Batanes | Vuhus Island: Snorkelling and Life in a Cattle Ranch

Minding the cattle at Vuhus Island Sabtang An island of cows. I’ve imagined Vuhus Island to be a vast open plain where cows freely graze ai...

Minding the cattle at Vuhus Island Sabtang

An island of cows. I’ve imagined Vuhus Island to be a vast open plain where cows freely graze aimlessly in dense numbers, left alone by their owners to wander until the time they are ready to be butchered. The island, prominently seen at the western coast of Sabtang Island have always lured me from afar. It is one of the islands that welcomes travellers from the plane window while flying into Batanes. In my last visit to Sabtang Island, I finally got to step on Vuhus Island. Briefly explored its ocean channel and learned that life in a cattle ranch on the island. So the population of cows here seem to have an order too.

The rest stop north of Sabtang Island

Road to Nakanmuan

Satiated from the lunch at the Morong Beach, my guide and I decided to have a siesta time. High up on a hill, past the road leading to Morong Beach is an open rest stop with thatched roof where the breeze freely flows and surrounded sweeping views of hills, sea and the road behind. This is already at the northern tip of Sabtang Island. My guide, Mael, tells me, locals from the villages on the western side of the island would frequent this place as it is the last area where one can get cellular signal in Sabtang Island. I lay on one of the bamboo benches and amusingly found a gin bottle, still almost half-filled, tucked between the beam and the roof. I wonder if they use this in the evening when it can get extremely chilly at night.

When we continued on, the road opens up to views west of the island. Cliff-hugging winding roads with Vuhus Island constantly on our right side. What a desolate rugged coastal beauty. I particularly like the narrow roads cutting through some rocks. The road seems to have been recently paved unlike the poor condition the first time I was here. We reached Nakanmuan Village where it seems like a ghost town at that time of the day. People where probably enjoying their own siesta breaks. Mael looked for his friend who has a boat we could rent. A tataya, a smaller version of the falowa. Dark skinned from the sun, our boatman agreed and I agreed on a price for a snorkelling tour and time on the island. With nothing much better to do in the afternoon, it was good money for him.

The road cutting through the rocks

Stonehouses at Nakanmuan village

Launching our Tataya, a small boat without outrigger

Snorkelling at Vuhus Island on the next page…

Riding the tataya

Snorkelling Vuhus Waters

The blue tataya looks fragile but our boatman assured it can withstand huge waves. The sea condition at that time was fairly good with moderate swells but I can’t help sometimes that I feel we’ll tip over. Our boatman manoeuvred to the south side of the island and suggested we go snorkelling first before the tide gets low. I only had my goggles with me and wished I brought my own snorkeling gear which I’m must admit I’m heavily dependent when swimming at sea. Our boatman lent me his wooden flipper. He said they just use one on a foot and unlike flippers, they use it to push themselves under water. I jumped into the water and tried it. It was hard! I couldn’t find the rhythm and kept loosening from my feet. And without a snorkel, it was hard for me to stay underwater for long. I could see a few corals and fishes but it was hard to video or take photos on my own. I gave my action camera to the boatman and asked if he can take the videos for me. At first he had the front side of the camera facing him the whole time while he was on water. I kindly asked him to try again and got it right the second time. The videos he captured were amazing. The coral reefs he went to has plenty of tropical fishes especially the highly favorite sea anemone fishes (nemo). I just wish I was a better swimmer and not reliant on a gear to have found those on my own.

I decided to just cling on the boat while they rowed towards the island. That way I could see what’s underwater while on the move. Now I know how it feels like to be dragged on water. I did see some good corals but I also saw how a lot has been crushed already, damaged probably by other fishermen who may have stepped on them during low-tide. We chanced upon a young giant clam which our boatman pointed and next thing I knew, he scooped it up from where it was buried and said this would make for a nice meal. It made me cringe but I couldn’t blame him really.

Seagrass and corals at Vuhus Island

A sea anemone fish

More corals and fishes

Docking on the white beach of Vuhus Island

Friendly welcome from the island’s pet

More on the life on the island on the next page…

Vuhus Cattle Ranch

Life in a Ranch

My guide Mael found himself back to where he used to work. He worked on the “Vuhus Cattle Ranch” for at least a couple of years before he changed career as a tricycle driver. It’s a well ran ranch. A concrete headquarters with good supply of water, solar electricity but cellular signal on a certain spot by the window. I could see heavy farm equipment there as well. But he did admit getting lonely up here with nothing much to do. Being stationed here means staying a week or two away from his family on the island across. What he and his colleague did is to organize the farm. Being an agriculture graduate, he knows how to work on the farm and with cattles. They set up the fences, the water lines and feeding the cattle.

Mael explained that there are two types of free reign cows here in Vuhus Island, the real, wild and untamed one. He pointed them from afar and they are huge and goes in groups. Even from afar, they seemed to have noticed our presence and went hiding behind the woods. The tamed ones are on another area divided by a fence, it takes a while for the wild ones to be tamed here and goes through several process. Mael whistles and calls the cows which somehow they were still familiar with. Soon forth the cows were already behind us following Mael’s signal into the feeding and drinking area.  Yep these cows remembers him. I don’t think people should get too attached to them though as the cows in Vuhus island is a source for “organic tapa” in the country. We were soon on our way that afternoon to avoid the low-tide but not helping ourselves first with a freshly boiled coconut crab which seems to be abundant in the area. We thanked the caretaker for the meal and headed back to Nakanmuan Village.

Fence and pathway

Wild cows seen from afar

A fence diving the wild cows (back) from the tamed cows (front)

Heading back to Nakanmuan Village