Visayas Traverse: Sugar Beach, Sipalay

Day3: Sugar Beach, Sipalay

Date of Travel: 15 October 2013

People using woodeng planks and boulders to get to the boat

From Guimaras, we headed straight to Negros Occidental via the Cabano-Bago route. When the boat arrived, the water was low and the existing docking bridge wasn't usable. The boatmen tried to improvise by laying down wooden planks across boulders and by using themselves as human hand rails so that the passengers won't get wet. It was getting late so the people ended up crossing the water to the boat without a proper system yet. And even thought the task was quite challenging -- waves rolling under your feet, no proper footing for balance, hand-carried luggage -- I didn't see anyone fall into the water. Some didn't even get their feet wet.

A view of endless rice paddies on the way

Going to Sugar Beach, we took the Montilla route and rode a tricycle from the high way to the small river. The road went through rice paddies backed up by small mountains and over a river lined with Mangroves. It was a refreshing scenery.

Sugar beach's western orientation makes for perfect sunsets

Sugar beach directly faces West giving it unobstructed views of the sunset every day. I think this is the best sunset I've seen so far. Head to http://halfwhiteboy.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunsets-at-sugar-beach.html for better pictures.

Where We Stayed

Driftwood Village Resort

This was a long walk from the small river on the other side. I think this was the 5th resort you'll pass by and if you're really tired and hungry from a long trip (like us), you might regret making a reservation here. In which case, make a reservation in the pricier Takatuka Lodge instead, the first resort along the beach.

Anyway, true to its name, the place really looks like a village. Several nipa huts are strategically positioned throughout the property and serve different purposes. There are nipa huts for dining, for entertainment, for accommodations, for the bathroom, for the receiving area, etc. It felt like walking around in a traditional Filipino village.

What I like most about this resort are their hammocks. They have one outside every room and a few more on the beach. Their beach hammocks are not the net-type ones and so don't leave criss-cross marks on you after a good nap. We took a nap in one under the stars and the moon.

Room: P450

Inclusions: Fan room, shared bath, hammock

Tip: Bring an off! lotion to protect from the mosquitoes

How We Did It

Guimaras Island to Negros Occidental:

There are two ways to get from Guimaras to Negros. The first one, the more popular one, is via Iloilo wherein you ride the short boat-ride back to Iloilo city from Jordan and then get on a bigger boat to Bacolod City. To me, this takes more time, effort and money and so we went for the less popular one wherein we went to the other side of the island, Cabano, and got on a 45-min boat ride to Bago City (a few kilometers south of Bacolod City). Aside from this route being non-touristy, it also allowed us to see more of the island.

From the town center of Jordan, there is a shuttle van that goes to Cabano. However, waiting time and travel time is longer because they have to fill the van. Fortunately, we were able to deal with a tricycle driver to take us to Cabano for P200 (this would normally be P300-P400).

At Bago City, follow the crowd and get on one of the tricycles headed for the highway. If you're heading back to Bacolod City, cross the road. Otherwise, stay on your side of the road.

Tricycle to Cabano (1hr): P200/trip

Boat to Bago (45min): P60/person

*earliest trip at 10:00

Tricycle to Highway(20min): P20/person

Bago City to Sugar Beach:

From Bago City, wait for a Hinoba-an bus along the national highway. Tell the driver that you're getting off at Montilla, around 3kms before you arrive at Sipalay town proper. Prepare for a long and uncomfortable bus ride as a lot of people are usually headed to Sipalay.

At Montilla, get on a tricycle that will take you to the river near Sugar Beach in Bgy. Nauhang. Just tell them that you're headed to sugar beach. Our tricycle driver then was Sonny SMART 09214966158. He speaks good Tagalog and knows the area well. He was also honest enough to give me back my P100 when I was giving him P200.

At the river, get on a small paddle boat that will take you across. It is really just a small river but it's too deep to wade through or even swim through.

After the river, you will find yourself in a small village. Walk to your right and take the rightmost fork into the forest. You're basically going around a big boulder and you can exit to the beach through the leftmost fork.

Bus to Montilla (4.5hrs): P157/person

Tricycle to river (30mins): P100/trip

Boat to get across (5mins): P10-20/person

Bago City to Sugar Beach via Sipalay:

If the above route sounds too much of an effort, and the view of rice paddies is not inspiring enough, you can go via the port in Sipalay for a much easier, albeit less scenic, route.

Instead of getting of at Montilla, get off at Sipalay city and head to Driftwood Village Restaurant. The resort has their own outrigger boat which you can rent to get to Sugar Beach. This has to be pre-arranged though. Other resorts also have their own boats and you can contact them to arrange for a pick up at Sipalay.

The Hardworking Traveller is a collection of travel guides and travel accounts that aim to help the DIY tourist with travel planning. The author is a generation-y kid struggling between her reality of needing a corporate job and her dream of becoming a hermit.

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