masbate

Traveling to the beautiful Masbate



MASBATE is hailed as the Rodeo Capital of the Philippines. Strategically located in the Central Philippines, it is often mistakenly tagged as part of the Visayas. Yes folks, Masbate is not part of the Visayas but part of Bicol Region.

I recently went to Masbate last Aug 26-28. I’ll be sharing to you some information about how to get there and what to do.
This is the 6th province of the Philippines that I have visited so far.

GETTING THERE 
People say Masbate is very inaccessible, but i think it’s not. It’s actually a shortcut from Southern people to reach Luzon without passing by the massive lands of Samar and Leyte.


CEBU TO MASBATE

There are two ways in reaching Masbate from Cebu. First via RoRo bus and the other one is via sea travel thru Cokaliong Shipping Lines.

For Cokaliong, the boat leaves at 7PM bound to Masbate City. The boat arrives the next morning directly to the Port of Masbate.

If you plan to take the RoRo bus, here’s how to and some important notes:
  • RoRo Bus has trips daily.
  • Ride a taxi cab or jeepney bound to Cebu North Bus Terminal located in Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
  • Be sure to be there at least 2 hours before the time of departure.
  • The bus leaves the terminal at 8PM. So make sure you’ll be there by 6PM.
  • In my case it wasn’t peak season yet and I arrived at the terminal at 6PM but the bus is half-filled with passengers already. 
  • Make sure to tell the ticket guy that seat you preferred, window or aisle, because they will just give you random seats.
  • The regular fare is P800.00 and P680.00 for students.
  • The bus is a/c and is very cold so make sure to bring jackets with you.
  • The bus then travels to Polambato Port in Bogo City, Northern Part of Cebu. The travel time would be 2.5 hours to 3 hours. You’ll arrive at the port by 11PM.
  • Once there, you have to get out of the bus and go inside the port terminal and pay P20.00 for the terminal fee and go straight to the boat of Montenegro Shipping Lines
  • The boat has no bed bunks so if you want to sleep in a lying position, you have to lie on the benches.
Cebu to Masbate and VV
  • Travel time from Bogo to Port of Cataingan, Masbate would be 5.5 hours to 6 hours. You’ll arrive there by 6AM in the morning and see the sunrise.

 Sunrise at the Port of Cataingan, Masbate 

 Port of Cataingan

Beautiful mountain near the port
  • You’ll ride the RoRo bus again. Make sure to go back to your assigned seat number.
  • From Cataingan, the bus will travel then to Masbate City for another 2.5 hours to 3 hours. 
  • The bus will have one stop over point. You’ll have to eat your breakfast by the seaside. Don’t skip your meal, they offer delicious foods at a cheap price.


 Eat your delicious breakfast here

  Breakfast by the seaside
  • After the short stop over, the bus will directly travel to Masbate City. It will stop at the Port of Masbate, not at the bus terminal.

CHECKING IN and TRAVELING AROUND

There are several hotels just near the port. Just ride a tricycle(trike) and tell your destination and they’ll take you there.

Before suggesting some hotels, I suggest you read the fare guide for trikes in Masbate. Minimum fare is P8.00. I got overcharged by one driver when I was there. Traveling around the city is just by tricycles. If you plan to travel to neighboring towns, you have to ride jeepneys in the terminal near the City Public Market.


Tricycle fare guide
HOTELS:
  • If you want less expensive hotels, I suggest you go to Sampaguita Inn. It is near PNB. Hotel rates start at P300.00 per night.
  • GV hotel is another choice. Hotel rates start at P550.00 per night. This is the nearest hotel from the Port of Masbate.
  • If these hotels are fully booked, on the same street, you can check in at Novo Hotel or at St. Anthony Hotel.
When I was there, Sampaguita Inn was fully booked so I walked my way to GV Hotel. Luckily, there was a room available. The receptionist is very friendly and I will giver her A+++ customer service. She also allowed me to check in 5 hours ahead. Their room was okay and basic. Just worth the P550.00.

PLACES TO VISIT

 Bayot Ancestral House or Villa Bayot
This old-aged ancestral house is located on the street adjacent to GV Hotel. Near this structure are inexpensive clothing shops. If you like RRJ, then you must go there, they sell clothes at 50% off. 



 Masbate Park
This park is located near Masbate Capitol Building. The park is actually safe and lighted with Solar LED luminaires at night.


Masbate Capitol Building and Grounds

1.3KM Foot Bridge in Pawa Mangrove Park
Pawa Mangrove Park

I will elaborate more of my visit in Pawa Mangrove Park in my next post.

OTHER PLACES THAT YOU MUST VISIT:

If you have plenty of time, then you can also visit these beautiful places,
  • Buntod Sandbar (Starting point at Rendezvous Hotel)
  • Bituon Beach Resort in Mobo
  • Aroroy light house
  • Ticao Island
THE LOCALS 

The people of Masbate are very friendly. Every time I ask for directions, they will gladly tell you where and how to get there. The trike drivers has also this manner of driving you to the exact spot where you want to go. For an instance, the shop I want to go was across the road, the driver will u-turn and will really stop in front. It happened several times so I guess it’s their nature. I’ve noticed there are many elders too. They are the most friendly and they are the perfect persons to ask to.

SIDE TRIPPING: 

If you plan to side trip, you can go to Port of Masbate, and ride fast craft to Pilar, Sorsogon for an hour or two. Then there, you can go to Legazpi City and other towns in Bicol Region. The fare for the boat is less than P300.00.

If you plan to continue your adventure somewhere else, you can ride a bus from Masbate to Cubao. The bus leaves before noon so be there early.
 Masbate to Cubao Fare guide


GOING HOME:

The Cokaliong Boat leaves every Saturday at 7PM.

The RoRo bus to Cebu leaves at 8:30AM from the Port of Masbate.
  • You have to pay P30.00 for the terminal fee to get inside.
  • Buy your ticket at the RoRo bus counter beside Montenegro Shipping Lines.
  • You will have to pay again P10.00 terminal fee at Cataingan.
  • You will arrive at Cebu North Bus Terminal by 8:30PM.
All in all, I did so many things in Masbate but it will be lengthy to tell. I spent around P3,100.00 in my visit there. I ate a lot there actually.

Please feel free to comment, ask, or suggest on the comment section.

I hope you will visit Masbate soon.

gustastoff

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