Anawangin Cove
Posted on 05. Jul, 2009 by Lakwatsero in Destinations, Luzon
The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 changed the landscape of Central Luzon, and among the changes is the emergence of a secluded cove dotted with Agoho trees on ash and sand mixture – the Anawangin Cove.
Anawangin Cove is in the province of Zambales, facing the South China Sea. It can be reached via half an hour boat ride from Barangay Pundaquit or San Miguel in San Antonio, Zambales or via a four to six hours trek of Mt. Pundaquit.
It is used to be mountaineers’ secret getaway after a climb, but today it is a secret no more. The cove is now a famous camping site of tourists from all walks-of-life.
The placid stream that flows directly to the roaring South China Sea is a sight to behold. Through the years, the hidden cove has maintained its beauty and serenity that can be attributed to its remoteness.
Experience a back-to-basic living and fall in love in this secluded cove. With no electricity and mobile signal, Anawangin is your perfect getaway.
How to Get There:
By Land
To get there, one must go to Barangay San Miguel or Pundaquit, in San Antionio, Zambales where a banca to Anawangin can be rented for P1500.00, round trip. It is a 40-45 minutes boat ride.
To go to Pundaquit, ride a bus bound to Iba or Sta. Cruz, Zambales. Victory Lines has scheduled trips to those destinations. Tell the driver to drop you off at San Antonio. If you are coming from their terminal in Sampaloc, it will cost you around P270.00 , don’t forget to tell the cashier that you are up to San Antonio only, or they will charge you the full fare to its destination. Travel time is around 3 to 4 hours via NLEX.
From San Antonio, ride a tricycle to Barangay San Miguel or Pundaquit, standard rate is P30.0o per passenger, you may opt to add some tip since it is quite far.
By Air/Water
By ferry, take a Mt. Samat Express (Contact No: 551-5290) ferry ride to Subic in CCP (~P250.00 – P300.00) or the Supercat from Mall of Asia (P300.00) . It is an hour ferry ride to Orion Bataan. From there catch a bus to Subic for another hour or less and then a bus to Iba, Zambales, passing to San Antonio.
By air, charter an aircraft to International Subic Airport, Castillejos Airstrip, or to Iba Local Airport.
Where to Stay:
Since there are no commercial establishments in this island, you may bring a tent or camping equipments (plus foods and drinking water) if you are planning to stay there overnight. Just tell the boatman your planned date and time of return to San Miguel/Pundaquit.
If you are not into camping, you can have a day trip in Anawangin and stay overnight in Pundaquit where numerous hotels and restaurants can be found. You can have a room for as low as P1000.00. For Lakwatsero’s compilation of hotels in Barangay Pundaquit click here:
Activities:
- Camping
- Trek to Mt. Pundaquit
- Swimming
- Photography
- Surfing (Bring your own board if you will be surfing in Anawangin, otherwise you can surf in the nearby Crystal Beach with surfing equipments for rent)
- Skimboarding (Bring your own skim board)
- Visit the nearby Nagsasa Cove, Capones Island, Camara Island, Anawangin Cove and Silanguin Cove
- Trek to Capones Lighthouse
Tips
Since this area is facing the open waters of the South China Sea, the water is generally rough any time of the year specially during afternoon. Alternatively you can go there by trekking Mt.Pundaquit for four hours.
Camping fee in Anawangin is at P100.00 per person. There are now small stores in the area that sells water, chips, candles, canned goods and other basic necessities.
Lakwatsero Experience:
Lakwatsero has been to Anawangin in April of 2009. Watch out for the narratives of his travel in “My Travelogues”.
To get there, one must go to Barangay Pundaquit, San Antionio, Zambales where a banca to Capones Island can be rented for a standard rate of P700.00 (~$17). It is a 15 minutes banca ride from Pundaquit.
To go to Pundaquit, ride a bus bound to Iba or Sta. Cruz, Zambales. Victory Lines has scheduled trips to those destinations. Tell the driver to drop you off at San Antonio. If you are coming from their terminal in Sampaloc, it will cost you P220.00 (~$5.25), don’t forget to tell the cashier that you are up to San Antonio only, or they will charge you the full fare to its destination. Travel time is around 3 to 4 hours via NLEX.
From San Antonio, ride a tricycle to Barangay Pundaquit, standard rate is P20.00 (~$0.5), you may opt to add some tip since it is quite far.
By Air/Water
By ferry, take a Mt. Samat Express (Contact No: 551-5290) ferry ride to Subic in CCP. It is an hour ferry ride to Orion Bataan, for around P250.00 (~$6.00) . From there catch a bus to Subic for another hour or less and then a bus to Iba, Zambales, passing to San Antonio.
By air, charter an aircraft to International Subic Airport, Castillejos Airstrip, or to Iba Local Airport.
Where to Stay:
Since there are no commercial establishments in this island, you may bring a tent or camping equipments (plus foods and drinking water) if you are planning to stay there overnight. Just tell the boatman your planned date and time of return to Pundaquit.
Most tourists, however, stay in Pundaquit where numerous hotels and restaurants can be found. You can have a room for as low as P1000.00/~$25 (or even lower). For Lakwatsero’s compilation of hotels in Barangay Pundaquit click here:
Activities:
- Trek to Capones Lighthouse: If you are coming from the east side of Capones Island, you have to trek for an hour or less, to a rocky shore, passing to an unfinished building and statue of Mama Mary. I suggest you have someone with you who knows the place since the trail up has no signage and you may get lost. But if you are coming from the other side of the island (where Marimar shot some scenes), the lighthouse is already visible so it is easier to reach the place passing through a field, this side of the island however has rocky shore and some huge waves making it impossible for bancas to dock.
- Camping: Just bring your own camping equipments, enough foods and water supply.
- Swimming, Snorkeling and Diving: Just bring your own equipments.
- Island Hopping: You can visit the nearby Camara Island.
- Aquatic Sports in Barangay Pundaquit: Jetski is available for rent.
- Visit Pundaquit Falls: Walk along the beach southward towards the Pundaquit river. If your resort is too far north of the river, you can take your vehicle and get back to the main Pundaquit road and head southward until the road ends by the river. From the river, it is only a short walk by the seashore until you reach the end of the beach where there is a cliff and a smaller river (or a big stream, you might say). This small river comes from the falls, so, technically speaking, just follow the river upstream for about a hundred meters and you will end up at the foot of the falls. But remember, you may have to cut your own trail or walk along the shallow portions of the stream to get there. As you explore the falls, it gets more interesting as you climb from cascade to cascade. This falls is worth going to only during the wet season (or a little after the wet season) when there is plenty of fresh flowing water filling up the numerous “tubs” along the stream. Too little flowing water during the dry seasons makes this falls nearly stagnant, dirty and even stinky. (Source: waypoints.ph)
Lakwatsero Experience:
Lakwatsero has been to Capones in 2008. Watch out for the narratives of his travel in “My Travels”.
Viewed 17856 times by 8097 viewers
monica reyes
Jun 5th, 2010
hi ngpplan kc ko ng bday celebration ko sa september 2,3,2010. ok lang ba mgpunta dun ng ganung buwan na?safe ba ng ganung buwan.? pde ba naming mapuntahan lahat ng lugar dun ng 2days para masulit? please giv me some tips. ty.