Itinerary and Budget: Our 4 Day Batanes Trip

After I finished tallying my vacation leaves available for 2019, I still managed to book this (which is to say my 7 day December Thailand trip was unpaid). #noragrets

I have read way too many blog posts to say that travels blogs mostly have the same content. So here's one more for Batanes. 

Itinerary and Budget

I am listing down the itinerary and budget that went through instead of what was planned/expected. I may or may not have 100% accuracy specially with time ✌🏻.

Date	Time	Activity	Expenses 2 pax	Expenses 1 pax
January 2019	n/a	Booked flight | PAL	10,948	5,474
August 2019	n/a	Booked accommodation | Nathaniel's Lodge via Agoda	4500	2250
October 10, 2019	8:00 AM	ETA Clark International Airport
	10:00 AM	CRK 🛫BSO
	12:00 NN	ETD Basco
	01:00 PM	Lunch	400	200
	02:30 PM	Start North Batan Tricycle Tour	1000	500
	05:30 PM	End Tour
	06:00 PM	Dinner	800	400
October 11, 2019	05:30 AM	Get ready/Breakfast
	07:30 AM	Start South Batan Tour	1500	750
		Various entrance fees	200	100
		Lunch	160	80
	02:30 PM	Side trip to Spring of Youth	200	100
	05:00 PM	Dinner	900 😅	450
October 12, 2019	04:30 AM	Get ready / Breakfast
	05:30 AM	ETD To Ivana port via Tricycle	250	125
	06:00 AM	ETA Ivana port
	07:45 AM	ETD Sabtang via Boat	400	100
	08:00 AM	Start Sabtang Day Tour	1000	500
		Sabtang environmental fee	400	200
	12:00 PM	Lunch	700	350
	01:00 PM	End tour / ETD to Ivana port
	02:00 PM	ETD to accommodation via Tricycle	250	125
	02:30 PM	Pay Basco environmental fee	700	350
	04:30 PM	Early Dinner	600	300
October 13, 2019	08:00 AM	Get ready / Breakfast
	09:30 AM	Checkout / ETD to Airport
	12:00 NN	BSO 🛫CRK
	02:00 PM	ETD Clark

Our total is 4780 per pax (excluding accommodation and flight)! We were expecting something more expensive. It was nice because one of the best parts for me in travel is coming home with the pocket money I did not use 🤑.

Now let me explain.

Planning

For research I just googled Batanes blogs and read multiple pages about it. It was really simple (but still important to gather as much information as much as possible). I did not create an actual plan or itinerary for this one because of my condition making it hard for me to be productive.

I saved the number of the BATODA (+639297038404) from one of the blog posts and used that to ask for a driver for our tour. Please ask for kuya Tino with the tricycle #30 💛 even though I'm pretty sure anyone is just as nice. Kuya Tino arrives earlier than our planned call time every time 😍. He is the one who insists we take photos when we forget and then he allows us to chill and not mind him while he finds the perfect angle for his candid shots of us. Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Kuya Tino's shot 👏🏼

Also kuya Tino's shot minutes after we stopped posing👏🏼

Day 1

From blogs I've read how you were to pay an environmental fee the moment you reach Basco but our airport to hotel transport did not take us there first, also it wasn't located at the airport (for now maybe). And when we started our tours our guide assumed we already paid. We almost got in trouble because of this 😅.

Before we started our tour we went to eat our late lunch in Harbour Cafe. It was a short walk from where we're staying. We liked it so much we came back again for dinner the next day!

This is where we realised we will never capture this view the same way we see it!

I was in awe of how angry the water is? This could kill me in 2 seconds if I get too close. It was beautiful. A lot of people talk about how they just watch the view and I think I can't do that? Sit still and enjoy what's in front of me for more than a few minutes. This is the exception 🌊. I didn't want to leave.

If I want to be poetic I'll start creating metaphors with how nice and raw and real this is 📝. 

The first time we saw the Ivatan headwear we automatically knew we have to try out! What we should've done is wait to wear it instead in Sabtang (Day 3) because it is less touristy there.

Ending the tour in Vayang Rolling Hills is the best advice I got from the blogs. It isn't a take a photo and leave kind of destination. If I have any regret from this trip it's that we should've come back here for the sunset during our short stay.

Sunset at Vayang Rolling Hills

Day 2

Marlboro hills

Most places are the same 360 views with the angry water at the bottom but all seemed new and as exciting to me. 🐣

There was a lot of walking involved to get to the best views similar to the day before 💦.

I requested that we visit the Spring of Youth last so that we can swim without thinking about the next destination. And surprise surprise there's a long walk ahead 💦(about 20 mins or more) before we reach this man made spring 🥾. And it wasn't a straight and even road. It's still under construction for now so this was the only option. It was worth it.

We took our time here talking about relationships, the recent earthquake we experienced in Pampanga, and the future 🥂. There were a few tourists who arrived as well but it was just us who changed into bathing suits and enjoy the cold water.

Shameless plug: My photo was featured in Cosmo Philippines 🎉🥳

Day 3

Scared from the blog posts I've seen, we arrived at the port too early! Being the punctual person that I am and knowing I will probably cry if we miss the one trip for the day, we spent a lot of time waiting for the boat to arrive.

This day tour is not enough! All of us are moving really fast instead of taking our time. We really didn't have a choice but to take photos and then leave the next moment. It was a little sad.

The best part was the tricycle ride. We got to see the best of views I might've enjoyed it more than the destinations because I was just sitting pretty and admiring what the nature has to offer 🌊🐓☀️🌴.

After the tour it was our third attempt to rent a bike 🚴🏻‍♀️🚴🏻‍♀️ from where we were staying and still no luck so we just walked our way to our chosen restaurant. We got cat called on our way and it's not even dark out yet 😢. We also didn't think about how we will go back to our place until we saw that it's already dark outside. Good thing there was a tricycle driver outside waiting for his guests to finish eating, he gave us a ride and did not ask for payment 🙈😍. 

We went to Vunong Dinette at Jessica’s Place because it was close and what we didn't know again was that it's for reservation 😅! They still allowed us to eat there but it may just be because it wasn't peak season. There are no menu because they serve set meals (most places only serves set meals). 

Day 4

The only thing to share is that they were not open yet when we arrived (Past 9AM)! By that I mean they weren't allowing guests yet to check in but stores are already open for last minute shopping.

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Batanes is unique destination for me. It was so different I wasn't sure if I'm still in the same country 🇵🇭or if it was real. It is the opposite of most top destinations I've been to where you struggle to find the best views because it was a camera trick or because there are people in the way.

I will definitely go back with the hopes that it's still the same Batanes I remember in my head.

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