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Lakawon – Why Bother With Boracay?

Lakawon is a small white sand beach island just off the northern tip of Negros Occidental, Philippines.

It makes for a wonderful day out and is popular with  Filipinos, resident foreigners and foreign tourists. But beware – here is a link to the high tide table at maputils.com. It is essential reading before you go.

Why? There is a 20-minute banca ride across to the island. As long as it is not low tide then these boats have sufficient draft to drop anchor either close to the beach or at the  finger jetty at Cadiz Viejo.

If it is low tide then you are forced to clamber into small boat to transfer to the larger banca. If like me, you have mobility issues, then it is a big problem. If you have toddlers with you, then it can be a problem. If you are packing lots of food and utensils for a BBQ, it is a problem.

We set off on Holy Saturday 2016 for a day out at Lakawon. We arrived about 10 am – low tide. There was no way my arthritic limbs were going to clamber aboard that small boat. And, what makes it worse is that the boat can only be accessed by clambering over slippy rocks then wading through knee high water.

I weighed it up and announced. “I’ll pick you all up later.” I was disappointed and so were my family members. I wasn’t going to spoil everyone’s day so they went without me.

I have the video and photos to remind me how happy they were. That makes me happy!

It certainly looks a great beach and beautiful clear waters for bathing.

And, it certainly beats the crowds at Boracay!

Lakawon

Getting to Lakawon Island

Read the information below or if you are driving then these are the directions –

Drive north from Bacolod/Victorias City towards Cadiz. Once you pass the vast Isla Sol solar power installation then look out for the Barangay Cadiz Viejo sign on your left. Turn left there and follow the paved road all the way to Cadiz Viejo. Turn left at the store in the middle of the road until you see the right turn arrow for Lakawon resort. Turn right there and you will end up in the car park at the finger jetty port.

This is what a Lakawon Facebook Page has to say about the island –

Getting to Cadiz Viejo, which is the nearest embarkation point to the island, may be done via private or public transportation. From Bacolod City, or any point of Negros, are numerous jeepneys available for hire, driver included. One may also take Ceres Liner buses from any of the cities and municipalities in the province. From the national highway in Cadiz Viejo, a dirt road leads to the shore (25php per person if you’re takin a tricycle from the Martisan Terminal). The island is visible from here and parking space is available (30php for Day tripper and 50php for overnight). The ride to the island by motorized banca takes about 20 minutes (150php/person back and forth). It is best to arrive in the morning during high tide–the waters will be calmer and there will be less wading required to get to the boat. Entrance is 100php per person, Nipa hut is 500php for Day Tripper or you can bring a tent and 2500php if you want to rent a room for an overnight stay.

There is a phone number on that Facebook page and I advise calling and checking on those prices mentioned above. They are not accurate. For example at Easter 2016 the car park is 75php for the day and 100php overnight.

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