Added to travel list: Calanggaman Island

About two weeks ago I came across some photos on Facebook of Calanggaman (or Kalanggaman) Island that definitely caught my eye. Curious, I looked it up and found out that it's just an hour away by boat from Palompon, Leyte, which in turn, is less than an hour's drive from Ormoc City where I partly grew up. So shame on me. The island is also accessible from Bogo City or Malapascua Island in Cebu province although the boat ride takes a little longer.

According to photographer-blogger Gerry Ruiz, Calanggaman is still a relatively bare island. Except for a public restroom and some kiosks, there are still no facilities around. No electricity or provisions for accommodation either. Being part of Palompon, the island is managed by its local government that has also stationed a police team there for round-the-clock security.

I was so enamored by what I saw and read that I've added Calanggaman to my travel list. The only drawback for My Bibe and I, however, is the "normally" rough seas one needs to negotiate to get there. So we'll see since I still need to research on when the best time for us to go there is.

The beach looks promising. There's also a shifting sandbar that extends from the island that is exposed during low tide.

How come I've never heard of this place before? I really need to rekindle that adventurous spirit in me that longs for traveling off the beaten track.

I don't think there are lots of ants (langgam in Tagalog) in Calanggaman Island and I'm pretty sure it wasn't named after them. Instead, you may find some bird species there (Gerry has spotted a few) because langgam means bird in Visayan or Cebuano, not ants. Whereas langgam in the Tagalog regions crawl, in the Visayas they fly!

For more information and photos about Calanggaman Island, check out Gerry's blog post here.

Comments

  1. Best time to go is summer :-) Hope you get to cross it off your list soon. It is a beautiful place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. i figured. but i have to wait another year. don't want to risk the waves.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FRAGRANCE | Green Cedar EDT by Bench: An environmentally-conscious offering from the Philippines' premier retail brand

Man of style: Steven Tyler