-
Day 1 Manila-Basco-Batan North
Today you will be departing from Manila to Basco, the capital city of Batanes. Upon arrival, you will be met and greeted at the airport then transferred to hotel for check in and orientation. After you’ve had lunch at hotel, you will be taken to visit the Mt. Carmel Chapel, Radar Tukon, formerly a lighthouse that was also used as a weather station. Once you reach the top of the tower, you will have a breathtaking and magnificent 360-degree view of Batan Island, the South China Sea, Mt. Iraya and the Basco proper on one side and the boulder-lined cliffs and the Pacific Ocean on the other side. See the idjangs, stone fortresses built by the native Ivatans and lived in them for defensive cover; Fundacion Pacita, a boutique hotel nestled on top of a cliff with a view of the sea, mountains and the sky; and the Dipnaysupuan Japanese Tunnel, which served as the Japanese’ hideout during the second World War. Enjoy the waves at the Valugan Boulder Beach and climb up the Vayang and Naidi Hills, and the lighthouse then end today’s tour with a quiet time in the Sto. Domingo Church. Return to your hotel for a sumptuous dinner and an overnight stay.Day 2 Sabtang Island
Start your day with a bountiful breakfast at hotel then go on an early departure to San Vicente Port where you will be taken to Sabtang Island by boat. Start your tour with a visit to San Vicente Ferrer Church and Savidug Idjang. Idjangs are ancient Ivatan settlements which served as fortresses against invaders. The idjang found in Savidug is considered to be the most beautiful and perfectly shaped among the Batanes idjangs. Stroll through the Savidug community, its street lined with old stone houses; the vernacular houses, which are built with thick walls of stone and lime and several layers of cogon for the roof. Batanes, being in the northern most part of the Philippines surrounded by the vast Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, experience strong typhoons, earthquakes and other kinds of calamities. Thus, these vernacular houses were designed to withstand strong weathers and natural disasters. You will also visit the Limestone Production and Tinyan Viewing of Pacific Ocean. Further south is an even more serene community called Chavayan, which is also known for its rows of old houses, old streets, old sites. After lunch, bask in the sea and sand at Nakabuang Beach. Afterwards, you will the taken back to Sabtang Port to travel back to San Vicente Port then return to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.Day 3 Batan South
Fuel up with a healthy breakfast at the hotel to keep you going for the entire day. Today, you will have a morning tour of Mahatao Town, where you’ll also see the Mahatao Pier, San Jose Borromeo Church, which was declared as a national cultural treasure by the National Museum and one of the 26 Spanish Colonial Era churches identified by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to be under its conservation program; see more vernacular houses, then be awestruck by the scenery around the Chawa view deck, and the Tayid Lighthouse, a modern 21st century structure built on the opposite side of Batan Island facing the Pacific Ocean. Other sites you’ll visit are the Sumhao Windmills, the Diura fishing village, then take a short hike to the Fountain of Youth and to Racuh a Payaman also known as Marlboro Country which offers a breathtaking view of farm fields and the Pacific Ocean. The hills got its name as it looks so much like the setting of a Marlboro Cigarette commercial. After lunch, proceed to Imnajbu or the Alapad Pass. Imnajbu is one of the 2 major settlements of the municipality of Uyugan along the Pacific seaboard. Here you’ll see the Alapad rock formations, the Old Naval Base, the Song Song Ruins, an old settlement where you could see clusters of roofless stone houses abandoned after it was hit by a tsunami in the 1950s; Uyugan and Ivana Towns, where you’ll pass by the San Jose de Ivana Church, Honesty Coffee Shop, where there are no servers, so you simply have to log-in the items you got and pay for the amount – if you are truly honest. Finally, visit the oldest house in Batanes owned by Lola Florestida Estrella or Lola Ida for short, who happens to be the most photographed Ivatan, too. After the tour, return to the hotel for dinner and another overnight stay.Day 4 Free and Easy
After you’ve had your breakfast in the hotel, you have the entire day to satisfy your wanderlust for the beautiful Batanes. Explore the islands, learn more about the Ivatan’s culture, capture precious moments in pictures or simply relax and enjoy all that Batanes has to offer.Day 5 Basco-Manila
Today is the last day of your tour. After you’ve had your breakfast in the hotel, you will be transferred and assisted to the airport to take your departure flight back to Manila. We hope that you had a memorable experience in Batanes. -
Inclusions:- Four nights accommodation at Brandon’s Lodge or similar
- Daily breakfast
- Lunch and dinner for four days
- Land transportation
- Boat transfers
- Batanes Tour
- Tour fees and Municipal fees
- Services of an English-speaking guide
