The Tropical Paradise of Carabao Island in Romblon

The sun was peeping through the thick clouds as we journeyed along Hambil Channel. The gloomy weather lulled half of the group to sleep halfway to our destination (blame it on last night’s crazy Boracay’s White Beach revel). Shrieks and gasps echoed through the air as our boat docked on the shore. It suddenly woke everyone up. I was totally speechless and blown away with the untouched beauty of Carabao Island that it took me minutes to recover from shock. It was really an island paradise!

As usual, we had no concrete plans on our instant three-day holiday (thanks to the sudden announcement of special long holiday). All we wanted was to chill out on the beach and check out the Boracay beach party at night; our usual Boracay stint. And so we did. We explored the not-so-famous beaches of the island and found ourselves on the farthest end of White Beach, also dubbed as Station 3.5. We found a nice pocket of beach there and wasted the afternoon as we enjoyed the crystal clear waters and powdery white sand that Boracay is known for; finally, away from the tourist crowd (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Boracay).

Finally, it's Friday! So where are you heading this weekend? Photo by @lakadpilipinas

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Jun 29, 2017 at 8:15pm PDT

An impulse plan was also made to visit a nearby island. Our home in Boracay, Ferra Hotel Boracay, helped us in getting a private boat for our sea excursion. We've been hearing a lot of raves about this certain island, it's said that it can match the beauty of the famous party island in the Philippines.

We're off to an island paradise

Carabao Island is an island town in the province of Romblon. There's a public boat that goes to and fro San Jose town once daily. If given the chance, we would've stayed on the island for the night but because we only have limited time, we opted for a day tour. 

With the help of the gracious staff at Ferra Hotel Boracay, we jumped into our boat docked at Bulabog Beach and journeyed through Hambil Channel. 

Tropical vibes

The weather was unpredictable that day. Rain clouds were continuously coming our way but it didn't stop us from carrying on with the trip. My buddies effortlessly snoozed on their seats (party hangover) while I sat still and enjoyed the choppy boat ride (but it was nothing compared to the 7-hour awfully harsh boat ride I had going to Babuyan Islands four years ago; nothing can beat that one).

We arrived on a fairly nice cove with pebbly shore and decided to dock there. The gang realized that it wasn't the beach we're aiming for so we sought help from online maps to locate it. 

Carabao Island is an easy 40-minute ride from Boracay via a chartered boat.

We circled the island until our boatman found the perfect spot, the picturesque Hambil Beach. I was shrieking as if someone's tickling me when I saw our playground for the day. And as if on cue, the sun radiated its midnoon rays and brightened up island's waters. This is paradise, I kept whispering to myself.

The crystal clear azure waters and the blue sky were in perfect tune with the powdery white sand. Towering coconut trees and limestone rocks lined the shore making it a picture-perfect tropical paradise. My buddies suddenly woke up and joined me as I hailed the beauty of Carabao Island.

Untouched beauty and nature debris

Our spirits were revived as soon as we jumped off the boat. 

There were no resorts in sight but the place we docked on allows guests to use their facilities. We rented out a hut which included an area for food preparations; picnic mode on!

Our boat docked somewhere near the public port

The group dispersed and took a hundred or so snaps of the place. I deviated and tried to take a stroll and realized that we're right near Hambil Pier. I went back and noticed some nature debris washed ashore; it actually adds to its untouched natural beauty. I went farther and explored the rock formations. 

Tropical dreams

What amazed me the most was Hambil Beach's clear water. Like, you could literally see what's underneath! And then someone asked me if Carabao Island could match the beaches in the Maldives, I laughed and mentioned that I ain't used to comparing beaches but this can definitely rival it.

We lazed all day and enjoyed our private island sanctuary devoid of the tourist crowd. Carabao Island is blessed with stunning seascape and landscape that all we wished for is that it won't turn into a crowded touristy island in the near future.  

We will be back, that's for sure!

We boozed up, had a grilled feast, snorkeled into the deep parts of the sea and enjoyed the sunny afternoon with nothing to worry about especially after we concluded our two month summer backpacking trip, Same Same Summer Trip 2017.

Filipinos have a totally different concept of crystal clear waters 🏖 Photo by @thetreasuretracker

A post shared by blissfulguro (@blissfulguro) on Jul 10, 2017 at 3:45am PDT

I don't usually play favorites but when it comes to crystal clear waters, Carabao Island is surely included on my top list. Because even today, all I could remember about this trip was the beauty of this untouched paradise. Next time, we'll do a weekend in Carabao Island and a day trip to Boracay, quite a better plan eh?

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Check here for discounted hotels in Carabao Island