Sabitan Laiya
Sabitan Laiya stretch of beach at Balibagan Island
Caramoan Peninsula has numerous stretches of beaches that would satisfy even the most discerning beach bum. With a number of islands each with unique features, you could just point to any stretch of beach you see and just enjoy the solitude with your friends. And to start it off, one of my favorite beaches in the peninsula located at the island of Balibagan, called Sabitan Laiya.
Houses among mangroves in Oroc-Osoc Port
It was a very scenic ride towards the island from the port which I forgot the name. It was somewhere in Oroc-Osoc if I’m not mistaken. Traveling from places from the Centro of Caramoan can be tricky since the place isn’t mapped out. And they don’t have any tourist map to go along with this so you have to rely on the knowledge of tricycle drivers. Anyways I remember the port since it was one of the most scenic I’ve seen with mangroves, colorful boats and houses along the mangroves.
A stretch of beach in Balibagan where we docked our boat.
The weather was just perfect and the sea was so picture perfect calm you could see the seabed in its clarity. It was also disappointing to see that there are a lot of damaged corals from where we passed. We asked our Manong Boatman if they aren’t protecting the seas. He said that there used to be a Bantay Dagat here a year ago, but somehow they were still not able to control dynamite fishing. I hope the local government could do something about this.
Framed scene of some of my companions enjoying the waters by the shade and the scenic limestone by the beach.
After about a 30 minutes ride, we were just impressed by the long stretch of fine white beach we found. At first though, we were dismayed seeing a number people there, since we hate crowds and would like to have the place on out own. Still we checked it out. Turns out we saw only one side of the island. Walking past some limestone formations took us to one of the most scenic beaches we’ve seen.
Postcard perfect Sabitan Laiya Beach
Sabitan Laiya has a very friendly family-beach feel since it has nice fine sands and clear turquoise water. And the addition of impressive rock formations at the tail of the island makes this place more impressive. And it was also fun to see a group of Anemone fish (Nemo) just a few meters from the shore!
Ok there was a little crowd here, but most of the people here are from Caramoan itself and the nearby regions of Naga. I think we were the only one who came all the way from Manila. Despite, this was a really fun beach to share with those who know and the locals.
Tags: Balibagan Island, Beach, Bicol, Camarines Sur, Caramoan Peninsula, Sabitan Laiya
Posted on
Saturday, April 29th, 2006 at 1:14 pm 
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April 30th, 2006 at 9:26 am
i love the framed shot…this place is amazing. unspoiled by mass tourism. your post also reminds me of a friend who has a brother working as a “pulis pangkaragatan” somewhere in eastern visayas where the beaches are pristine, the seafood a-plenty and unknown to tourists.
you should seriously publish a picture book of your philippine travels.
April 30th, 2006 at 9:48 am
OT: hmm pwede mo ba akong tulungan sa pag set up ng website? pleaseeee? email me if you have time. thankss!
April 30th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Lovely shots of the hidden beauty of the Philippines. Once you get out of the beaten track it is not difficult to find paradise…
Friendly locals, great sea-food, fantastic beaches and cheap prices!
Maybe it is good that everybody is heading to Boracay so that tourism don’t destroy too many other places !
May 1st, 2006 at 9:04 am
beautiful beach and landscape……sunny, white sand and blue sky…look like a paradise…great capture:-)
May 1st, 2006 at 9:50 am
ganda ng tubig!
May 1st, 2006 at 9:51 am
wooow! ganda ng tubig! sarap naman diyan sa pinuntahan mo ferdZ!
May 2nd, 2006 at 12:26 pm
we really still have a lot of unexplored beautiful offerings
May 2nd, 2006 at 2:32 pm
ang ganda pala dyan sa Caramoan. pinaka gusto ko sa mga shots mo dito sa post mo ay yung kuha na Framed scene.
May 2nd, 2006 at 9:48 pm
boracay isn’t the only one… and this is still ancillary to that fact.
and yes, I agree with the fortuitous faery on publishing a book.
May 3rd, 2006 at 12:35 pm
wow. you never fail to impress ferdz! Paano niyo nalalaman ang mga ganitong lugar? Teka, paano nga pala makapunta dito?
May 3rd, 2006 at 5:31 pm
aww! im really beginning to hate you now. bakit ikaw lang ang nakakapunta sa mga lugar na ganyan…baketttt?!? waaaaaa!!
May 4th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
@fortuitous faery: Yeah! It’s truly unspoiled. Thanks hope to do that picture book someday.
@trisha: Hi please check your email.
@Sidney: Thanks Sid. Yeah I agree good thing most people only know Boracay, which somehow gives you exclusivity when visiting places like this.
@outdoorexposure: Thanks!
@alex: Masarap din maligo
@mark: Yup!
@mr_d: Thanks! Will post a guide soon
@zielle: Ngak! Wag naman po!
May 5th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
hey ferdz, maybe you can give us some tips on how to go to this place. looks very tranquil. I would like to add this to my list for this year. thanks!
October 14th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
hello i am living in caramoan
March 15th, 2007 at 9:52 am
can’t wait to go there this holy week! got ourselves bus tickets already.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
please tell me how top get there.. where to stay and how about the rates?