Monday, July 16, 2012

El Nido | Beach Bumming In Calitang Beach


EL NIDO | Beach Bumming In Calitang
Beautiful and almost off beaten


Island Hopping in EL Nido, Palawan has been fun. Having 45 islands and countless white sand beaches that looked all too pristine. On our last day, me and my travel buddy chose to try an off beaten path. After all, it was a Sunday and the feast of St John The Baptist, everyone would be flocking in the beaches of El Nido. We visited instead, Calitang by renting a tricycle with the driver Kuya Kano acting as our guide. Php 800 was worth the deal bringing us back and fort, considering that we had to drive inland further northeast from El Nido town, to a secluded place. Calitang is home to a fishing village that lives near its White Sand Beaches, a long coast lined with scenic white beaches, coves, small islands, and hillside cliffs that provides a stunning view of the entire landscape. I was besieged with calmness, just by sitting in the sands. Stray dogs are even friendly, one sat beside me while I was lost in melancholy. Truly amazing, that the Azure waters are clear, the fine white sand beneath is stretch all the way without any floating debris. It's kind of hard to explain, but I think my photos would say it all in a glance and you would understand how I was awed by this place, why chasing beautiful beaches is my enduring passion.


Here I walk on the trails of the hills, gently fanned by the incoming waves of air in lush grass vegetation. The sounds of waves crashing in the rocks below is powerful and the cliff side is sheer steepness that only added to the adventure. It's easy to imagine that I could be anywhere in the world, yet I'm just here in my beloved country, in a beautiful place in Palawan, inspired to the core of my being. I think the hills are already part of Nacpan, I don't really know where Calitang ends and Nacpan covers, but the you can call the entire place Calitang, as they're divided by a sandbar.



There are no resorts abound. Only a small fishing village with friendly locals living in Sawali huts and small cottages. We didn't want to draw much attention to ourselves, but we had to walk through the center of the village so we could get beyond to where the hills stood proud and steep.


The beach for today was calm and inviting.



Heaven has no price for a child's innocence. With curious glances, and feeling that awkwardness that I was carrying an expensive camera, the adults avoided us much to my relief, but the children are a different story. They approach me with that territorial defiance only a child can muster, I was confronted with curious eyes as I left my footprints in the sands of their village. It was a good thing that our guide, Kano was once a resident here. Everyone greeted him while tagging us along.

Our guide was recommended by a fellow travel blogger who had been here Kurapeng of Tara! Usap Tau, Kuya Kano was off duty since it's Sunday. But he took us for the ride, he's 21 year old bachelor living in El Nido, his tricycle was his source of income. Calitang can be accessible by either land or sea, but knowing that this place is not included on any island hopping tours in El Nido, the best option is by land.



The ride took almost an hour, where half of the way is a dirt road. To take the trip is to leave comforts behind and dive into the provincial setting. It's a beautiful road though very dusty, with houses spaced far  apart, if you live here, expect to know your neighbor to be half a kilometers away.


Stray dogs abound too. But no worry because most are very friendly. I didn't see any rabid looking dog in the area. This one came to sniff me out when I decided to sit down and bury my feet in the sand, I didn't know that the dog actually sat beside me like I was a comrade and part of his pack. We've become like buddies enjoying the view of the Calitang Beach.



Here's the sand bar that links the hills to the Calitang village, and the Calitang beach to Nacpan Beach. Nice to walk in between beaches, the other is a white sand wonder, while he other side is a cove for locals to anchor fishing boats. 


Here we stayed for a good 2 hours, trekking under the sun and swimming in the beach, one way tricycle ride is about an hour. Leaving early from El Nido town by 7 AM, we were back to El Nido by 11 AM ready for a lunch, a short stroll in El Nido town and off to catch our Roro bus ride from El Nido to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Visiting Calitang Beach can be part of the El Nido inland tour, but as is, most tourist would be content to just taking Island Hopping in El Nido alone, they're of course rewarding as they come. For a short visit, it had been exhilarating partly because I get to do what most travelers in El Nido are missing.

Now if you have plans to visit El Nido, Palawan soon, then maybe you can squeeze this half day trip to Calitang, you can contact Kuya Kano, he's only 21 years old, but I still call him Kuya. Php 800.00 for a back and fort trip with his humble tricycle, he's probably the cheapest option and to boot that he grew up in Calitang as a boy, he knows this place by heart unlike any other tricycle driver in El Nido town. Kuya Kano 0999-729-650



Francis Balgos is a Call Center Agent, Weekend Travel Warrior, Amateur Spelunker, Sometime Surfer, Newbie Mountain Climber, Photography Enthusiast, Certified Beach Bum, A first born son, Faithful lover, True Explorer...

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41 comments:

  1. Worth checking out. Will probably get in touch with Kuya once my plan of going to El Nido has finally morphed into reality. ;p

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  2. Nice place.... I really dreamed to go to El Nido Palawan... I've been to Cuyo, Dumaran and Roxas.. Hoping one day dream will come true...

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  3. @ Ryan Mach - This is certainly worth it, knowing for a fact that you can enjoy the beach on your own. :)

    @Irvin - Wow! Cuyo is actually me next target the next time I'll visit Palawan. I've only read a few post about this as it is remote unlike Coron or E Nido.

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  4. Francis ang itim mo na hihihihi ... nice tlga sa el nido noh.. mpupunthan ko din yan someday!

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  5. @ Kulapitot - Soo True! Grabe initim ko sa Palawan. Hangang ngayon, 3 weeks after di pa rin nakakabawi skin ko.

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  6. ang ganda! pasok to sa lakad ko sa el nido sa christmas! salamat!

    erick

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  7. El Nido is indeed a very nice place to visit. Been there already for almost 5 times.

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  8. El Nido. I really want to go there, by the looks of it, it is really serene. :D

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  9. wow! love your photos! :) Calitang looks like a nice place in Palawan :)

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  10. You have really beautiful photos of the place! :D I'd love to visit El Nido in the future too. Hopefully soon.

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  11. The place looks so serene and the photos are great. Life's definitely a Beach at El Nido.

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  12. I was just in El Nido last March and I could relate to what you have said and in fact, I am planning of going back there too. The last frontier of the Philippines.!

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  13. as usual, i luv ur photos' color and emotions specially the shot of a child in green sando. keep it up bro!

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  14. The 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th photo got me sold. ^_^

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  15. Hey France, I like your shots! They're professional. I wonder what DSLR you are using as I am planning to buy myself for photography too. :)

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  16. Great photos! Hopefully I'll be able to visit this place in my coming Palawan trip! :)

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  17. I love the pics with a lot of green. The colors just pop out!

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  18. lovely photos. napaka-vibrant ng colors. I miss summer tuloy.

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  19. Scenic views. Really beautiful photos.

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  20. Grabe! Para na din ako nakarating ng El Nido. Everything looks so perfect and I can't believed na nasa Pinas yang lugar na yan.

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  21. nice! can't wait for our El Nido trip this Sept!

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  22. It's the first time I've heard about this place in El Nido. You're such a brave wanderer. I usually do not go on off-beaten tracks 'coz I'm afraid of getting lost or stranded. Hehehe! But somehow, those never-seen and never-heard before places are the ones which are so amazing and beautiful.

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  23. Nice. This is one thing that we Filipinos should visit, and be proud of. Filipinos are having a hard time visiting other countries, without realizing that there's beauty more than what they want to see.

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  24. love your pictures.. waaa truely lovely.. natures color blue and green.. just love it.. I would certainly put this place on my list. thanks for sharing

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  25. Thanks for sharing Kuya Kano's number. I'd like to be there too.

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  26. Wow! That place is really good to look at. Hopefully, I get to visit El Nido in the future.

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  27. I love your pictures!!!! Envy me!!!! I'd love to visit El Nido too someday!

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  28. i love your shots! i can't imagine living there but i guess that's the beauty of it, so far from the busy life.

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  29. I really like to visit Palawan! THe place looks so naturally clean! Miss you blog by the way! :)

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  30. Woooow! Pretty. I'm not fond of swimming at the beach but I like lying in the sand, picking up sea shells, and I love the beautiful view.

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  31. beautiful! wish i could go there someday..

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  32. the place is very picturesque. the more i see posts about el nido, the more i want to go. :/

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  33. I will survive in the beauty of the beaches and nature in El Nido. However, I won't survive the province life.

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  34. Sabi ko na nga ba eto yung beach na pinuntahan ni Kura eh! Ang ganda talaga! Hope to visit this place too this September :)

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  35. Ang ganda naiinggit ako sa super fine weather!

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  36. El Nido, next year please! Great photos :)

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  37. Im from indonesia like your post sir

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  38. Nice photos, hope to visit there by March 2013.

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