Sambawan Island is Biliran’s answer to paradise. White sands, thriving marine life and warm blue waters lapping up the tree-lined shore is a must for those wanting escape from reality. Maria Benita, our good fairy must have worked wonders in this place.
Sambawan Island is located 5km of the west coast of Maripipi Municipality, south of the Samar sea, is fast becoming the most visited attraction by the tourists. The semi- curved beach with soaring rock formations covered with green grass as a backdrop create a bubble of fantasy that you are entering another dimension.
Sambawan Island, Maripipi has a stark, mountainous coastline and a spectacular sunrise, a stunningly beautiful view, which will surely melt your heart.
Viewed from a distance, Sambawan island with its towering rocks; is a series of interconnecting stony islets. It has two main islands and the rocky terrain is covered with grass. Along the shore lines, Talisay trees are being planted.
Sambawan island is a marine sanctuary and a popular dive site. It has an extensive wealth of marine life, good visibility and corals that are in good condition. Turtles, sea snakes and reef sharks are also found there often. Current is mild and suitable for all range of divers.
A watch tower is built at the highest point to give the tourists unencumbered view of the entire island. It serves as viewdeck to witness the spectacular sunrise and the glorious sunset. Both,which can surely melt your heart.
Commercialism is slowly creeping in this previously unspoilt island. Cottages, bathroom facilities, room, diving gears and beachfront camping are now available for a fee.
From Tacloban ride Van-vans, Duptors, Grandtours to Naval
Then take the only passenger boat to Maripipi Is (it leaves 10am)
From Maripipi Is. Ride Habal habal to Brgy. Ol-og
Then rent a boat to Sambawan Island
Alternate route is Ride jeep, bus or Habal habal to Kawayan and hire boat directly to Sambawan but this route is expensive because the boat costs Php 3,000* to Php 3,500*.
Expenses
Van to Naval Php 130
Passenger Boat to Maripipi Is. Php 80
Naval Port Terminal fee Php10
Habal to Brgy. Ol-og Php150 / 2pax
Boat to Sambawan Php 600 / 5pax
Sidetrip (Habal-Habal Php 500 to Php 900) Falls Hopping
Ulan-ulan Falls, Recoletos and Tinago Falls
From Naval Town Proper
Options:
* Prices subject to change without prior notice
Hire a private boat for roundtrip to Sambawan Island, Maripipi, Biliran from Naval Port (Naval is the capital town of Biliran Province). Boat rental is Php 10,000* for 10-15 pax, Php 12,000* to 14,000 for 30-60pax
Go the local way; catch a ride at one of the ferry boats going to the Maripipi Island via Naval Port, fare per head is Php 60. Travel time is 1.5 hours. Once you reached the town of Maripipi, hire a habal-habal, fare is Php 30 per head to Brgy. Ol-og. From there hire a boat for Php 600. Travel time to Sambawan is 15 minutes. [Maripipi Regular Boat Schedules] The ferry departs at 10:30 Am from Mon- Sat and leaves the following day for Naval at 4:30 Am
Ride a habal-habal to Kawayan Municipality Php 60 per head. Rent a boat at Php 3,000 Php (3,500Overnight) and travel to Sambawan. Travel time is 60 minutes. Boat Capacity maximum of 10 persons.
Teacher III at Department of Education - Mandaluyong
September 15, 2015
Sambawan is superb!!!
Sambawan is really a good beach with clear water which is very inviting for a swim. We have been there for overnight on May 5, 2015. In this webpage, it says it charges P50 entrance fee but we were charge with P100 per head. Our boat was also charged with P125 (...)
Sambawan is really a good beach with clear water which is very inviting for a swim. We have been there for overnight on May 5, 2015. In this webpage, it says it charges P50 entrance fee but we were charge with P100 per head. Our boat was also charged with P125 docking fee. For water consumption, there is a water meter in the P2,500 cottage we rented where the first 200 liters is free each excess is P1 per liter. Not bad, our group of 10 only consumed 370 liters in our overnight stay. For our food, we bought fresh fish and other food supplies in Naval and one staff cooked our food for dinner and breakfast. They provided us the plates, fork, spoon, serving plates, serving spoon and for all these, they charged us for P300 but we paid P500 because we were highly satisfied. A cup of hot water costs P10 which is not bad for wherever you go, even in Batad, it costs the same. If you opt to stay in an open cottage of P500, you will be charged for P30 for every water can you use. Our group did not go to Kawayan port but we opted to have the naval port to sambawan which costs P8,000 for a bigger boat. Kawayan to Sambawan of 50 minutes boat ride costs only P3,000 to P3,500 depending on your haggling skills. But by taking Naval Port which is 2 and half hours would reward you by dropping by in the beautiful islands of Kapinyahan and Dalutan. The experience of going there is so priceless. Besides, in buying food supplies, the progressive Naval municipality has it all. It is highly advisable that you buy drinking water from Naval. They don't offer deposit for 6-gallon water container instead they sold it filled with water for as high as P260 but based on the canvassing I did, I landed at P185 water container filled with mineral water, purified water costs P150 and alkaline water costs P200. There are four water refilling stations in Naval and I have chosen the fourth one because it was the cheapest among the four.
To sum it up, my experience in Sambawan is superb!!! And I still would like to go back there. Remember that photo shooting is best late in the afternoon till 6pm if you want to have that shoot with the dotting islands with the background of the Maripipi island. Morning will not be good because the sun rises at the back of Maripipi Island, thus, giving you a dark picture since it is against the light. I am highly satisfied with my Sambawan trip. The P2,500 cottage is large enough to accommodate more than 10 people for it has an attic and the balcony facing the beach can also accommodate people where sleeping is at its best since fresh air would send you to a soundly and tight sleep. Of course, there is enough water supply for shower and washing but just remember that each cottage of P2,500 has its own water meter and so just minimize the use of water.
Jethol Coral Paanod
March 19, 2016
The Sorry State of My Home Island
The Sorry State of My Home Island
I always say that I do not need the eyes of a tourist to see the beauty of my home island. It's just so beautiful to get used to. Now it's in an almost sorry state.
Indeed beauty is expensive, but who will dare go if one (...)
I always say that I do not need the eyes of a tourist to see the beauty of my home island. It's just so beautiful to get used to. Now it's in an almost sorry state.
Indeed beauty is expensive, but who will dare go if one has to break a bank to get to our province. Food is expensive. People easily take advantage. Local government doesn't care and is ignorant of eco-tourism. Look what has been done to Tinago and Kasabangan. No government agency with the right mind would put up a grandstand for viewing. People go to see the falls, not a sporting event. So why a grandstand?
Now you see Sambawan. Owners have carved concrete steps up the hill. If people want ease and comfort, they will go to Disneyland, not to a pristine island. They could have carved steps, but do they have to be concrete?
Fares to these places have gone up. People in our province do not realize that in this day and age one blog against the whole experience of visiting our island can kill our tourism industry. Higatangan Island has long been celebrated, even longer than Kalanggaman. Look where Kalanggaman is now? It has attracted European visitors. Going there is not as exhorbitant as going to Higatangan or Sambawan. Our people and government should act now. Let's make our tourist destinations more accessible and affordable but we should demand from tourists to help us take care of them.
If high fees are a way to regulate visitors to keep the island from total destruction, we can make it expensive but provide discount to those who will take their trash with them when they leave. El Nido is expensive but people go there because it offers you a total nature experience, no grandstand, no superimposed man-made structures. Last time I visited Sambawan, I saw litter everywhere and this makes me feel sorry for my island.
Bart Pols
ICT supervisor - Antwerp-Belgium-Europe
January 20, 2017
First of all, I agree with what Jethol is saying in his post, but we have to realize that tourism is kind of "walking the thin line"; it is a very narrow balance of economic benefit and preserving the natural beauty ...and not to forget ... the cultural beauty (...)
First of all, I agree with what Jethol is saying in his post, but we have to realize that tourism is kind of "walking the thin line"; it is a very narrow balance of economic benefit and preserving the natural beauty ...and not to forget ... the cultural beauty ... I think no-one is waiting for another Boracay, where the pure ecomomic has won it from ecologic...agree ... such places can and should exist ... because this is the place where an average person wants to spend his vacation...
But this is indeed not the path that Biliran needs and wants to take, i think Biliran is looking for the eco-tourist (and believe me these kind of people exist too ... )
Eco-tourism, based on conservation of the natural assets (environmental fee) and in the hand of the Biliranons .... no fancy tour guides where money goes to exploiting companies ... but in the hands of the local people ... because, besides the natural assets is the local population also a very important asset ... they know their island, they are proud of their island ... so nothing better than to hear this from them ... and it makes them happy if they hear you feel the same way ...
I am already looking forward for next April to be in Biliran again and be amongst the Biliranons ....
Now .... Sambawan island ... this is indeed a very beautiful place ... we went there last year with the complete family and people from the brgy ... and i can only say ... this was an unforgettable day ... that started already very early when food was prepared ... (spaghetti , bihon , adobo ... ), next was the ride to Kawayan where our 2 boats left for Sambawan Island ... after a 45min sightseeing trip on the sea we arrived on the island ...only to realize that it is even more beautiful than what you saw on pictures already ... you also notice how big the island is in fact ...
After being welcomed by the island conservators we decided to take a cottage for the complete group ... the kids immediately plunged into the water and i decided to explore the island... there are indeed "interventions" made in the nature of the island (stairs , viewpoint, ... ) but i think,these have been kept to a minimum ... it's not that they built a rollercoaster there ... lol.
I did indeed also notice the waste and litter in the water and on the beach ... (please don't understand me wrong ... this is only a very minimum amount of waste ... ) but after talking to the convervators i learned that this waste is not coming from visitors on the island ... the waste is coming out of the sea and released on Sambawan's beach ... conservators are then also working multiple times per day to get the water and the beach clean!
At 5:00 Pm we started packing and cleaning and we made the banka trip back to Kawayan in a beautiful sunset ... the children already sleeping of a happy tiredness ... and after arriving home everyone was asleep very fast ... dreaming of this fantastic trip ...
If you want to have a fantastic time amongst family or friends in a WONDEFUL piece of nature .... this is a must-do ...
I only regret 1 thing ... that we did not stay for the night ... because i think this makes the trip even more fantastical ...
Bart Pols
ICT supervisor - Antwerp-Belgium-Europe
April 7, 2017
First of all, I agree with what Jethol is saying in his post, but we have to realize that tourism is kind of "walking the thin line"; it is a very narrow balance of economic benefit and preserving the natural beauty ...and not to forget ... the cultural beauty (...)
First of all, I agree with what Jethol is saying in his post, but we have to realize that tourism is kind of "walking the thin line"; it is a very narrow balance of economic benefit and preserving the natural beauty ...and not to forget ... the cultural beauty ... I think no-one is waiting for another Boracay, where the pure ecomomic has won it from ecologic...agree ... such places can and should exist ... because this is the place where an average person wants to spend his vacation...
But this is indeed not the path that Biliran needs and wants to take, i think Biliran is looking for the eco-tourist (and believe me these kind of people exist too ... )
Eco-tourism, based on conservation of the natural assets (environmental fee) and in the hand of the Biliranons .... no fancy tour guides where money goes to exploiting companies ... but in the hands of the local people ... because, besides the natural assets is the local population also a very important asset ... they know their island, they are proud of their island ... so nothing better than to hear this from them ... and it makes them happy if they hear you feel the same way ...
I am already looking forward for next April to be in Biliran again and be amongst the Biliranons ....
Now .... Sambawan island ... this is indeed a very beautiful place ... we went there last year with the complete family and people from the brgy ... and i can only say ... this was an unforgettable day ... that started already very early when food was prepared ... (spaghetti , bihon , adobo ... ), next was the ride to Kawayan where our 2 boats left for Sambawan Island ... after a 45min sightseeing trip on the sea we arrived on the island ...only to realize that it is even more beautiful than what you saw on pictures already ... you also notice how big the island is in fact ...
After being welcomed by the island conservators we decided to take a cottage for the complete group ... the kids immediately plunged into the water and i decided to explore the island... there are indeed "interventions" made in the nature of the island (stairs , viewpoint, ... ) but i think,these have been kept to a minimum ... it's not that they built a rollercoaster there ... lol.
I did indeed also notice the waste and litter in the water and on the beach ... (please don't understand me wrong ... this is only a very minimum amount of waste ... ) but after talking to the convervators i learned that this waste is not coming from visitors on the island ... the waste is coming out of the sea and released on Sambawan's beach ... conservators are then also working multiple times per day to get the water and the beach clean!
At 5:00 Pm we started packing and cleaning and we made the banka trip back to Kawayan in a beautiful sunset ... the children already sleeping of a happy tiredness ... and after arriving home everyone was asleep very fast ... dreaming of this fantastic trip ...
If you want to have a fantastic time amongst family or friends in a WONDEFUL piece of nature .... this is a must-do ...
I only regret 1 thing ... that we did not stay for the night ... because i think this makes the trip even more fantastical ...
