Cresta de Gallo
Highlights
Sibuyan Island is off the beaten path and tourist radar. But Sibuyan Island has Cresta de Gallo, a small island with magnificent sand bars that offer peace and tranquility.
Time of Visit: January 2025
Duration of Visit: Three Nights
Description
Sibuyan Island is the easternmost island of the Romblon Province. Three other large islands – Carabao, Romblon and Tablas, make up a chain such that you can travel from Roxas City at the Northeast corner of Panay Island and end up at Caticlan at the Northwest corner and vice versa. There are other smaller islands as well in the Romblon Province that are waiting to be explored.
Sibuyan Island is the second largest island in the Romblon Province. It sees very few international tourists mainly because it does not have nice white sand beaches. There are limited choices of places to stay and getting around the island is challenging as there is no established public transportation. But do not let those shortcomings let you scratch off Sibuyan Island from your list. Besides offering a place to disconnect from the craziness of overrun tourist places, Sibuyan Island has Cresta de Gallo.
Cresta de Gallo is a small island with white sand bars at each end. We have seen many sandbars while exploring the Philippine Islands for three months. There is nothing quite like it. Reaching Cresta de Gallo is easy once you are in Sibuyan Island.
Here we provide the necessary information such as where to stay, how to get there, activities and expenses so that you can successfully plan your visit.
Sibuyan Island
The island is of considerable size as it takes over an hour to motorbike from the North end to the South end. The island is sparsely populated with a few villages and towns. Though the island does not have nice beaches, there are a few places worth visiting.
Activities
Cresta De Gallo
We went to Sibuyan Island because we wanted to see Cresta de Gallo. Cresta se Gallo is a small inhabited island an hour away (by pump boat) from Azarga port near the town of San Antonio. It is a place like no other with sandbars on both ends. Only a few people permanently live on the island and there are no amenities. You need to bring your own drinks and food as there are no stores on the island.
We were fortunate enough to visit Cresta de Gallo with favorable weather conditions. Our boatman said that the waves would normally be high in January and impossible to cross with their pump boats. There were only four groups of people that made it to the island and we each had our own secluded spots. It was a very nice feeling to just sit on a chair and beach umbrella while only hearing crashing waves because there was no one around
A group of families live on the island. They act as the island’s custodians. They will check to make sure you have paid the environmental fee when you arrive.
You can also rent equipment from them. We rented a patio umbrella and a couple of chairs. They set it up for us where we wanted it. Life just could not get any better when you are at Cresta de Gallo and wish it would not end.
The only thing we wished we would have done was to bring treats to the nice people tending the island. Their lives are simple and any token of goodwill would surely be appreciated. So if you have Cresta de Gallo on your list, please bring extra treats for the locals and you will be pleasantly surprised when they open up with their welcoming spirit and friendliness
Cantingas River
Cantingas River is about a 30 minute scooter ride from Azarga Port on the island’s West side. The river is very clear and is a popular swimming/picnicking area with locals.
Explore The Island
The island has a number of waterfalls. We were only able to visit one which was Lambingan Falls on the island’s east side. It was only about a 15 minute walk to the falls from the entrance with a couple of stream crossings.
How To Get There
Sibuyan Island
You first need to get to Sibuyan Island to get to Cresta de Gallo. The only way to commercially reach Sibuyan Island is by getting to Magdiwang Port at the island’s North end. There are a few ferries, with limited schedules that leave from different locations like Batangas (in mainland Luzon), Romblon (the island) and Roxas City (in Panay).
Starlite Ferry sails overnight from Roxas City’s Culasi Port to Batangas, Luzon and stops at Magdiwang Port. There is only one sailing per day which normally leaves Roxas City around 1 PM. Ours did not leave until 2 PM and reached Magdiwang Port around 8 PM. It is highly recommended to pre-purchase the ferry ticket as it can be sold out. There are many locals that take the ferry to Batangas especially on weekends when they have to return to Luzon for work.
We bought the ferry’s tourist class ticket. The tourist class is well worth the money as it allowed us to lie down on wide bunk beds in an air conditioned room instead of regular reclining chairs.
Cresta de Gallo
Make your way to Azarga port at the southern tip of Sibuyan Island. There you will find the structure where you need to pay the environmental fee to go to the island. It is also here were you can hire a boat to take you there.
The fee is on a boat basis and not on a per person basis. So you are in luck if other tourists show up to divvy the boat cost.
For us, we contracted directly with Mr. Boy Suicon (see photo of his Facebook page later in the blog).
Where To Stay
Cajidiocan and Magdiwang are the two established towns in Sibuyan Island. Magdiwang is larger but is more than an hour scooter ride to Azarga Port. We stayed in Cajidiocan which has a few restaurants, a couple bakeries and a limited selection of accommodations. Without a doubt, the place to stay is Mac’s Travelers Inn. The rooms are new and modern and have good Wifi. They have a Facebook page.
How To Get Around
The only two ways to get around the island. These are by private vans that function as the public transportation and renting a scooter. The vans mainly run when there are ferries that arrive or leave Magdiwang Port. There were only two vans waiting for disembarking passengers at Magdiwang Port when we arrived. One van would go to the East side towardsCajidiocan and the other to the West side towards San Fernando. You might find yourself stranded at Magdiwang if you are unable to get into one of these vans (or you may have to pay extra for them to come back for you).
There are also tricycle that go from one village to another but those are expensive and very few.
Renting a scooter is the most convenient way of getting around the island. However, because the island is off the international tourist radar, there are no established scooter rental shops. We rented ours from our accommodation host and just negotiated a price.
Expected Expenses
Costs are in PHP (Philippine Peso). Mostly cash transactions.
Starlite Ferry – 920 (Tourist)
Van from Magdiwang Port to Cajdiocan – 400 pp
Cresta De Gallo Fees and Rentals – see photo
Lodging – see Mac’s Travelers Inn Facebook page
Pump Boat to Cresta de Gallo – 3,000 (cost depends on boat size. Ours was good for only two passenger and two crew)
Scooter Rental – negotiable (we paid 400 for two days)
Summary
Sibuyan Island is the second largest island of Romblon Province. It is off the radar of most international tourists. Reaching the island can be challenging and getting around the island is not so easy as there is no established public transportation.
But Sibuyan Island provides peace and tranquility and a chance to disconnect from overrun tourist places. Plus, it is a wonderful place to interact with local people. Their attitude and demeanor are genuinely Filipino.
Cresta de Gallo is a must see while visiting Sibuyan Island. For us, it was the reason to be in Sibuyan Island. Its white sand bars and turquoise calm water is just heaven on earth. Best of all, there was nobody around us for an entire day.
So, if you are in the Philippines and in the Romblon Province or even Boracay, try hard to get to Sibuyan Island and Cresta de Gallo. Besides taking a break from all the tourist madness, the memories of Sibuyan Island and Cresta de Gallo will always put a smile on your face.