When in the Philippines visit Guimaras
Traveling to the Philippines is an exciting experience and for some the reason to go there is to have a beach vacation and one of the places to visit is Guimaras. Located in the south of the Philippines, the island paradise of Guimaras formerly known as Himal-us is famous for its wonderful beaches with clear blue waters, clean white sand and magnificent ocean life rivalling the other more famous spots in the Philippines. Guimaras was once a province of Iloilo but is now an independent island and just a 15 minute ferry ride away.
Getting There
Like pretty much the rest of the Philippines, Guimaras is an island and traveling there is mostly done over the sea. The island is accessible by either air and sea from Manila, or alternatively by boat from Bacolod city, with a easy 15 minute ferry trip from Iloilo city. On the island getting about is by any of the different forms of public transportation, trucks, tour drivers or motorbikes.
Iloilo being the closest main city, there are ferry options that you can choose from which are on offer by the local ferry companies including FF Cruz RORO Service, Pump boats from Ortiz Wharf or Parola Wharf which leaves every 30 minutes, and Fel-am Transport Ferry Service. There is also the roll on roll off ferry which plies its route to the island about five times every day. You can even hire a chartered boat and travel there or if you have your own then you are most welcome to do so.
Places to Go
Guimaras island has some of the nicest beaches in the 7107 islands of Paradise Philippines with a variety of accommodations on all of its beautiful white sand beaches. A few of the more visited beaches on the island include Puerto del Mar, Alubihod, and Roca Encantada, with more equally as interesting beaches also available. From anywhere between $8 to $50 a night, depending on the number of guests and the type of room you want, you can check-in to any of the local resorts which offer various amenities but the main draw is of course the wonderful beaches that are right on the doorstep.
The beaches are likely the first place that the tourist would like to see but other places that would be of interest would include visiting one or more of the dozen or so mango plantations. There are over 50,000 mango trees on Guimaras and a tour to any of these plantations is a wonderful experience on its own. The only reason anyone would want to pass up the chance to visit the mango plantations is perhaps a dislike for the fruit.
There are three major plantations on the island which are some of the biggest in the Philippines, they include Southern Orchard in Jordan, Oro Verde and Guimaras Tree Farm in Buenavista. Generally they are open for public tours and you are welcome to visit any of them with open arms even though they don’t often have too many visitors. Should you do decide to visit any of the mango plantations then don’t forget to leave without taking with you a case of Guimaras Super Mangoes as they are called, which to many are perhaps the sweetest mangoes in the world.
