, so it was pretty crowded.

During the ride back, we made a few brief stops at key landmarks, but mostly just enjoyed the ride. The view of the windmills in Pililla and overlooking view of Laguna Lake during sunset was a nice way to cap this chill beach ride.

Ride Itinerary & Budget

Our itinerary was pretty relaxed and didn’t include any other side trips in Laguna or Quezon. You can change this depending on your sked, route and which boat you want to catch. To catch the 10:30 am passenger boat, you’d probably have to leave by 5:30 am or earlier to be safe.

Day 1

• 10:00 am – Leave QC
• 2:00 pm – Arrive in Mauban
• 2:30 pm – Register at port, buy food from market, park vehicles
• 3:30 pm – Boat to Cagbalete
• 4:30 pm – Arrival in port; habal-habal to resort
• 4:45 pm – Check-in or pitch tent
• 7:00 pm – Dinner, R & R

Day 2

• Morning – R & R, brunch
• 12:00 nn – Check out of resort/decamp, proceed to port
• 12:30 nn – Boat to Mauban
• 1:30 pm – Get motorcycles, snack in Mauban town
• 2:00 pm – Start drive home / sightseeing & photo ops along the way
• 4:00 pm – Snack / stopover in Pagsanjan
• 7:00 pm – Home sweet home

Budget

• Environmental Fee – P50 per head
• Eco-bottle – P100 (refundable)
• Overnight Parking Fee – P75 per motorcycle
• Boat fare – P100 per person
• Habal-habal to resort – P50 per person
• Tent pitching fee – P300 / tent for 2
• Entrance fee at resort – P50 per head

This excludes the cost of gas, food and beer for the trip. Beer costs P50 per bottle at Villa Cleofas.

Travel tips & useful info

• Change into beachwear before crossing to Cagbalete island & leave your jackets, jeans, closed shoes, and helmets behind. Wear slippers because you may have to wade through water during low tide.
• As of our visit in February 2020, the island currently has NO electricity, though we were told that it’s in the works. Resorts have generators that are turned on from 6 pm to 6 am only.
• Meralco is installing a Solar System to electrify the island (target date March 2020). 
• Bring powerbanks and charge your gadgets beforehand.
• Buy food from the public market before going to Cagbalete. Food is limited and more expensive on the island. Some resorts charge a cooking fee or you can just prepare it yourselves using their grills.
• We bought ingredients and food from the market before leaving. Look out for stalls selling freshly cooked laing, pinangat, sinantol etc.
• Bring reusable food containers, utensils and water bottles to minimize trash. Bring enough drinking water.
• For campers, keep food stored away properly from stray dogs and cats.
• Bring your own toiletries, towels, blankets, etc.
• For those doing day tours on private boats, the best time to leave the town proper is 7 am-9 am. Register early & call the tourism office for any inquiries you may have before going there.
• Use the trash bins and segregate garbage to help preserve the beauty of the island.
• Tourists usually flock to Cagbalete Island from March to May. Expect fully booked resorts during these months, especially during the weekend.
• If you want to enjoy quiet time and the island’s remote feel, visit on a weekday during the lean season. Feb and June are good months to visit.
• Double-check boat schedules beforehand.
• Mauban Hotline numbers: MSRRMO: 09399166123 / Coast Guard: 0938-4632950 / Tourism Office: 0909-8535159, 09460676, 09971373432