Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mount Malindig
Enquire at the tourist o
ce in Boac or at the barangay hall in Sihi, Buenavista to organize a compulsory guide (P500/day)
The highest peak of Marinduque is
Mount Malindig
, a 1157m volcano that's considered
dormant. It's possible to climb to the summit; the hike can be done in a day starting
from the barangay of Sihi in Buenavista, with the ascent taking about three and a half
hours and the descent significantly less.
Marinduque's east coast
Marinduque's
east coast
offers a number of wonderful secluded beaches, the nicest of
which is
Poctoy White Beach
. There are fewer resorts on this stretch of coast than on the
west, and it's well worth spending a couple of days.
Poctoy White Beach
P20 environmental fee • Jeepneys between Santa Cruz and Torrijos stop off at Poctoy (hourly; 1hr 30min; P40)
Just 2km from Torrijos is
Poctoy White Beach
, where the sand is not as pale as the name
suggests but is still much better than the pebbles on the west coast. The views across
the bay to Mount Malindig can also be spectacular. The stretch of beach is packed with
huts which can be rented for the day, and has a small market where you can buy the
catch of the day by weight and have it cooked for an extra P25.
Ka Amon Cave
Brgy Bonliw • Compulsory guides (by donation; minimum P50) can be organized at Bonliw Barangay Hall •
T
0926 648 7033 • Jeepneys
from Torrijos to Brgy Bonliw (hourly; 20min; P18)
Eleven kilometres north of Torrijos is the
Ka Amon Cave
, a series of seven chambers that
were once pre-Hispanic funeral grottoes - you can still see skeletal remains and broken
potteries as you enter the first chamber. Chambers six and seven are off limits to visitors
in order to preserve the cave habitat and fauna, which includes bats and birds. You'll
still be able to see about one hundred bats in chamber five, where tours end; there are
even more during the rainy season.
4
Santa Cruz and around
If you're interested in exploring the caves and islands in the northeast of Marinduque,
SANTA CRUZ
is the best base for a day or two. That said, the town is unmemorable
- the only sights a whitewashed Spanish-era church and the dilapidated wooden
convent next to it - and the narrow streets in the centre are choked with tricycles and
jeepneys from dawn to dusk. Be prepared for noise.
MARINDUQUE HANDICRAFTS
On the road from Torrijos to Santa Cruz, there are a couple of worthwhile stops for anyone
interested in
handicrafts
. Within the barangay of Poctoy, a short distance from the beach,
is the pottery workshop of
Jun Gabisan
(daily 8am-5pm;
T
0910 252 5120), who learned
the craft from his father and has been making pots since he was 12. He and his father (who
speaks better English) offer tuition on the potter's wheel at P300 per hour for a small group.
Further along the coastal road in the barangay of Bonliw is
Julie Anne's Handicrafts
(daily 8am-5pm;
T
0917 544 6962), a popular stop with the few tour groups who make it
to Marinduque. Employing twenty women, the company produces placemats and other
textiles on traditional looms, using stalks of the
buntal
palm tree that are threaded, dyed
and weaved at the workshop. The weavers are happy to receive visitors and allow
photographs, but may not speak much English. Both make for an interesting stop although,
as both the pottery and woven products are made to order, there is a limited selection
available to buy.
