The Philippines - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 643

underestimate its fury, especially
considering that it has been rumbling
ominously since 2006. he surrounding
forest helped keep President Manuel
Quezon hidden from invading Japanese
forces during World War II and contains
all manner of wonderful wildlife, including
pythons, monitor lizards, tube-nosed bats
and the dahoy pulay , a venomous green tree
snake. he best way to get here is by
jeepney via Murcia, southeast of Bacolod.
here are several routes up the volcano;
one of the best is from the village of
Guintubdan on the western slopes, and
most involve three tough days of walking
and two nights of camping. Before you
set out you must visit the Park
Superintendent's o ce in Bacolod (Penro
compound, Abad Santos Street, Barangay
39; T 034 433 3813) to put your name
down for a park permit (P500) and a
compulsory guide (P700). If required,
porters cost P500 per day. Local guide
and biologist Angelo ( T 0917 301 1410)
can arrange everything for you, and tailor
the climb to the level of di culty you're
looking for. For up-to-date information
about the safety of climbing Kanlaon,
contact the tourist o ce in Bacolod
(see p.645).

Sugar Beach
he long and lovely Sugar Beach has a
backdrop of coconut groves and mountains
and faces due west, with wonderful sunsets.
hough beginning to be discovered by
tourists, it's still at its busiest when the
kids get out of school and gather there to
play in the relative cool of the late
afternoon. Nothing more strenuous than
sunbathing and beach volleyball are the
order of the day here, though a favourite
excursion is to the nearby wildlife
sanctuary of Danjugan Island, which
you'll need to reserve in advance (see
W

prrcf.org for more information). Better
diving is to be had at Punta Ballo , another
clean, quiet and beautiful beach fifteen
minutes from Sipalay by tricycle (P150).
You can stay here at the Artistic Diving
Beach Resort ( T 034 453 2710,
W

artisticdiving.com; P1280), which has
beachfront accommodation in fan or
air-conditioned rooms and a good Swiss/
Filipino restaurant.
ACCOMMODATION
Driftwood Village T 0920 900 3663, W driftwood
-village.com. This welcoming place with 18 cottages,

8

GETTING TO AND FROM
SUGAR BEACH
The easiest thing to do is to arrange a
boat transfer with your resort; they'll
send their boatman over to pick you up
from Poblacion Beach in Sipilay town,
directly where the bus from Bacolod or
Dumaguete will drop you. Rates are
about P300 per boat (4 to 6 people). A
cheaper and more roundabout way of
getting to Sugar Beach involves taking a
tricycle to Nauhang (P150), where you
take a small paddle boat across the creek
(P20), and walk around the headland. If
you decide to take this route, ask to be
let off the bus in Montilla rather than
Sipalay, which is closer to Nauhang.
Coming from Dumaguete the quickest
bus route follows the coast south around
the toe of the island and then north
through Hinoba-an, but an equally scenic
option is to head north and then across
the mountains to Kabanklan before
travelling south for Sipalay.

Sipalay
About halfway between Bacolod and
Dumaguete on the island's west coast, the
remote town of SIPALAY is surrounded by
a scattering of islands and some wild and
wonderful beaches. Chief among these is
Sugar Beach , a long stretch of powdery
sand that still feels like one of the
Philippines' best-kept secrets. Sipalay's
historical focal point is the plaza and the
church, but these days most activity
centres on the main road, where there are
numerous canteens, bakeries and a couple
of convenience stores. Buses will leave you
close to Driftwood restaurant (a liated
with the resort of the same name on
Sugar Beach) on Poblacion Beach, which
has the best food in town and is the de
facto pick-up point for boats to Sugar
Beach. he nearest ATM is a long way
north at Kabankalan, so make sure that
you have enough cash to keep you going.