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Road Trip Guide: Bicol Highlights

Kara Santos

Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth from Manila to my hometown Naga City in Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region. I’ve also gone on road trips with the family to nearby provinces of mainland Bicol: Camarines Norte, Albay and Sorsogon. The Manila to Bicol route passing the Asian Highway 26 (AH26), also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway or Maharlika Highway, is a major road trip route on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

I’ve been getting inquiries from people planning to drive this route whether by car or motorcycle (and even a few long-distance bikepackers), so I’ve decided to compile a suggested itinerary covering the essentials and some travel tips. 

Where exactly is the Bicol Region?

The Bicol Region makes up the southern part of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippine archipelago. By land, Naga City is over 400+ km from Metro Manila while the Matnog Ferry Terminal in Sorsogon is 600+ km away. Depending on the traffic conditions and what time you leave, it can take anywhere from 8-14 hours to get to various points of the Bicol mainland coming from Metro Manila.

After traversing from Manila to Bicol mainland, you can leave Luzon and cross over to Visayas via the Roll-on Roll-Off Ferry from the Matnog Port in Sorsogon to reach Allen in Samar. From there, you can cross to Leyte and towards Mindanao via Surigao.

Why it’s great for riders

The distance from Manila, availability of hotels and resorts, variety of natural attractions you can see along the way and amazing cuisine make the Bicol region a great destination for riders. Naga City in Camarines Sur and Legazpi City in Albay are usually the main destinations, but you can also opt to detour through Daet in Camarines Norte or go all the way to the end of Luzon in Sorsogon before heading back to Manila if you have enough time to spare.

For road trippers doing this for the first time, the most important considerations aside from where to load gas (there are gas stations in major cities), are where to eat (preferably something unique to the place), major landmarks or points of interest easily accessible from the highway, and cheap places to stay if you arrive at night or want to explore the province further. So here are some suggestions of the most scenic and best highlights based on my personal road trips.

Route map for Bicol Road Trip

The fastest route from Manila to Bicol is via the Pan-Philippine Hwy / AH26, which has tolls.

Cavite / Laguna / Batangas

Before you can get to Bicol from Manila, you have to pass through several towns in the Calabarzon region. It can take 4-6 hours just to get away from Manila depending on the traffic. If you’re passing SLEX, it’s best to leave Manila as early as possible (around 4 am) so you can avoid heavy traffic in areas like Sto. Tomas in Batangas, Alaminos, San Pablo in Laguna, Candelaria and Sariaya in Quezon.

If you’re driving a small displacement bike or scooter, an alternative route is to go via the Laguna backroads, which traverses Pilillia, Pagsanjan and Lucban. This route is much more scenic and you can skip major traffic-choked towns and emerge in Pagbilao right after Lucena. Good places to stop for photo ops include the Pilillia Wind Farm in Rizal (if passing Laguna backroads) and Pagsanjan Stone Arch (if passing Laguna backroads), if you haven’t been there yet.

Quezon

A bulk of the road trip to Bicol involves driving through the province of Quezon. This province, east of Metro Manila is the 8th largest province in the Philippines and the largest province of Calabarzon.

Because of the sheer size of Quezon, different areas have different climate patterns. It can be bright and sunny in one town and then you encounter a sudden rainstorm once you reach the mountains.

Landmarks & points of interest in Quezon

What and where to eat in Quezon province

Where to Stay in Quezon Province

In case you left Manila late or decide to stay overnight in Quezon, you can find lots of hotels in Lucena and Lucban. There are also a few roadside resorts in other smaller towns like Atimonan, Gumaca and Plaridel.

Camarines Norte

Camarines Norte, the gateway to Bicolandia, occupies the northwestern coast of the Bicol peninsula in the southeastern section of Luzon. Its capital town, Daet is 342 km southeast of Metro Manila, an 8 to 10 hour drive by bus or 6 to 7 hours by private vehicle.

If you don’t want to drive straight all the way to Camarines Sur, you can take a detour through Camarines Norte, and visit Daet, a rising surfing and extreme water-sports destination in the country.

READ MORE: 10 Things to Do in Camarines Norte

Landmarks & points of interest in Camarines Norte

What and where to eat in Camarines Norte

The Bicol region is best known for dishes making use of gata (coconut milk) and sili (chili). Be sure to try Bicol Express, laing, sinantol (ground santol meat with gata), kinunot (manta ray cooked in gata), and pinangat or tinuktok (ground shrimp or crab wrapped in gabi leaves and cooked in gata). Daet is also known for having a sweet variety of pineapples.

Where to Stay in Camarines Norte

Top Things to Do in Camarines Norte

Camarines Sur

Camarines Sur is the largest of the six provinces in the Bicol Region. Its territory includes two cities: Naga, the lone chartered city, which serves as the province’s and the region’s religious, cultural, financial, commercial, industrial and business center; and Iriga City. Naga City is about 400+ km or 8-10 hours away from Manila on the Rolando Andaya Highway (Quirino Highway) which does not pass through Daet in Camarines Norte.

Naga City is known as the Heart of Bicol because of its central location and as a Pilgrim City, being home to the largest Marian pilgrimage in Asia, the Our Lady of Penafrancia. In recent years, it’s become a popular destination for wakeboarders.

READ MORE: 10 Extreme Adventures in Camarines Sur

Landmarks & points of interest in Naga City

What and where to eat in Naga City

Naga is a great destination for foodies looking for both traditional and modern food. There are lots of restaurants in the city center and Magsaysay Avenue area.

Bigg’s Diner, the most popular homegrown fast-food joint in the whole Bicol region, originated from Naga City. They have several branches along the highway, so they’re good for take-out if you’re in a rush and don’t have time to eat in the city. Unique eats in Naga City include Kinalas, Toasted Siopao and Pili-based treats.

READ MORE: Food Trip: Naga City

Ibalon Craft Brew is a new addition to the food scene in Naga and the first craft brewery in the Bicol Region! You can try their Sili Beer and beer brewed with local cacao or take out bottles of their beer.

Where to Stay in Naga City

Top Things to Do in Camarines Sur

Albay

Albay’s capital is the city of Legazpi, which serves as the regional administrative center of the whole Bicol Region. Albay is located at the southern foothills of Mayon Volcano, the major landmark most associated with the province and the Bicol region as a whole. Albay is about 10-12 hours straight drive or roughly 475 km from Manila.

The highway is fairly straightforward but there are a lot of vehicles on the road. For a more scenic route with rewarding views, you can pass the Tiwi-Sangay Road instead of AH26. Albay is your jump-off point for hiking up Mt. Mayon and ATV and mountain bike adventures on the lava trail.

Landmarks & points of interest in Albay

What and where to eat in Albay 

Legazpi City in Albay is a great destination for foodies with lots of historic and heritage restaurants serving traditional and innovative Bicolano cuisine.

Where to Stay in Albay

Top Things to Do in Albay

Sorsogon

Sorsogon is the Southernmost province in Luzon at the tip of the Bicol Peninsula, about 12 hours or more straight drive with the port of Matnog 604 km from Manila.

Sorsogon’s major landmark is Mount Bulusan, the tallest peak which rises 1,560 meters(5,120 ft) above sea level. It’s also known for its whaleshark interactions in Donsol.

Landmarks and points of interest in Sorsogon

What and where to eat in Sorsogon 

Many dishes in Sorsogon are similar to the rest of the Bicol region, but there are more seafood options like kinilaw. Binut-ong is a sticky rice cake similar to suman served with coconut milk (gata) and santan (coconut jam). Here are a few resto recommendations in the area.

Where to Stay in Sorsogon

Top things to do in Sorsogon

Beyond the Bicol mainland

Sorsogon serves as the gateway of Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao through its Roll-on/Roll-off ferry terminal located in the municipalities of Matnog, Pilar and Bulan. From here, you can head onwards to Samar and Leyte.

Though it’s possible to drive all the way from Manila to Sorsogon in a day, that can be very tiring. , these tips will help you plan your route better, so you can make the most of your long drive, stop by some scenic spots and get to taste some of the unique eats in the Bicol region during your road trip.

From the mainland of you can cross also over by ferry to the remaining two island provinces of the Bicol Region: Masbate and Catanduanes. Please see my separate guides for those provinces.

Binurong Point in Catanduanes
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