For travelers planning on visiting Iloilo, the islands of Concepcion in Northern Iloilo is one of the “must sees” in the Province. Even though I’ve been there a considerable number of times already, I just can’t get enough of it! Here’s my recommended 2 days and 1 night (overnight) itinerary when in Concepcion, where you can experience white sand beaches, clear waters, long winding sandbars, island hopping tours,  coral gardens, fresh seafood, simple island life, and very friendly locals.

The view from Agho Island in Concepcion, Iloilo

Concepcion 2 Days and 1 Night Itinerary

With this itinerary, you’ll be able to travel to Concepcion from Iloilo City, go on an island tour of at least 4 breathtaking islands, sleep in Sandbar (Bulubadiangan) Island Beach Resort, and then go back to the city the next day.

Day 1

  • 6:00am – Ride HPQ Bus to “Concepcion” from Tabak (Northern Iloilo) Terminal in Jaro District, Iloilo City. The fare is P110 (one-way) and the ride lasts for around 2.5 hours. You can leave at a later time but it’ll mean spending less time in the islands. Last trip is around 3-4pm.
  • 8:30am – Arrive in Concepcion. By this time, you should buy food/supplies for your overnight in the islands and contact Sandbar Island Beach Resort of your arrival. Mobile: (+63)9068197516. Contact Person: Sonny.
  • Food! There are no stores or restaurants in Sandbar Island so you need to buy/bring everything you need in the mainland before heading out. There are small convenient stores, wet/dry market, and carinedrias (local eatery) in the town proper of Concepcion where you can buy food, condiments (oil, spices, sauces etc..),cooking materials (charcoal), plastic dining wares, and other stuff. You can borrow pots/pans from the resort. If you don’t want (don’t know how) to cook your own food then you can buy uncooked food in the market and have the resort cook it for you (for a minimal fee) or have your food catered by one of the locals who runs a carineria in town. His name is Biboy and you can contact him at +639287251505.
  • 9:30am – Ride pumpboat to Sandbar Island Beach Resort. The resort has a small boat, which could accommodate up to 8 persons. The price for round trip transfers is P1500 (small group) and P2,000 (larger group).

  • 10:00am – Arrival in Sandbar. You probably might want to dive in the water for a swim but you have to contain yourself a bit longer to settle in your cottage. They have basic cottage with double beds and a bathroom for P800/night. If you want, you could also just pitch a tent for P300/tent/night and just use the common bathrooms.
  • 12:00nn – Lunch
  • 1:00 pm – Island Tour for the whole afternoon. A visit to Concepcion is not complete without a tour of the other islands. You can arrange the islands you want to visit but I recommend not missing these three other islands: Agho Island, Malangabang Island, Pan de Azucar Island. It costs P1,000 to rent the whole boat for the afternoon.
  • Agho Island. P300 entrance fee with use of cottage for the whole group. There’s a sprawling coral garden at the southern side of Agho but you need to go there by boat since it’s quite far from the beach and you sure-as-hell will get stung by sea urchins along the way.

  • Malangabang Island. If you missed to buy some stuff, there are a few sari-sari stores and fish vendors on the island. You can even buy cool servings of halo-halo here.

  • Pan de Azucar Island. Tell the boatman to drop you off at Tambaliza. Once there, you can ask one of the locals to take you to Hampangan Rock, where you can get a nice view (vista) of the islands and get an up-close encounter with the towering Pan de Azucar Mountain.

  • 5:00pm – Head back to Sandbar Island.
  • Overnight at Sandbar Island Beach Resort. There’s electricity at the resort but it only powers the light bulbs. There’s no charging (for electronic devices) at the cottages but I suppose you can request to have your electronics charged at the owner’s house if you really need to.

Day 2

  • 5:30am – Sunrise
  • 6:00am – Low tide at the Sandbar. This part should not be missed! During low tide, you can wade into the water a few meters from the sandbar and see a sprawling coral garden.

  • Morning – Circumnavigate Sandbar Island (30 minutes) or bum out at the beach.

  • Afternoon – Ride bus back to the City. At this point you can decide when you’re going to leave the island but be mindful that the last bus to Iloilo City from Concepcion is around 4pm.

Expenses

  • Iloilo City – Concepcion one-way Bus Fare – P110/person
  • Round trip transfers to Sandbar (Bulubadiangan) Island – P1,500 to P2,000 per boat
  • Cottage at Sandbar Island Beach Resort – P800 to P1,000 per cottage
  • Half-day Island Tour – P1,000/boat

Learn more about Concepcion, Iloilo. If your looking for a place to stay in the city, here’s a list of Iloilo hotels.