I'm so lucky to have a friend whose province is in Iloilo. A province surrounded by islands which have very beautiful beaches. Most popular group of islands is the Gigantes islands which is now a favorite tourist destination in the province. Very fortunate indeed that my friend lives in Estancia, Iloilo which is a municipality near Gigantes Island.
We decided to do our island trip on a day after we arrived in Iloilo. We were worried the night before that our island trip will not push through because of the large and strong waves the previous days. The coastguards suspend all trip even fishing boats going to Gigantes and other parts of the sea because of the unstable situation. The sun was up and the wind wasn't blowing as hard as the previous days. We went to the market where the port is located and rented a boat which is worth P5,000.00 to take us around Gigantes Islands. It took us almost two hours to reach or first destination which is Tanke Island.
We have to manage our ways to the rocky cliffs and waves to set foot in the island and marvel at the tranquility inside.
We were not able to stay that long because there is no proper place to dock the boat and there are tourists arriving. We have to manage our way out as there are already another boat beside ours.
It was just a short stay in Tanke Island but I indeed love tranquility inside this rocky island.
We went to Antonia Island which is just near Tanke Island. This is where we also stayed for our lunch. Upon setting foot on the island, we went immediately to the stores to order our lunch.
The amazing thing about Antonia Island is that its like swimming in your own aquarium. Fish of different colors are swimming in the shallow waters. And I mean just a foot-deep of water. No need for a snorkeling gears. Just goggles and you can enjoy swimming with the fishes and marvel at the colorful corals.
We had our lunch in Antonia Island. We had sinigang na isda, fried fish and their local clams. After the heavy lunch we took some more photos of the place.
Our last stop in Gigantes island is the most Instagram island. We have to maneuver our way on the rocky steps to get on top of the island. It is not that high but the steps are steep and there are times that you have to squeeze yourself in between the rocks.
We want to stay longer in Gigantes but the weather is not cooperating. Our boatmen advised us that we should leave because the waves is starting to get larger. Dark clouds are also very visible so with a heavy heart we opted to leave Gigantes.
