Very little is known about Caramoan. Isolated from the rest of the Province of Camarines Sur, it is no surprise why Philippine's Secret Paradise remains unexploited from commercial tourism.
Caramoan gives 'island hopping' a new meaning. Enjoy its beauty in many ways. Great ocean adventures for kayakers, snorkle and scuba dive to experience the diverse marine life, trek and search for the enigmatic lagoon, rock climb the limestone cliffs, explore the caves or just star gaze at night.
Because of its geographic isolation, Caramoan Peninsula has only recently gained world attention as tourist destination. Soon after local television stations ran extensive features of Caramoan's natural beauty, local and foreign travelers started to trickle in and explore the virgin beaches and inland wonders of the peninsula. Caramoan has been declared as one of the National Parks of the Philippines. Suddenly it has become favorite item for online searches among travelers. Even with poor transport infrastructure to the place, tourists from all over the world are coming in droves, raising fears that the peninsula may soon become the next environmentalist's nightmare after Boracay. This year, the whole Caramoan peninsula is the shooting location of the popular Survivor TV series.
Island Hopping
The islands in Caramoan are something really special, with long white sandy beaches, crystal clear water and limestone cliffs surrounding the place. There isn’t much going on around here, but the main reason is to go swimming, hanging out on the beaches, see some natural untouched beauty and feel like you’re really living in the movie – ‘The Beach’
The boats going around the Caramoan islands are just powered out-rigger canoes, so don’t expect any big ferries here!
Paniman is where all island hopping activities begin. Other activities to do are; snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, spelunking (cave exploring) and night fishing.
The most popular beach to visit in Caramoan is Gota beach, which is the setting where the French Survivor team lived.
When they say go "island hopping," that meant visiting the beautiful islands and isles using a powered outrigger canoe of the Caramoan Peninsula, chartered for about US$26/day. Caramoan is both a town and a region, but it also points to the islands sorrounding Caramoan. Bring your swimming trunk, bikinis, body board, swim vests, etc, along and have food or drinks catered over. You will need a minimum of two full days to really see and enjoy this place.
Top ten Caramoan destinations, these are must see:
Lahuy Island
Lahus Island
Cotivas Island
Sabitang Laya Island
Gota beach (mainland)
Hunognan Cove (mainland)
Matukad Island
Minalahos Island
Pitogo Island
Tinago Island
There are various activities available at the provincial government owned Gota and Hunungan Beach resorts , if these do not interest you, or staying here is prohibitively expensive then you should still be able to visit to avail of their services/activities. You could also go out for night fishing tour with the local fishermens if you like fishing, (But remember nights are usually cold so dont forget to bring extra clothings on the tour.)
Be aware that the ongoing ability of tourists visiting these islands, beaches and sensitive areas relies upon them taking care not to damage the fragile environment, annoy the people, or act inappropriately. Respect your surroundings and ensure its ongoing sustainability by taking only photographs and leaving only footprints.
Caramoan Kayaks, Guijalo, Rents out hobie kayaks as well as tents and sleeping bags in case you like to camp overnight on some islands
For more information Visit:
http://caramoanislands.com/
There are Tour Packages out there but I'm not sure which is reliable so search them yourself.
This is a website for Packages
http://caramoan-paradise.blogspot.com/
Here's the provincial tourism video
And here's a tourist video
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