Anawangin with a Kid: Summary

We were supposed to spend the holidays in Leyte with my family but when we checked the airline tickets, the cheapest ones cost around P6,000. If we book for three, that's P32,000. Wow! That's not very practical, is it? I hated myself for not booking early but well...all that's done is done (or not done is not done). One of the main reason why I wanted to go home to Leyte is because I promised Sput I'll take her to the beach. "If you feel guilty for it, you should feel guilty for your savings, too.", I thought. So we decided to just go to a beach in Luzon for the holidays and go to Leyte during summer instead (this time we should book months in advance!).  We only spent ~ P6,000 for our 3D 2N stay in Anawangin Cove. Come to think of it, that's just a one-way ticket to Leyte for one person.

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THE 4-HOUR COMMUTE

From the Cubao Victory Liner terminal, it took us 3 hours to arrive in Olongapo. We waited 1.5 hours for the next bus bound for San Antonio, then it took us one hour from Olongapo to San Antonio.

I should say this is the hardest part of our trip. It's our first time to commute with our 4-year-old kid...and, for some stupid reason, we decided to do it at night. What was I thinking??? Okay, in my defense, I wanted to have a smooth-sailing boat ride and I heard the sea is calm in the morning, and I thought we could just minimize our expenses by "sleeping" on the bus. We ended up renting a room at 2 am because we all needed some sleep. Lesson learned: Sleep is a very big factor when traveling with kids ( Duh? But it's our first time!). Here's a detailed story of our 4-hour commute to Pundaquit:

Anawangin with a Kid: The 4-hour Commute to Pundaquit

Tip: If you plan to commute with your kids, do it in the afternoon. Have a relaxing night in San Antonio. Big Foot Hostel is cheap but it's decent enough if you have kids. Then wake up bright and early. I think this is the best way to do it.
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SAFETY

What's "safe" for us might not be safe for you. Considering that we do all safety precautions -watching over our kid while they're swimming, not letting them explore the "woods" alone, etc, Anawangin is a pretty safe place for kids. You have nothing to worry about the boat ride especially if you do it in the morning but it is known for its very strong undercurrent so even if you're a really good swimmer, don't swim too far from the shore. The 15-minute climb is so easy even 3-year-olds can climb it without difficulty. There were no snakes but huge flies show up when they smell fresh food (grilled tilapia, etc). Read this to know more about the specific safety stuff you want to know when traveling to Anawangin with Kids:

Anawangin with a Kid: How Safe is it?
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THINGS TO DO

Hike to Capones Lighthouse

I recommend this to any parent who wants to introduce their kids to the outdoors. It's a pretty easy hike for beginners.
Level of Difficulty: 2.5/5 if you have school-age kids; 3.5/5 if you have toddlers
Duration: High Tide- 20 minutes back and forth, Low Tide- 45 min-1 hr back and forth
Read: Hike to Capones Lighthouse

Trekking in Anawangin/ Climbing up a hill

On the left side of Anawangin facing the sea, there's a hill that's very easy to climb. It is a favorite of many tourists who are not fans of long treks (like myself) as it only takes 10-15 minutes to summit.

Other things to do:
Explore the "woods" and the dead stream whatchamacallit
Make a bonfire (yes, they allow it)
Read: Anawangin with a Kid: 8 Things to Do While in Anawangin

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EXPENSES:

This is a rough estimate per person for our 3 days/2 nights stay in Anawangin cove:

P 500- Bus Fare Round Trip
P 200- hostel
P   60- Tricycle fare San Antonio- Pundaquit round trip- P60
P 660- Boat Fare (Big Boat)  the Big boat costs P1,800-2,000 and can accomodate up to 10 people.
P 300- camp food and supplies
P   30- trek guide in Anawangin
P 200- entrance fee for 2 nights (P100/head)
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~P 1950/ head

Tipid tips:
* If you don't have bags, you can just rent the small boat (P900)
* If you have a very small tot, just let him/her sit on your lap. That's P 500 savings.
* For food, don't have a feast! Flies will just swarm your way. Buy canned tuna, salted egg, eggplants instead.
* Water and cooking supplies is included in your boat rental.


That's it! I hope you'll enjoy camping in Anawangin with your tots, too. Totally worth the 4-hour road trip.