Zambales

The relaxing beach of Nagsasa. Hammock not included. (Photo courtesy of Sasha Garcia)

Beaches

Probably, the most popular beach recently is Anawangin Cove in San Antionio, Zambales. It's about 20 mins by boat from Pundaquit. An alternative route is to take about a 3-4 hour trek which can give you scenic view of the cove when you reach saddle point. There are almost no trees that can give you shade in these rocky mountains. Start the trek at around 5 AM if possible to avoid the heat of the sun. Groups taking the trek usually make arrangements with the boat to pick them up in Anawangin to avoid the hike back.

Rest rooms are available in Anawangin so you can bring the whole family if you want. Depending on your arrangements with the boat, you may drop by a small underwater cave. Just bring mask and snorkels to get a glimpse of its underwater inhabitants. A boat can't fit in its small entrance. Do bring flashlights if you intend to swim your way into the cave. Bats will greet you as you enter.

Some groups just go to Anawangin in the day and back to their resorts by night. If you wish to spend the night in the beach, you'll have to camp so bring your own tents. Those with guts to resist the cold sea winds and insects or too drunk to care can sleep on the tables in the huts available.

Since Anawangin is the most popular among the coves of San Antonio, it get's pretty crowded. An alternative beach is Nagsasa Cove. It's close to an hour's boat ride from Pundaquit. It looks much like Anawangin, with less trees. About 10 mins walk from the beach will bring you to a small waterfall. You may ask the locals to lead you there for a fee of P5.00 per head.

The boat will dock in rocky shores if you if you go straight to Capones Lighthouse.

For a more adventurous experience, you may decide to spend the night in Capones Island. We stayed on there on a long weekend of November 1st and we were the only group there. The sandy beach where you can camp doesn't have mobile phone signal. You'll have to walk to the side of the island facing Pundaquit if you have to use your mobile phone. Capones is popular because of its lighthouse. Other visitors usually just drop by during the day to visit it. If you're camping at the beach, it's situated at the other side of the island, possibly a short 30min walk.

Treks

The highest peak in San Antonio is Mt. Balingkilat. With backpack to camp for the night, it took us close to 8 hours to reach campsite. It may take about 10 hours if you take the longer but less steep trail. Locals can reach the summit in about 2-3 hours but we're not going there to challenge them. Perhaps the biggest challenge there is not its steep ascent but the lack of trees for shade. There's a good water source at campsite so trail water would suffice. Winds can be strong at the top so check your tents if it can survive the weather. For a more detailed plan of climbing Mt. Balingkilat, click here.