2018 Calayan Adventure: Day 01 - Traveling to Calayan Island (Manila-Tuguegarao-Claveria)

31 March 2018

Traveling to Calayan Island is a journey in itself.  This post covers the trip from Manila to Tuguegarao, then to Claveria.  We stayed overnight at a resort in Claveria because boats to Calayan only travel in the morning and at the very latest, noon.

The rest of the trip continues in the next posts :)






PART I - TRAVEL BY PLANE

The first leg of the trip to Calayan Island starts with plane travel.  My aunts booked around 20 of us via Philippine Airlines (PAL) for this journey.  We could've gone via bus (which takes around 12 hours to reach Claveria) but in consideration of the young ones on this trip, we chose to go with the "shortest time" option.  A plane ride takes about an hour and costs around P3000 per person.  Senior citizens and PWD's are eligible for discounts which bring their cost to around P2500 per person.

This is a milestone for the kids because this is the very first time they're riding a plane.  They were both very excited and Dylan was actually counting down the days on the calendar :)

We were also appreciative of the 20KG baggage limit which allowed us to bring more stuff.  We also took advantage of "Group Check-ins" so that we can just combine the total maximum limit so that those who have exceeded their personal limit won't pay any fines.  They can actually bring more provided the total limit isn't reached.

Also, just a tip, it's faster to check-in if you take advantage of the online check-in kiosks at the airport.  Once you go through the online check-in, you can simply proceed to the designated check-in counters  to drop your check-in baggage.  From our experience, there were hardly any people lined up at the online check-in baggage area but there was a long line at the traditional check-in counters.  So, keep that in mind :)

Photo by Tita Beth

Once we checked-in our bags, we took the time to have a bite to eat and then made our way to Boarding.  Even though we were wearing sandals, we still had to take them off at the last security check :)

We rode a shuttle bus to get to the plane.  It was funny because Dylan was surprised that we were riding a "bus" when he knew we were supposed to be riding a plane LOL

So, off to the plane we go!  While at the check-in counter, we were notified that the plane was changed so that our seats will be rearranged.  In the plane, when we were trying to get our bearings to be seated, we discovered that we as a family were booked apart.  We were all seated apart from one another.  It was a good thing that the flight attendants were gracious enough to let us sort ourselves out haha When all 20 of us were in our seats, we started rearranging ourselves, so we still ended up seated together.

Our snack

The kids were able to take a photo in the cockpit after all the passengers have left :)

PART II - TRAVEL BY VAN

We landed in Tuguegarao Airport after about an hour. We waited to get our bags from the plane.  When we were through, we headed out to wait for the vans which my aunts rented to take us to Claveria.  .

Photo by Lynne

But we were surprised when we stopped after a short distance, at this place, Natan's Pancit Cabagan.  In Patrick's picture he's jesting about the name because "cabagan" sounds like "kabagan" which means to have gas pains in your stomach. haha

Wondering if he'll have gas pains hehe

We had lunch here while we waited for my other aunts who were on a later flight.  The pancit was served on such a full plate, it's actually good for two to share.  The kids were fighting over the available quail eggs while the adults were busy mixing their individual sauces.

When my aunts arrived and had their fill, we all set out in the vans and headed to Claveria.  It took around 4 hours to reach ELDIA Beach resort in Claveria, Cagayan.  The rooms were simple but clean, with air conditioning, own toilet and bath and TV.  From their page, our room (shown below) cost P1,500.

, 

With nothing to do until dinner, we stepped out of the resort and directly across was the beach in all it's glory.

Photo by Lynne

We came back to a sumptious dinner prepared by the resort for us.  

Photo by Tita Lette

Then it was nighty-night for everyone.  We had to rest early so that we could wake up early too.  If I remember correctly, we were due to leave the resort at 8AM and head to the Claveria cove. More about this in the next post. :)


Summary:

Plane Ride (MNL-TUG): Cost P3000/person (PAL), 1 Hour
Van Ride: Cost (not sure because I think we rented the whole van), 4 hours