Occidental Mindoro: Islands, Nature and Culture
Accommodation in Occidental Mindoro
Occidental Mindoro offers many different reasons to plan a trip: islands and beaches, lakes and wildlife watching, trekking, and cultural sites. If you’re traveling with family or friends, you can start by considering which activities are most important for your time together. Places and experiences in the province each have a different focus, helping you decide where to look for a vacation rental.
Landscapes, islands and water
Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park is an ASEAN Heritage Park and an important biodiversity area. The remaining natural stands of the Mindoro pine species Pinus mercussi are also a special natural feature; this species is considered a conservation priority. The Bato-Ili Rolling Hills combine gentle hills with lush fields and mountains in the surroundings of the Mangyan-Buhid community. For trekking, Mount Calavite in the municipality of Paluan has a network of trails with varying levels of difficulty.
There are island and lake experiences to choose from by the water. The 30-hectare Pandan Grande Island is popular with snorkelers and divers. Nearby is an underwater drop-off inhabited by pawikans, dugongs, young sharks and other colorful reef fish. Garza Island in Barangay Alibog, Magsaysay, covers three hectares and has a white-sand beach. Inasakan Beach, with its white sand and crystal-clear water, is on Ilin Island in San Jose. Ambulong Island in San Jose has white beaches and sandbars and offers good snorkeling opportunities.
Lakes and waterfalls also add other natural attractions to your trip plans. Panikian Lake offers opportunities for canoeing, fishing, and watching birds and bats. Carindan Lake in Santa Cruz is a quiet freshwater lake suited to sightseeing and nature photography. Agbalala Falls in Abra de Ilog is a waterfall surrounded by lush forest.
Active experiences and culture
The Sablayan 3 in 1 Adventure combines rappelling, climbing a climbing wall, and ziplining. The total cable length is 1.7 kilometers. In Sablayan, the Sablayan Museum showcases the town’s historical, cultural, and biological wealth. The Mangyan Monument honors the Tao Buhid and the Alangan, described as Sablayan’s first inhabitants. Nature, activity, and culture offer different points of interest when you take your travel group’s interests into account as you choose where to stay.
The Arawatan Festival is an annual week-long celebration of Occidental Mindoro’s founding anniversary, held in the provincial capital of Mamburao. The program includes cultural performances, agritourism exhibits, trade fairs, and community activities throughout the province. If you’d like to include this cultural highlight in your travel plans, you can keep Mamburao in mind as a place to visit.
Getting there and choosing where to stay
A common way to reach Occidental Mindoro is by RoRo ferry from Batangas Port to Abra de Ilog. The ferry trip takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, followed by a bus or van ride to your destination. The fastest way to reach Sablayan is to take a roughly 45-minute flight from Manila to San Jose, served by Cebu Pacific, and then continue to Sablayan by bus or van for two to three hours.
When looking for a vacation rental, you can choose a location based on the experiences you’d like to focus on: Sablayan is the listed location for the museum, monument, and Sablayan 3 in 1 Adventure; Mount Calavite is in Paluan, while Inasakan Beach and Ambulong Island are in San Jose. Other natural attractions are located in places including Santa Cruz and Abra de Ilog. These locations can help you focus your search on the part of the province whose landscapes and attractions interest you most. You can also include Calintaan in your search as another place in Occidental Mindoro.
For the broader travel overview: Mimaropa.
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