Floating Island in The Philippines (Higatangan Island)

The sandbar (LAWIS)

Spent 4days and 3nights at Leyte where my ancestors are from. The mother of my mom lived there with her parents lolo Sebastian (who has Chinese blood and ancestors, their Chinese surname is 'Uy') and lola Josefa.

Higatangan has this majestic shifting sand bar, and the ocean water is so clear. It just needs a little reconstruction because of some parts which has rocks. The sand is fine and white, the place is so great and the people are so nice and welcoming. I'm grateful and thankful that our ancestors left us with a grand 'pamana' on a very magnificent island. A wonderful island that I can get lost in. The island as two 'Barangays' namely Mabini and Libertad and their 'Bayan' is across the ocean which is 'Naval'. The island is where former President Ferdinand Marcos hid himself (specifically at the small hidden attic of the Limpiado family's ancestral house) with the help of Mr. Limpiado. To this date, the Limpiado ancestral house still exists and now serves as a resort and has a small tribunal place for the former President. I recommend this resort since among all the resorts in the island this is the only one facing the 'Lawis' and it's just few steps away from it. You can rent a place for about PHP600/day, you can also rent floating devices. But if you want to explore the ocean bring along with you your diving devices. You can also camp and spend the night by the 'Lawis'.

Higatangan is hours away from Daniel Romualdez airport at Tacloban. From Tacloban will ride a jeepney (PHP50) to the Terminal of Van-Van's going to Naval (Van) (costs PHP140), it's a 2-3hour road trip. From Van-Van's Terminal at Naval you will walk to the Terminal of the 'Lancha' (boat) going to Higatangan (PHP50), a 45mins-1hour boat ride.

View from the Parola 

Had a great stay at Higatangan Island :) enjoyed the Lawis, Rock Formation, Tabay, Parola, Bukid, etc. I can say that Higatangan Island is a place to rest and enjoy at the same time, even without the water activities (jet ski, etc.). To all gadget geeks out there sad to say but this island has poor signal and there is no wifi. Though if you're up for a retreat and need a break from the busy city life, this is one of the place to be.

Parola (Lighthouse)

From on top of the Parola (Light house) you will see the whole island and be mesmerized by it. From the resort going to the Parola be ready for a long walk. Yes, trekking it is! But the view that you will see from up there is worth all of it. From the top you can see the whole island end-to-end, and you can see a sight of the rock formation, you will truly want to stop at get a closer look.

This is already VERY DEEP

Legend has it that not everyone can enter and go up the 'Parola' and enjoy the breath taking view of the whole island. Natives say that those people who aren't allowed to go up would see a snake or an iguana that came out of nowhere (this has been second the motioned by the care taker of the lighthouse who has been in charge of the maintenance of it for the past 21 years). You have to climb up around 6 to 7 fire fighter stairs before you reach the top. Piece of advice, don't look down when climbing, it's very steep and kinda scary but hold your breath and just keep moving because I tell you, the view is very worth it.

Tuyom (Sea Urchin)

I was asked by people around me to eat this "tuyom" (sea urchin). It was still moving when they cut it into half, and it was freshly dug up from the ocean floor. I don't know how it tastes like (I definitely have no idea). When I finally had a piece of it WOW! It tastes good. It tastes like the 'taba' or a crab, and I had more and even ate it with rice, perfect combination. The island doesn't have that much electricity (not unless you own a generator); electricity is only available from around 5 or 6pm until 10 or 11pm. It doesn't bother me though because you clearly don't need electricity even in the hot summer day because you're in an island and the breeze isn't that hot unlike in Manila which mostly cause headache and heatstroke

The "swimming pool" at the tail of the sandbar

The sun doesn't burn my skin; I don't even perspire because of the heat. Mainly because you can just simply dive in to the open water and enjoy the ocean under the bright summer sun, have that body tanned, relaxing on the fine sand. But be careful before diving by the 'Lawis', you need to ask those natives first which part is the high tide and which part is the low tide. Because the sandbar is what separates the low and high tide, you need to know which is which to keep you safe. If you decide to take a dip in any of the two still you will enjoy it, and if you choose the high tide part RENT A FLOATING DEVICE.

It's deeper than you expect it to be, it's a perfect diving spot. It is where these people get fresh fish from, they dive and get their food, and if you ask them to give you a starfish or a shell they would. You would just need to let it stay in the sun for couple of hours to eliminate the sea smell. Overall, Higatangan Island is one of the paradises I would refer to here in the Philippines.

(APRIL 2013)

*FEATURED ON DEFINITELY FILIPINO*:
http://definitelyfilipino.com/blog/2015/04/02/floating-island-in-the-philippines-higatangan-island-2/