The first time I came to this place, I told myself that I shall return. Now that I visited this place thrice, I just want to live here! If given the chance, I'd come back to travel the other half of the island.
HOW TO GET HERE:
*You can get here by plane to Ormoc or Tacloban, and get a bus/van heading to Naval proper
*You can also come here by boat, but for the sake of this guide I'm going to explain this mode of transportation if you're starting from Cebu.
-Cebu to Naval: tourism.biliranisland.com/shippingschedule.php To book a ticket for Naval via ROBLE, you can find their ticketing office at Pier 4, Cebu.
-Cebu to Ormoc to Naval: This is how we travelled. We booked our tickets for Ormoc via Supercat in Grand Hope Travel Inc. located on the lower ground of SM Cebu City. Ticket price ranges from P550 for an Economy class to P2000 for a VIP class. There's an additional service charge of P100 per person since we booked our tickets from a travel agency. You can book tickets from 2GO ticketing office as well, located on the same area. You can also travel via Ocean Jet to Ormoc by booking your tickets through a travel agency or head to their ticketing office in Pier 1, Cebu, right across Plaza Independencia. If you're travelling by Supercat, the travel time is 3hrs, while Ocean Jet travel time is 4-5hrs. After you booked your tickets, ask which pier you'll go. We failed to ask this one that's why we walked from Pier 1 to Pier 4 when we were about to leave Cebu.
Once you arrive Ormoc, you'll find numbers of drivers calling out for passengers outside the port. Go somewhere else far from the port where you can ride a tricycle heading to Robinsons Mall, bus terminal. The fare is P15 per person. If you hire a tricycle driver from the port, they'll charge you P100 just to take you to Robsinsons Mall. Once you arrive at the bus terminal beside the Robinsons Mall, find a white van heading to Naval. You have no problem finding it because there are signages around the terminal that will tell you where this van/bus is heading to. The fare is P120.
Why heading to Naval? Naval is the capital town of Biliran so getting there first will be very convenient for you because it's a town where accommodations, restaurants, stores and transportation are available.
*To get around Biliran, you can hire a motorcycle driver for a whole day from Naval proper to take you around the island for P500, provided that you pay for the gas. According to some bloggers, they paid P1,000 which includes the gas already. You can get on a bus travelling to another town, but I wouldn't recommend that as travelling back to Naval would be difficult unless you dropped in a town that has motorcycle drivers/buses/jeepneys around or you'll be staying in that town. Plus, if you travel with a bus, you might not be able to see most of the tourist spots. If you happen to be in the middle of nowhere, you'd be lucky if a motorcycle driver or a kind person happens to pass by you and take you back to Naval. I would recommend to have an advance arrangement with your driver just in case. Bringing your own vehicle to Biliran Island is possible too. I heard it costs P3,000.
*If you travel by bus from Naval to another town, the fare will be around P30-50, depending on the distance. If you choose the motorcycles to take you to another town, most drivers won't accept fares below P100. If they won't accept P100, then you shouldn't give more than P150 according to my friend who lives there. It's just a matter of using your haggling skills. The fare that you'll pay to the motorcycle driver is not by person by the way. There are tricycles around too but don't take these unless you travel by group as they tend to overcharge you.
*Most of the tourist spots will close at 5:00pm, so you should just return to your accommodation before it gets dark.
*One thing to note down is that internet connection is hard, so making use of online maps is challenging.
*Bring enough cash with you because the ATMs in Naval tend to have a long queue or be empty. Some accommodations won't accept credit cards either.
*You can get here by plane to Ormoc or Tacloban, and get a bus/van heading to Naval proper
*You can also come here by boat, but for the sake of this guide I'm going to explain this mode of transportation if you're starting from Cebu.
-Cebu to Naval: tourism.biliranisland.com/shippingschedule.php To book a ticket for Naval via ROBLE, you can find their ticketing office at Pier 4, Cebu.
-Cebu to Ormoc to Naval: This is how we travelled. We booked our tickets for Ormoc via Supercat in Grand Hope Travel Inc. located on the lower ground of SM Cebu City. Ticket price ranges from P550 for an Economy class to P2000 for a VIP class. There's an additional service charge of P100 per person since we booked our tickets from a travel agency. You can book tickets from 2GO ticketing office as well, located on the same area. You can also travel via Ocean Jet to Ormoc by booking your tickets through a travel agency or head to their ticketing office in Pier 1, Cebu, right across Plaza Independencia. If you're travelling by Supercat, the travel time is 3hrs, while Ocean Jet travel time is 4-5hrs. After you booked your tickets, ask which pier you'll go. We failed to ask this one that's why we walked from Pier 1 to Pier 4 when we were about to leave Cebu.
Once you arrive Ormoc, you'll find numbers of drivers calling out for passengers outside the port. Go somewhere else far from the port where you can ride a tricycle heading to Robinsons Mall, bus terminal. The fare is P15 per person. If you hire a tricycle driver from the port, they'll charge you P100 just to take you to Robsinsons Mall. Once you arrive at the bus terminal beside the Robinsons Mall, find a white van heading to Naval. You have no problem finding it because there are signages around the terminal that will tell you where this van/bus is heading to. The fare is P120.
Why heading to Naval? Naval is the capital town of Biliran so getting there first will be very convenient for you because it's a town where accommodations, restaurants, stores and transportation are available.
*To get around Biliran, you can hire a motorcycle driver for a whole day from Naval proper to take you around the island for P500, provided that you pay for the gas. According to some bloggers, they paid P1,000 which includes the gas already. You can get on a bus travelling to another town, but I wouldn't recommend that as travelling back to Naval would be difficult unless you dropped in a town that has motorcycle drivers/buses/jeepneys around or you'll be staying in that town. Plus, if you travel with a bus, you might not be able to see most of the tourist spots. If you happen to be in the middle of nowhere, you'd be lucky if a motorcycle driver or a kind person happens to pass by you and take you back to Naval. I would recommend to have an advance arrangement with your driver just in case. Bringing your own vehicle to Biliran Island is possible too. I heard it costs P3,000.
*If you travel by bus from Naval to another town, the fare will be around P30-50, depending on the distance. If you choose the motorcycles to take you to another town, most drivers won't accept fares below P100. If they won't accept P100, then you shouldn't give more than P150 according to my friend who lives there. It's just a matter of using your haggling skills. The fare that you'll pay to the motorcycle driver is not by person by the way. There are tricycles around too but don't take these unless you travel by group as they tend to overcharge you.
*Most of the tourist spots will close at 5:00pm, so you should just return to your accommodation before it gets dark.
*One thing to note down is that internet connection is hard, so making use of online maps is challenging.
*Bring enough cash with you because the ATMs in Naval tend to have a long queue or be empty. Some accommodations won't accept credit cards either.
THINGS TO DO
AGTA BEACH RESORT
AGTA BEACH RESORT
If you're looking for a place to stay in one of the coolest beaches in Biliran Island with a restaurant that serves delicious food; offering you different kinds of activities like renting a small boat, water bike, float mat and accessing the swimming pool; and assisting you on arranging your trips like island hopping or chasing waterfalls, then this is the right place for you. See rates here: agtabeachresort.com/ or check out their Instagram @agtabeachresort .
VRC RESORT
This is located just on the right side of Agta Beach Resort and it shares the same beach front with the resort as well. See rates here: biliran.gov.ph/vrc-resort-4/
TALAHID BEACH RESORT
This resort is also known as Coco Grove Beach Resort and is found on the left side of Agta Beach Resort. If you're travelling on a budget, I would recommend this place. The entrance fee is only P3 per person, but if you're coming from Agta/VRC Resort, then you don't have to pay any fees just by walking along the beach. You may rent a cottage here at P200. It can tend to be noisy sometimes because it's a public beach after all. See rates here: tourism.biliranisland.com/coco-grove-talahid-beach-resort.php
BETHANY HILL, WELUISA FARM
Two things you can do here, either you swim in a pool or just chill while you have an amazing view, overlooking Naval; Kapinyahan Island, Dalutan Island and the rice terraces. Entrance fee is P20 and the pool access is P70 per person. If you have no plans on swimming, do not enter the pool area while wearing your shoes because it's prohibited.
ADMIRE THE RICE FARMS
If you love seeing the greeneries, you won't grow tired of having your road trips here because you'll be seeing a lot of mountains and rice farms right beside the road. You'll mostly find the rice terraces on the hills. You can stop by and walk your way up to the hill to check them out. You might even see a carabao in action. Do not step on the sides of the rice paddies as they are fragile. You don't want your foot to be covered with mud.
CANAAN HILL FARMS
I only came here for their souvenir shop. They sell organic stuff like tea and honey. I believe their tea costs around P150-200. Their honey costs up to P700. They also sell fresh fruits so it was nice to eat some snacks in the middle of our road trip. To enter their farm will cost P50 per person. If you're going to add this in your itinerary, you should not wear any revealing clothes like shorts, short skirts or sleeveless since they prohibited such attires. There's no problem if you're wearing shorts as long as you cover your legs with a long scarf or any cloth available.
DALUTAN ISLAND
This is an island that has shores made out of shells, corals and pebbles. To get here, you must arrange a boat trip at the port area or in any resorts. Agta Beach Resort offers a boat trip at P800. The entrance fee to the island is P20 per person and overnight staying is prohibited.
KAPINYAHAN ISLAND
That cotton-buds looking island is the Kapinyahan Island. I've never been there but I'd love to see it someday. You can add this to your Dalutan Island boat trip at an additional price. Agta Beach Resort offers a boat trip at P800 to go to Kapinyahan Island alone, but if you combine it with Dalutan Island, they will give you a discounted price of P1,200.
NARAVIL BOARDWALK, CABUCGAYAN
With an entrance fee of P20, you can admire the mangrove forest and the view of the mountains from afar. You can even take a dip here. You have the option to rent a cottage as well.
BILIRAN BRIDGE
There's a misconception about Biliran Island stating that it is part of Leyte but it is not. Well, it was a part of Leyte but in the year 1992, Biliran became an independent province. This bridge connects Leyte and Biliran Island and is considered to be one of Biliran's historical site.
EAT LOMI AT BORACAY CAFE
If you travelled from the highlands of Biliran during the cold season, you must head to this café and try out their Lomi! Look, I'm not a food blogger. All I can say is that it's delicious and it's really worth it. One order of Lomi costs P120 and it can serve up to 4 people.
BILIRAN PANTALAN
You can find boats docking here and a restaurant nearby with a picturesque view. If you find the owners of the boat here, you can arrange an island hopping tour with them.
TINAGO FALLS
The name of the falls speaks for itself. Tinago means hidden. It's truly one of Biliran's hidden gems. Entrance to this place is P20 per person. There's no restaurant here but they have a shelter where you could chill for free. We didn't find any tables or seats there so we just sat on the ground and eat our lunch that we brought with us from Naval. It's a wise idea to bring your food with you if you're going to travel far from town. Just be responsible and throw your waste somewhere appropriate.
TOMALISTIS FALLS
Tomalistis Falls is known for its sweetest water in the world. Unlike the other gigantic falls you see around Biliran Island, this one is cute. It's like the smaller version of Tumalog Falls of Oslob, Cebu. You have to walk like 5 minutes from the entrance to see the falls which is covered with rock formations. It's fresh water flows towards the sea which somehow makes the seawaters so clear and I loved it! You can enjoy snorkeling here by renting googles for P50 or rent a floater for P20 and just chill. They also have small boats for rent. You have the option to rent a cottage for P500-P800. You can choose between the ones that float or the ones on the rocks. The cottage price can be negotiated when the place isn't on its peak season, but we obviously didn't rent a cottage. We just put our things beside the rocks and went snorkeling.
MAINIT HOT SPRING
Biliran was struck by a big storm last 2017 and it affected a lot of people and the places weren't the same as before just like Mainit Hot Spring. This is what the hot spring looks like now. We could only dip our feet on the hot spring. There's no entrance fee for this place but if you're going to check this out, be careful when dipping your feet on the waters because you'll never know which portion of waters that can actually boil an egg since the hot spring is also beside the flowing cold waters.
GOING HOME:
If your boat tickets aren't round trip, there's nothing to worry about because there are ticketing offices in Naval. You can even book tickets in Ormoc. The ticketing offices in Ormoc is right across the port, inside the bus terminal. If you're heading to Ormoc from Naval, just tell your motorcycle driver that you want to catch a van bound for Ormoc. The van fare is the same as heading to Naval from Ormoc which is P120. After 2-3hrs, you'll arrive in Robinsons Mall bus terminal. Find a tricycle in the terminal that will take you to the port. It will cost you P10 only. Now all you have to do is just wait for your boat bound for Cebu once you've checked-in.
Why we chose to travel to Biliran via Ormoc and not directly to Naval?
It's the schedule. Cebu to Naval/ Naval to Cebu will take 12hrs travel time and the boat schedule isn't daily. Unlike Cebu to Ormoc/Ormoc to Cebu, boat schedules are daily having like 4 trips within the day.
If your boat tickets aren't round trip, there's nothing to worry about because there are ticketing offices in Naval. You can even book tickets in Ormoc. The ticketing offices in Ormoc is right across the port, inside the bus terminal. If you're heading to Ormoc from Naval, just tell your motorcycle driver that you want to catch a van bound for Ormoc. The van fare is the same as heading to Naval from Ormoc which is P120. After 2-3hrs, you'll arrive in Robinsons Mall bus terminal. Find a tricycle in the terminal that will take you to the port. It will cost you P10 only. Now all you have to do is just wait for your boat bound for Cebu once you've checked-in.
Why we chose to travel to Biliran via Ormoc and not directly to Naval?
It's the schedule. Cebu to Naval/ Naval to Cebu will take 12hrs travel time and the boat schedule isn't daily. Unlike Cebu to Ormoc/Ormoc to Cebu, boat schedules are daily having like 4 trips within the day.
To end this blog, I want to thank Kuya Steve Del Castillo and one of my college bestfriends, Eloiza Delotavo for making my travels to Biliran Island so memorable!
LEAVE NO TRACE BUT MEMORIES!