HomeAsiaPhilippinesLuzonOne Week in Bicol – Solo Backpacking & DIY Tips By Marcos Detourist on February 16, 2011Bicol, located on the southeastern peninsula of Luzon, has been on the top of my list to travel in the Philippines.If I had more time (and money), I would love to visit every one of its six provinces.I spent my seven days exploration of Bicol Peninsula crisscrossing between Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon … 3 out of 6 for my first time to Bicol is good enough but I just have to come back for more! The “Lone Survivor” in Matukad Island, Caramoan, Camarines SurNaga Penafrancia Festival Photos: My First CamSur ExperienceWitnessing the Peñafrancia Festival, the largest Marian devotion in the country, was my first agenda after touchdown at the Naga (Pili) Airport in Camarines Sur. I shared My First CamSur Experience with the hospitality of Nagueños and got an introduction to the rich history of Naga City. Since I was not able to make prior room reservations in Naga City, I decided to spend my first night in Legazpi City instead. First glimpse of Bicol at the Naga (Pili) AirportNaga Metropolitan Cathedral Image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, locally known as “Ina” Holy Rosary Minor SeminaryBrick Arches along the corridors of the Holy Rosary Minor SeminaryOld Buildings in the downtown area of Naga City Devotees of the Virgin of Peñafrancia chanting “Viva La Virgen!” Legazpi City Night Travel and First Glimpse of Mayon VolcanoI couldn’t wait till morning so I could finally see Mt. Mayon in all its glory. Legazpi is definitely a strong contender for being the most picturesque city in the Philippines. Just roaming the streets and open areas, I can’t help but feel awed at the ominous presence of the cone-shaped Mayon Volcano. I made sure to go around some of the usual vantage points in Legazpi and Daraga so I could bring back a classic view of Mayon. Morning walk at the Penaranda Park in Legazpi City, AlbayLegazpi City Cathderal / Parish of San Gregorio Magno Pingangat Pasta and Bicol Express at Small Talk Cafe along Dona Aurora Street Embarcadero Lighthouse Viewdeck: Mayon Madness Take 1 Seaside Boulevard / Promenade beside the Legazpi City Seaport Sweeping view of Legazpi City with the Mayon Volcano from the Emcarcadero LighthouseDaraga Church Sidetrip: Mayon Madness Take 2 Daraga Church built on top of a hillCagsawa Church Ruins at Dusk: Mayon Madness Take 3 A carabao grazing on the open fields along the way to the Cagsawa Ruins Ruins of the Cagsawa Church, which got destroyed during the devastativng eruption of Mt. Mayon in 1814 Classic view of Mt. Mayon with the rice fields in the foreground Colorful night lights from Embarcadero Mall and the bay area of Legazpi CityLegazpi City Seawall at Sunrise: Mayon Madness Take 4 Father and son duo in their usual morning routine at the bayLigñon Hill View Deck: Mayon Madness Take 5 Morning view of the Daraga Church (Our Lady of the Gate Parish) Ligñon Hill, an elevated recreational area just at the outskirts of Legazpi City and DaragaAround Naga City and Commute from Legazpi Pinangat at Let’s Pinangat along the highway in Camalig, Albay Camalig Church, Albay (St. John the Baptist Parish)Ligao Church, Albay (Saint Stephen Protomartyr Parish) Canaman Church, Camarines Sur (Nuestra Senyore de la Asuncion Parish) Bombon Church, Camarines Sur (Nuestra Senyora del Rosario Parish) Arch-bridge at the Quipayo Church in Calabanga, Camarines Sur> San Fransisco Church and Ruins in Naga City, Camarines Sur Porta Mariae of the Naga Metropolitan Cathderal at nightSan Fransisco Church Ruins Penafrancia Basilica with spaceship-like gazeeboPenafrancia Basilica InteriorsOur Lady of Penafrancia Shrine in Naga CityCamarines Sur National HighschoolOld Naga City Central Business DistrictSM City NagaCaramoan at Last! DIY trip to the Survivor Islands in CamSurNo doubt, my #1 agenda for the whole trip was to visit Caramoan! It’s one of the breakthrough hot ticket destinations in the Philippines, and of course, I wanted to get my fill of this tropical paradise. I stayed for two nights in Caramoan. I spent my first day exploring the town proper area and resting at the hostel. Initially, I was hoping to join a group to share the “island hopping” cost with. Since failed to find other tourists who were also planning to do the island hopping tour the next day, I had to rent the whole boat all for myself! Dreadful Boarding/Disembarking Procedures at Sabang BeachView of Aguirangan Island and Mt. Mayon Arrival at Guijalo Port, CaramoanCaramoan Church (St. Michael Parish)Gota BeachHunongan Beach ResortLahos Island Tayak BeachRemnants of Survivor production structures in CaramoanMatukad Islandaramoan to Legazpi Commute: CamSur PARTIDO Coastal HighwayInstead of going back to Legazpi via Naga, I saw another way passing through the coastal highway of Camarines Sur and Albay. Initially, I had planned to visit Calaguas Islands in Camarines Norte for my last stop. Unfortunately, my plan didn’t push through … so I had to pick a new destination, which turned out to be Lake Bulusan in Bulusan, Sorsogon.Goa Church, Camarines Sur (St. John The Baptist Parish)View of Atulayan Island from the winding roads of the PARTIDO HighwayEastern Albay Commute and Legazpi to Bulusan Road Trip Tiwi Church, Albay (San Lorenzo Parish)Santo Domingo Church, Albay (St. Dominic de Gusman Parish) Legazpi City Central TerminalBarcelona Church, Sorsogon (St. Joseph Parish)Lake Bulusan: Solo Overnight Sidetrip in Sorsogon Dancalan Beach in Bulusan, Sorsogon at NightWaiting for a morning tricycle ride at Bulusan town proper Gorgeous view of Lake BulusanSorsogon to Legazpi City: Last Day in BicolMy outgoing flight was in Legazpi City and I arrived at the airport, luckily, an hour before my flight … well, I still had 15 minutes to spare before the check-in counters closed :) I was excited to get some aerials shots of Mayon Volcano during the flight. Unfortunately, Mayon’s peak was too cloudy at the time. In consolation, I got my first glance of the off shore islands and islets of Camarines Norte and Quezon Provinces. One of these days, I’m sure … I’ll get to visit them someday too.Roadblocks during my commute to catch a returning flight Sorsogon Provincial CapitolSorsogon Cathedral Armada of Tricycles at Sorsogon CityMetro Gaisano – LANDCO Pacific Mall, Legazpi Legazpi Airport and my return flight to ManilaView of Mt. Mayon from Legazpi Airport Runway Aerial View of Legazpi CityAerial View of Mayon Volcano Coastal areas of Camarines NorteTouch down at NAIA Terminal 3Don’t leave yet. There’s more!Sorsogon to Legazpi City: Return Flight to ManilaNaga Penafrancia Festival Photos: My First CamSur ExperienceWhere I've Wandered Off To in September3 Days Caramoan Itinerary - Solo DIY Tips & GuideLegazpi City Night Travel and First Glimpse of Mayon VolcanoAmbot-ah Season 2011 Finale: a year of memoriesComments thepinaysolobackpacker saysFebruary 16, 2011 at 6:18 pmwhoaaa! nalibot mu tlga mga churches sa Cam Sur Marc! cool! :) will watch out for the nxt post! Enjoy Calaguas sa April and see you soon! :) chymera00 saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:50 pmoo nga, andami talaga Old Churches sa Albay at CamSur. Trying hard to finish all my backlogs :D lakwatsera de primera saysFebruary 16, 2011 at 7:32 pmgaling, ang sipag ha, nakuhanan mo talaga ng pics mga churches from different towns, excited much for the series :) chymera00 saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:51 pmSige, I’ll make some follow-up posts soon. lei saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 12:09 amastig kaw guaps, nka lagaw kaw lng isa.. maybe ako man sa dasun. =) chymera00 saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:51 pmpwede guid! Supertikoy saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 12:33 amnice! i also wanted to explore bicol this year. since 2008 I never missed visiting Calaguas Island, Cam Norte every summer. but this year I liked to see Cam Sur,Albay and Sorsogon.Nice photos by the way… i’ll wait for the part 2! chymera00 saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:52 pmIsa pa yang ang Calaguas … may araw din yan na mapuntahan ko yung isla na yan, hehe. journeyingjames saysFebruary 18, 2011 at 5:45 amwow, jahot mahaba yung post di nakakasawa tignan ung photos, majestic yung mayon kahit saan anggulo!and i’m impressed sa colonial churches. ganda ng shots chymera00 saysMarch 2, 2011 at 12:35 amThanks James :) nina saysApril 1, 2011 at 2:17 amNapangiti ako nung nakita ko yung picture ng lumang bahay sa Bulusan. Ilang araw nalang, makikita ko na uli yun :DAng ganda ganda ng pictures! I can’t wait to see Bulusan again :D chymera00 saysApril 1, 2011 at 3:00 amThanks Nina. The old house got my attention as well. “Like” na kagad :) Pinoy Adventurista saysApril 1, 2011 at 1:11 pmvery well written. I’ll be having a solo trip to Sorsogon by October, this will be very helpful. I also like the old house… Madami ba’ng Heritage/ancestral houses sa Sorsogon? Thanks! chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:34 amThanks Pinoy Adventurista. Yun lang ang nakita ko during my visit. journeyingjames saysApril 1, 2011 at 4:21 pmas usual, super amazing photos! very helpful din, gusto ko narin magcaramoan chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:32 amThanks James :) Kayang-kaya … if you’re going by with your famous P500/day budget, I suggest going directly to Paniman Beach in Brgy. Paniman to look for options. Earl saysApril 1, 2011 at 8:26 pmThe photos are amazing! Hopefully we can visit Bicol this summer. chyng saysApril 3, 2011 at 4:20 amgood thing Naga rewarded you with good weather! lovely shots. reminds me of why i didnt even bother bringing a camera on my very 1st caramoan trip. haha engot ^_^ chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:25 amThanks chyng. Kanya-kanya lang, hehe… Kat saysApril 6, 2011 at 9:35 amNice shots! Naaliw ako may shot din ako ng St. Michael Parish Church sa Caramoan. Same angle. Haha.first time to visit your website, and im loving it.Thanks chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:11 amAhehe … thanks for dropping by Kat. Bonzenti [Con Tour Blog] saysApril 7, 2011 at 3:52 pmGaling galing talaga ng mga photos mo marcos. hanga ako.:-). Hope to see Legazpi soon. chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:10 amThanks for dropping by Bonzenti ^_^ pj saysApril 21, 2011 at 6:05 pmGreat post, love the pictures! also you have written it well and your own stuff is really nice! Keep it up :-) -Dealies Philippines janet saysApril 29, 2011 at 3:48 amhm, caramoan– now i know where to spend my upcoming vacation leave from work;) question? dont u miss being a nurse? im super inspired by your blog — i envy you for pursuing your passion, getting paid for it is a big bonus. i wish i could be like you. you’re my newest crush ;) goodluck on your blog! you’re doing a great job at it, very detailed and entertaining ;) i will definitely follow your palawan and hk- macau iti! ;) god bless! chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 1:52 am*blushes* thanks Janet :) I guess there’s always going to be a part of me that will want to pursue Nursing. I just have a lot of things I want to do first :D janet saysMay 5, 2011 at 8:15 pm^_^ you’re welcome crush :) good luck on your next trips! and for the lot of things that u wanna do! :) :) God bless! ;) chymera00 saysMay 6, 2011 at 5:13 amLikewise janet :D allan saysMay 2, 2011 at 6:03 amCorrection please the building you labeled Lcc mall is not Lcc its the Gaisano mall. Jhyn saysMay 3, 2011 at 9:37 amThe picture with tag “LCC Metro Mall, Legazpi” is not really the Liberty Commercial Center Mall (Oldest Functioning Mall here in Legazpi) on the other side of the city, its paint is actually yellow =) but the METRO-GAISANO Mall at Pacific Land Co., Legazpi City.. =D chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 1:45 amThanks for the correction about Metro Gaisano. COR saysMay 15, 2011 at 11:23 pmPictures and travel is a perfect combination…seems you’ve made it that perfect.. looking forward to visit some of the places where you’ve been…(actually been starting it).. :) chymera00 saysMay 18, 2011 at 6:22 pmI totally agree, I actually can’t remember which passion started first … basta I travel to take photos and I take photos for my travels :) kay-eots saysMay 17, 2011 at 3:05 pmi love the caramoan pictures! how much budget should one have in order to rent a boat in Caramoan? I HAVE TO visit bicol soon! chymera00 saysMay 18, 2011 at 6:16 pmFor the Matukad Island Group, it’s P1,500 per boat … if you want to go in the area of Lahuy Island, I think it’s P3,500 (including Matukad). Jherson Jaya saysJune 27, 2011 at 6:22 pmhello its me again… im planing to visit Camsur before november. Can i just ask how much is your budget doing this trip? =)thanks and Godbless chymera00 saysJune 27, 2011 at 7:51 pmposted my itinerary and budget here: https://www.ambot-ah.com/bicol-region-7-days-itinerary-camarines-sur-albay-sorsogon/ LINA C. ABOGADIE saysSeptember 3, 2011 at 9:33 pmAs expected, super ganda na naman ang mga pics mo! Thanks for sharing them. Marcos saysSeptember 7, 2011 at 5:27 pmMy pleasure Lina. Thanks for writing you comments ever so often. It’s nice to know people are interested with my travels also :D Maricor saysOctober 27, 2011 at 4:34 pmHi! you reminded me of Christopher McCandless! “There is pleasure in the pathless woods, There is rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep sea and the music in its roar; I love not man the less, but Nature more.”Am so excited to do what you are doing…! ive also been to different places but i want to explore MORE! if only i have enough funds hhahaha just saying.! anyway, am going to naga this january! so excited but dont have fixed itinerary yet. need your advice am going there on Jan 11 – 13 my primal purpose is the caramoan island & cwc. and i want to include Mt. Mayon.. do you think its possible? :) Marcos saysNovember 11, 2011 at 6:26 pmRefreshing words Maricor. So true for me, in a sense. It’s not that I want to escape from company that I travel alone … I just love to travel more than I need the company. Yes it’s possible … you can fly to Naga and set your return flight from Legazpi instead. Rica saysFebruary 4, 2012 at 12:46 amHi! I was so amazed with your photos and not to mention you’re all alone on your trip. I want to travel to the Bicol region this coming Holy Week and maybe you can give me ideas on how to get around the Bicol region and as well as the top destinations for Bicol / Camarines / Sorsogon? It’s quite hard to organize a tour for this trip compare to Palawan because there’s not much info that I can find on the net such as how to get around, if I can get a van rental to get around and as well as places to stay and dine. I left my e-mail and it would be a great big help for me if you can reply to my message. Thanks! Bhitz saysMarch 30, 2012 at 10:01 ami love this site… it reminds me the true beauty of bicolandia.. there a lot of place that can attract tourist so please take good care of all places in bicol. Thank you for those who love to go in bicol. that’s all thank you.. Marcos saysApril 13, 2012 at 11:45 pmThanks Bhitz Vedder saysAugust 12, 2012 at 1:11 amHello bro,im planning to go to bicol on sept and you gave me a great prospective.ive also did some solo backpacking from singapore to puhket via roadtrip…may i just askhow much money ratio will it cost me?im doing the backpackers way,i mean sleeping in hostels and eating food from local eateries…i hope you can help me on this one….oh btw great great pics Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:23 pmBoth Singapore and Phuket in particular aren’t the cheapest destinations. They would be more expensive to travel even with a “backpacker” budget. Generally, I’d say US$30-US$40 per day is survivable in Singapore. US$10-25 per day in non-beach/touristy destinations in Thailand and US$20-40 per day in touristy beach destinations of Thailand (like Phuket and Ko Phi Phi).“Touristy” = destinations that cater more to vacationers than “on a shoestring” budget travelers. Maeze saysSeptember 30, 2012 at 10:10 amso glad our school was featured in one of your photography, the Camarines Sur National High School :)) i hope you had lots of fun with your vacation here in Bicol. Reyn Medenilla saysMarch 6, 2013 at 5:21 pmHello! I find your site so interesting and useful. You’re giving a lot of help for solo travelers like me. I’m planning for a Bicol tour, that’s why I landed on your site. What itinerary can u recommend if I want to see Bicol region excluding churches/convents? Thank you so much for the help in advance. resorts world manila saysMay 2, 2013 at 11:43 amGreat pictures. Its created a longing to visit. I never imagined Bicol to be this way… Sorsogon city seems such a busy city! Thank you for sharing! Continue to post! Im learning a lot from your posts… Ray saysJuly 16, 2013 at 3:25 amMarco, good day! I went to your site and I’m really keen on your inputs about my travel this August 1-10 from the entire Bicol Region. I’ll be flying from Cebu and my first stop is Legazpi. I do plan to travel upwards going to Naga then jumping off to Camarines Norte (Calaguas Island) then CamSur (Talicud and Caramoan Islands) and perhaps either visit Virac and/or get back to Legazpi and hop to Sorsogon.I’m a backpacker myself and like you, will journey the Bicol region alone so I would appreciate your inputs especially on travelling from one tourist destination to the other. Did you just went ahead and hire a trike to drop you to the places you did?For Legazpi, these are the must: Cagsawa Ruins, Daraga Church, Lignon Hill, Albay Park Wildlife, Embarcadero. Can you suggest how to best visit this place? Perhaps you know of a way, I had a rate on me on doing this trip alone at 2.8k and it is a bit expensive for me. I am staying in MayonBackpackers though so perhaps I can pull someone to do that trip but then, if you know of a good/cheap way, please let me know.Also, it seemed you have visited quite a number of churches in Legazpi, how did you do that? Is that through a chartered trike too or something else? Please let me know.On Caramoan and Calaguas, I can definitely just go ahead and charter a banka that is good for 1 right or there are “join” tours like they have in Coron? Can you guide me about this as you’re the best person to shed some light.Really very keen to hear from you.Best Regards, Ray. ^_^ Marcos saysAugust 13, 2013 at 3:58 pmNo, I did not hire a chartered trike. I took the public jeepney/bus/van on my tour of the churches, which was much cheaper but I spent/lost a lot of time waiting. Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
thepinaysolobackpacker saysFebruary 16, 2011 at 6:18 pmwhoaaa! nalibot mu tlga mga churches sa Cam Sur Marc! cool! :) will watch out for the nxt post! Enjoy Calaguas sa April and see you soon! :)
chymera00 saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:50 pmoo nga, andami talaga Old Churches sa Albay at CamSur. Trying hard to finish all my backlogs :D
lakwatsera de primera saysFebruary 16, 2011 at 7:32 pmgaling, ang sipag ha, nakuhanan mo talaga ng pics mga churches from different towns, excited much for the series :)
lei saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 12:09 amastig kaw guaps, nka lagaw kaw lng isa.. maybe ako man sa dasun. =)
Supertikoy saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 12:33 amnice! i also wanted to explore bicol this year. since 2008 I never missed visiting Calaguas Island, Cam Norte every summer. but this year I liked to see Cam Sur,Albay and Sorsogon.Nice photos by the way… i’ll wait for the part 2!
chymera00 saysFebruary 17, 2011 at 5:52 pmIsa pa yang ang Calaguas … may araw din yan na mapuntahan ko yung isla na yan, hehe.
journeyingjames saysFebruary 18, 2011 at 5:45 amwow, jahot mahaba yung post di nakakasawa tignan ung photos, majestic yung mayon kahit saan anggulo!and i’m impressed sa colonial churches. ganda ng shots
nina saysApril 1, 2011 at 2:17 amNapangiti ako nung nakita ko yung picture ng lumang bahay sa Bulusan. Ilang araw nalang, makikita ko na uli yun :DAng ganda ganda ng pictures! I can’t wait to see Bulusan again :D
chymera00 saysApril 1, 2011 at 3:00 amThanks Nina. The old house got my attention as well. “Like” na kagad :)
Pinoy Adventurista saysApril 1, 2011 at 1:11 pmvery well written. I’ll be having a solo trip to Sorsogon by October, this will be very helpful. I also like the old house… Madami ba’ng Heritage/ancestral houses sa Sorsogon? Thanks!
chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:34 amThanks Pinoy Adventurista. Yun lang ang nakita ko during my visit.
journeyingjames saysApril 1, 2011 at 4:21 pmas usual, super amazing photos! very helpful din, gusto ko narin magcaramoan
chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 2:32 amThanks James :) Kayang-kaya … if you’re going by with your famous P500/day budget, I suggest going directly to Paniman Beach in Brgy. Paniman to look for options.
chyng saysApril 3, 2011 at 4:20 amgood thing Naga rewarded you with good weather! lovely shots. reminds me of why i didnt even bother bringing a camera on my very 1st caramoan trip. haha engot ^_^
Kat saysApril 6, 2011 at 9:35 amNice shots! Naaliw ako may shot din ako ng St. Michael Parish Church sa Caramoan. Same angle. Haha.first time to visit your website, and im loving it.Thanks
Bonzenti [Con Tour Blog] saysApril 7, 2011 at 3:52 pmGaling galing talaga ng mga photos mo marcos. hanga ako.:-). Hope to see Legazpi soon.
pj saysApril 21, 2011 at 6:05 pmGreat post, love the pictures! also you have written it well and your own stuff is really nice! Keep it up :-) -Dealies Philippines
janet saysApril 29, 2011 at 3:48 amhm, caramoan– now i know where to spend my upcoming vacation leave from work;) question? dont u miss being a nurse? im super inspired by your blog — i envy you for pursuing your passion, getting paid for it is a big bonus. i wish i could be like you. you’re my newest crush ;) goodluck on your blog! you’re doing a great job at it, very detailed and entertaining ;) i will definitely follow your palawan and hk- macau iti! ;) god bless!
chymera00 saysMay 5, 2011 at 1:52 am*blushes* thanks Janet :) I guess there’s always going to be a part of me that will want to pursue Nursing. I just have a lot of things I want to do first :D
janet saysMay 5, 2011 at 8:15 pm^_^ you’re welcome crush :) good luck on your next trips! and for the lot of things that u wanna do! :) :) God bless! ;)
allan saysMay 2, 2011 at 6:03 amCorrection please the building you labeled Lcc mall is not Lcc its the Gaisano mall.
Jhyn saysMay 3, 2011 at 9:37 amThe picture with tag “LCC Metro Mall, Legazpi” is not really the Liberty Commercial Center Mall (Oldest Functioning Mall here in Legazpi) on the other side of the city, its paint is actually yellow =) but the METRO-GAISANO Mall at Pacific Land Co., Legazpi City.. =D
COR saysMay 15, 2011 at 11:23 pmPictures and travel is a perfect combination…seems you’ve made it that perfect.. looking forward to visit some of the places where you’ve been…(actually been starting it).. :)
chymera00 saysMay 18, 2011 at 6:22 pmI totally agree, I actually can’t remember which passion started first … basta I travel to take photos and I take photos for my travels :)
kay-eots saysMay 17, 2011 at 3:05 pmi love the caramoan pictures! how much budget should one have in order to rent a boat in Caramoan? I HAVE TO visit bicol soon!
chymera00 saysMay 18, 2011 at 6:16 pmFor the Matukad Island Group, it’s P1,500 per boat … if you want to go in the area of Lahuy Island, I think it’s P3,500 (including Matukad).
Jherson Jaya saysJune 27, 2011 at 6:22 pmhello its me again… im planing to visit Camsur before november. Can i just ask how much is your budget doing this trip? =)thanks and Godbless
chymera00 saysJune 27, 2011 at 7:51 pmposted my itinerary and budget here: https://www.ambot-ah.com/bicol-region-7-days-itinerary-camarines-sur-albay-sorsogon/
LINA C. ABOGADIE saysSeptember 3, 2011 at 9:33 pmAs expected, super ganda na naman ang mga pics mo! Thanks for sharing them.
Marcos saysSeptember 7, 2011 at 5:27 pmMy pleasure Lina. Thanks for writing you comments ever so often. It’s nice to know people are interested with my travels also :D
Maricor saysOctober 27, 2011 at 4:34 pmHi! you reminded me of Christopher McCandless! “There is pleasure in the pathless woods, There is rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where none intrudes, By the deep sea and the music in its roar; I love not man the less, but Nature more.”Am so excited to do what you are doing…! ive also been to different places but i want to explore MORE! if only i have enough funds hhahaha just saying.! anyway, am going to naga this january! so excited but dont have fixed itinerary yet. need your advice am going there on Jan 11 – 13 my primal purpose is the caramoan island & cwc. and i want to include Mt. Mayon.. do you think its possible? :)
Marcos saysNovember 11, 2011 at 6:26 pmRefreshing words Maricor. So true for me, in a sense. It’s not that I want to escape from company that I travel alone … I just love to travel more than I need the company. Yes it’s possible … you can fly to Naga and set your return flight from Legazpi instead.
Rica saysFebruary 4, 2012 at 12:46 amHi! I was so amazed with your photos and not to mention you’re all alone on your trip. I want to travel to the Bicol region this coming Holy Week and maybe you can give me ideas on how to get around the Bicol region and as well as the top destinations for Bicol / Camarines / Sorsogon? It’s quite hard to organize a tour for this trip compare to Palawan because there’s not much info that I can find on the net such as how to get around, if I can get a van rental to get around and as well as places to stay and dine. I left my e-mail and it would be a great big help for me if you can reply to my message. Thanks!
Bhitz saysMarch 30, 2012 at 10:01 ami love this site… it reminds me the true beauty of bicolandia.. there a lot of place that can attract tourist so please take good care of all places in bicol. Thank you for those who love to go in bicol. that’s all thank you..
Vedder saysAugust 12, 2012 at 1:11 amHello bro,im planning to go to bicol on sept and you gave me a great prospective.ive also did some solo backpacking from singapore to puhket via roadtrip…may i just askhow much money ratio will it cost me?im doing the backpackers way,i mean sleeping in hostels and eating food from local eateries…i hope you can help me on this one….oh btw great great pics
Marcos saysAugust 19, 2012 at 8:23 pmBoth Singapore and Phuket in particular aren’t the cheapest destinations. They would be more expensive to travel even with a “backpacker” budget. Generally, I’d say US$30-US$40 per day is survivable in Singapore. US$10-25 per day in non-beach/touristy destinations in Thailand and US$20-40 per day in touristy beach destinations of Thailand (like Phuket and Ko Phi Phi).“Touristy” = destinations that cater more to vacationers than “on a shoestring” budget travelers.
Maeze saysSeptember 30, 2012 at 10:10 amso glad our school was featured in one of your photography, the Camarines Sur National High School :)) i hope you had lots of fun with your vacation here in Bicol.
Reyn Medenilla saysMarch 6, 2013 at 5:21 pmHello! I find your site so interesting and useful. You’re giving a lot of help for solo travelers like me. I’m planning for a Bicol tour, that’s why I landed on your site. What itinerary can u recommend if I want to see Bicol region excluding churches/convents? Thank you so much for the help in advance.
resorts world manila saysMay 2, 2013 at 11:43 amGreat pictures. Its created a longing to visit. I never imagined Bicol to be this way… Sorsogon city seems such a busy city! Thank you for sharing! Continue to post! Im learning a lot from your posts…
Ray saysJuly 16, 2013 at 3:25 amMarco, good day! I went to your site and I’m really keen on your inputs about my travel this August 1-10 from the entire Bicol Region. I’ll be flying from Cebu and my first stop is Legazpi. I do plan to travel upwards going to Naga then jumping off to Camarines Norte (Calaguas Island) then CamSur (Talicud and Caramoan Islands) and perhaps either visit Virac and/or get back to Legazpi and hop to Sorsogon.I’m a backpacker myself and like you, will journey the Bicol region alone so I would appreciate your inputs especially on travelling from one tourist destination to the other. Did you just went ahead and hire a trike to drop you to the places you did?For Legazpi, these are the must: Cagsawa Ruins, Daraga Church, Lignon Hill, Albay Park Wildlife, Embarcadero. Can you suggest how to best visit this place? Perhaps you know of a way, I had a rate on me on doing this trip alone at 2.8k and it is a bit expensive for me. I am staying in MayonBackpackers though so perhaps I can pull someone to do that trip but then, if you know of a good/cheap way, please let me know.Also, it seemed you have visited quite a number of churches in Legazpi, how did you do that? Is that through a chartered trike too or something else? Please let me know.On Caramoan and Calaguas, I can definitely just go ahead and charter a banka that is good for 1 right or there are “join” tours like they have in Coron? Can you guide me about this as you’re the best person to shed some light.Really very keen to hear from you.Best Regards, Ray. ^_^
Marcos saysAugust 13, 2013 at 3:58 pmNo, I did not hire a chartered trike. I took the public jeepney/bus/van on my tour of the churches, which was much cheaper but I spent/lost a lot of time waiting.