Cagbalete is an island situated in Lamon Bay, fronting the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the municipality of the Mauban, Quezon and is slowly becoming one of the more popular weekend getaways from Manila.

Getting there, however, is a little bit tricky. The total travel time is usually around five to six hours, around the same time to get to Baguio or La Union. It sounds a lot, but in reality the length of the journey doesn’t equivalent the mileage; the reason it takes so long is because the buses make frequent random stops to pick up passengers along the way.

Personally I loved the journey to Cagbalete; it was definitely less stressful than my experience going to Baler. Buses were plenty and even though we missed the passenger boat to Cagbalete island, the private boat we ended up hiring didn’t turn out to be too expensive.

Part One: To Lucena

1. If you’re bringing a private car, you choose between these two routes:
   1. South Super Highway, then pass by Sto. Tomas, Batangas – San Pablo – Tiaong – Candelaria – Sariaya – Tayabas – Mauban
   2. South Super Highway, then proceed to Calamba, Laguna. The route is now to pass by the towns of Los Baños – Sta. Cruz – Pagsanjan – Cavinti – Lusiana – Lucban – Tayabas before finally getting to Mauban, Quezon, the town proper
2. If you’re commuting, you can choose from these options, depending on which part of Manila you’re coming from:
   1. Cubao: Jam Liner, N. Dela Rosa Transit, Jac Liner has two trips directly to Mauban, Lucena Lines, DLTB Co.
   2. Buendia: Jam Liner, Jac Liner has two trips directly to Mauban
   3. Pasay:Philtranco
   4. Alabang: N. Dela Rosa Transit

Trips would terminate in the Lucena Grand Terminal and commuting travel time is somewhere between three to four hours, depending on the traffic.

Part Two: To Mauban

1. If you’re bringing a private car, you just follow the route detailed above.
2. If you’re commuting, you can either:
   1. Ride the regular (non-air conditioned) bus to Mauban, which is the cheapest way to go about things. The buses are rarely full and the air is fresh enough that your face won’t be full of soot by the time you get off. Travel time is about an hour and a half to two hours.
   2. Hop onto a jeep to SM Lucena and ride the UV Express van to Mauban. This should cut your travel time by an hour.

Part Three: To Cagbalete

If you’re bringing a private car, I believe you can park in Mauban, right by the Municipal Hall. I was advised by the massage therapist from Dona Choleng that there’s a fee but we’re not sure how much. It would probably be best to coordinate with the resort you’ll be staying in to check if they can reserve you a slot.

1. Via the Passenger Boat. There’re two daily trips, one at ten o’clock in the morning and one at four in the afternoon. It’s the cheapest way to get to the island, and I’ve been told that the boat can load up to forty people. Trips from the island are at seven in the morning and at one in the afternoon. The passenger boat docks on the side of the island away from the resorts, though, so some trekking would be involved.
2. Via Private Boat. Prices range from PHP1,500 to PHP4,000, depending on how many people are going to board. You can book a boat to get you to and from the island, which can be convenient because you won’t be pressed for time to catch the passenger boat. Another plus: the private boat wold drop you off and pick you up right in front of the resort you’re staying at.

As far as trips go, the trip to Cagbalete was one of the smoother trips I’ve ever been on (the trip coming back wasn’t so nice: our bus broke down in Calamba and we had to wait for a replacement bus). And even though the travel time is a bit lengthy, believe me when I say that the pay off is worth it.