It's @Valryan14 again for another article. Yesterday I was only able to post 1 article because me and my circle of friends has finally executed our plan of Island hopping in a very hidden island of Tingkasan.
We had planned it for almost a month and we could have done it weeks ago but our time just doesn't match to each other as we have responsibilities of our own. And finally we've experienced what it looks like there.
What is Tingkasan Island?
Like I mentioned above, Tingkasan Island is a hidden tourist spot because this place is surrounded by big Islands of Kawayan, Biliran Province. Though there is no definite and official definition or meaning of its name, it was rumoured that it was called by its name because this is where you can find the famous Cave that were inhabited by hundreds of thousands of bats.
Unlike any beaches in the Philippines, it doesn't have a powdered-like sand but the shells you can find there is quite beautiful and wonderfully created by our almighty God. Here are some I take from the beach;
This one is what i like the most, it looks like a perfectly crafted stones that I can't resist that I take it home, lol.
Tingkasan Bat Cave.
The famous Tingkasan Bat Cave is usually visited in order to fulfill some curiousity by travellers. Like me, I was also curious and we got at least to the mouth of the cave. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture some photos near and inside the cave because it was not recommended to bring your cellular device there.
And as we got near to the mouth of the cave, we can already hear the sounds of the bats flying inside the cave. People from the past says that the Japanese hid lots of chest full of golds, jewels and expensive artifacts during the World War II inside the cave when they retreated just before the General Douglas MacArthur Leyte Landing.
As I mentioned above, the cave were inhabited by thousands of bats but their numbers has drastically reduced because of hunting and destroying their habitat. The species of the bats are still undiscovered as the cave is still fully undiscovered and no one has dared to search what is everything inside the cave.
The island also has the perfect view of its neighbouring unnamed islands. The photos I took is really beautiful that it might amaze you.
Beautiful view, right?
Above the sea.
In this photo, if you can notice the two lines that connects the two islands, you would probably think that it is a zipline, right? But no, that's an electric wire that serves as the line of their source of electricity. Because the island is not so isolated with people, still there are 20 to 30 families that live in the place. The Biliran Electric Cooperative (BILECO) made it possible to give the lone island a light.
Our experience.
Just after we arrived in the shore of Tingkasan, an old man greeted us with a big smile and offer us something to drink and the recommended cottage for us to stay. After a little bit of rest we take a little tour around then get back to prepare our foods for lunch.
Just an hour after taking our lunch, we directly went to the clear, blue and cold water of the island. It really feels so refreshing while you are in the water. Under the sea we found lots of different coral reefs and fish that swim with us. Then we go more around to search what's more in the island until we were took by ourselves to the Tingkasan Bat Cave.
When the night came, we made a bonfire and circle it while singing around and having some drinks. You can sing loud as loud as you want there because no one other than the owner/keeper of the island to stop you. We kept singing and drinking till 3 a.m. in the morning.
We only spent a night there and we plan to make it a longer stay next time.
Activities you can do.
Aside from swimming, you can also do;
• Fish hunting- the owner allows you to hunt fishes there as the spot is rich in that resources.
•Diving- the sea in the island is very deep even if you have just taken a step in the water. Just make sure to have precautions.
•Photoshooting- the owner would love you to take photos of the island's sceneries as it can promote their place to take more travellers and island adventurers.
Options to reach the Tingkasan Island.
If you ever want to visit the spot personally, considering you have arrived from the Town of Naval, Biliran (Capital of the Province) you can hire a transportation vehicle and;
•travel directly to Balacson, Biliran and then rent a boat directly to Tingkasan Island (10 minutes of travel).
•travel to Almeria, Biliran then rent a boat to sent you to Tingkasan Island (Takes 30 minutes to arrive).
•or you can hire a private boat from naval to take you to the Island (40 to 50 minutes).
Budget for traveling.
•Private boat from Naval, 12 to 20 persons, P2,500.
•Kawayan route: P60.00 per person using tricycle, rental boat for P1,200
•Almeria route: P30.00 per person using tricycle, rental boat for P1,500.00
•Balacson route: P50.00 per person for tricycle and rental boat for P1,000.
Tips
•Travel from 5 a.m. to see the sunrise and don't travel after 5 p.m. because it will double the travel fare.
•Travelling in groups can make you save in traveling fare.
•Check if the weather conditions are good for how many days.
•BYOB or Bring your own baon or foods.
•Best time to hunt fish is during the night (use waterproof flashlight) and in the morning.
But let's not forget to conserve nature and its natural resources. Just experience it get fulfilled! 😇
Thanks for reading!
