Located in the northern part of Cagayan is Palaui Island. The place become popular after the reality show Survivor came to this island. However, until this point there are still few blogs about the place. It will took fourteen (14) hours by land and boat to reach this island. Me and my friends chose to travel by air via Tuguegarao however it will still be three (3) hours to reach Sta. Ana, Cagayan where the San Vicente port if located. San Vicente port is where you can rent boats going to Palaui. They have standard rates based on the island or part of Palaui that you want to visit.
We took a different route going to Palaui. Instead of going to Sta. Ana, we stayed overnight in Nangaramoan beach. We rent a boat going to Palaui from Mar-Pe Inn. It will take 30 to 45 minutes going to Palaui from Nangaramoan. Riding a boat in this partis abit scary if you aare not a swimmer like me because of the big waves that will rocking your bat. Lucky for us, our boatmen knows very well how to ride the waves and how to pass between it.
Our boatmen lead us to Ate Elsa Laddaran's house where we will stay for one night. Ate Elsa is famous because she is the only person who has a homestay in the island. If you have tents, you may pitch it in Punta Verde beach which is also near the house of Ate Elsa. There are no carinderias or any place to eat in Palaui hwever you may ask Ate Elsa to cook food for you.
Ate Elsa told us that while waiting for our lunch we can go to the falls which is just a short walk from their place. Going to the waterfalls you have to pass a bridge, a rice field and high canopy of trees.
However, since it hasn't rain in Palaui, there is only a small portion of the waterfall that has water. The water coming from it was cold and there are a lot of butterflies in the area.
After the trek to the falls we went back to the house of Ate Elsa for our lunch then we prepared our things for our trip to Cape Engaño and Crocodile Island.
Cape Engaño is located on the other side of Palaui Island. There are two options reaching Cape Engaño, first is by trekking which will take three hours and the other is by boat. Of course, we decided to take a boat ride which is much faster but the sea the boat ride is not smooth sailing. Since this part is much open to the ocean, expect much unpredictable waves. The lighthouse and the view deck being constructed is visible while on our way to Cape Engaño.
Upon arrival in Cape Engaño, our boatmen assist us in the registration area where they will assign a tour guide to accompany tourists who want to go up the lighthouse. We have not yet gotten far from the registration area when we saw the rolling hills of Palaui.
Going to the lighthouse was a bit tough because of the extreme heat. I had sweat rolling through my eyes twice. There are stairs on the trail so its not that hard. Your tiredness would also go away once you look at the beautiful scenery.
The Cape Engaño Lighthouse was built during the Spanish Colonial period which served as gateway for incoming ships.
We took a short rest upon reaching the lighthouse. I was able to climb the tower and saw the different sides of the island.
I went at the back of the lighthouse to explore more of the island. While at the back of the lighthouse, a local arrived carrying a pail of water and told me that the view downhill is more beautiful. I followed him go down and saw him with two companions building a view deck for tourists. And yeah, he is right when he said that the view is beautiful. I think beautiful is an understatement.
One of the famous scenery in Palaui Island is the Dos Hermanas Islands. We passed by these two islands in our boat ride going to Cape Engano.
We went down the lighthouse after taking a lot of pictures. Really! You can't seem to get enough of the place. Too bad that it's do hot that we can't wait to swim on our next destination.
We rode our boat again and venture to the sea amidst the waves. Our next destination is Crocodile Island. The island was called such because if you have a vertical view of the island, it looks like a crocodile. Too bad we were in a different direction hence I don't have a shot to show how it looks like.
There are no trees on island. Only rocks and sand. Since the island is just small and there are no caretakers there are a lot of litters in the place. We only went for a short swim because the waves are literally crashing on us in different directions.
We went back to Punta Verde and decided to have a swim there. The water was not cold nor hot and even if you are quite far from the beach it is only knee deep.
That is how our day in Palaui goes. There are a lot about Palaui and one day stay is not enough!
