Island Hopping in Matnog, Sorsogon (Travel Guide)

Last updated on August 7th, 2022 at 01:25 pm

Sorsogon is located in South Luzon in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It’s usually a stopover for travelers going to Legazpi, Donsol, Ticao Island, Samar and to discover the beaches around Sorsogon. We will write Island hopping in Matnog travel guide with all the details, prices and schedule.

You have to register in the Tourism Office to get a boat and visiting amazing places like Subic Beach where you can relax swimming in clear waters and also popular because of the pink sand. Read here beach resorts in Sorsogon

HOW TO GET TO MATNOG, SOROSGON

GETTING FROM MANILA TO SORSOGON BY PLANE

If you are getting from Manila to Sorsogon by plane. It will be the most comfortable way. You have to ride a plane to Legazpi airport. Once in the airport get a tricycle to the Bus Terminal where you can get a bus or a van going to Sorsogon. There are buses and vans leaving every 15-30 minutes during the day. Prices are around 100 PHP.

Read here how to get from Manila to Matnog!

GETTING FROM MANILA TO SORSOGON BY BUS

If you are getting from Manila to Sorsogon by bus. There are daily buses leaving Manila from Edsa Cubao, Araneta Cubao, Alabang, Buendia and Pasay. Most of the buses are from 5 pm to 10 pm leaving from Manila. The trip will take around 14 hours. And prices go from 800-1300 PHP depending on the comfort of the bus. Regular buses can go as cheap as 800 PHP.

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How to get from Sorsogon to Matnog

If you want to get to Matnog from Sorsogon is 1 hour 30 minutes by bus or by jeepney. The price by jeepney is 90 PHP and they are leaving from the market. Last jeepney going to Matnog is around 4 pm from Sorsogon. From the bus station in Sorsogon to the market a tricycle costs 40 PHP for 2 kilometers. You can go cheaper if you share the tricycle.

Best Time to Visit Matnog in Sorsogon

Since the Philippines is made up of many different islands, weather conditions may vary from one city to another. If you’re traveling to Sorsogon, you can expect considerably small variations to the city’s weather. Humidity is high in the Philippines and the warmest months here are April and May. Basically, January to March is the best time to visit Sorsogon as this is the sunniest period of the year and is relatively cooler than other months. We would say after Christmas season will be the best to avoid the crowd traveling to Manila fron Samar and coming back home on those dates.

Click here to know more about the weather in Matnog, Sorsogon!

Click here to know prices and schedule to book your bus/boat tickets online with 12Go Asia.

BUDGET MATNOG ISLAND HOPPING

First of all you have to register in the tourism office in Matnog close to the port. Pay attention to this 70 PHP for Filipino and 320 PHP for foreigners. Well I realized the price was high. It is first time that I pay this amount of money as a foreigner in a tourism office in the Philippines. Just in El Nido the environmental fee is 200 PHP valid for 10 days. But they usually help to organize and improve your trip. So for sure let’s do it!

Our island hopping price was 2000 PHP (overcharging 200 PHP) what includes 3 stops Juag Fish Lagoon, Subic Beach and Calintaan Cave. Well once in the Juag Lagoon you have to pay 200 PHP for swimming with the fishes per person and 200 PHP extra for feeding them. Juag Lagoon is a private place this fish sanctuary that’s why the Tourism Office they don’t know how much do they charge exactly. It’s supposed the price for the island hopping in Matnog 1800 PHP for a day tour and 2000 PHP if you stay overnight based in the official document. You can start your island hopping in Matnog from 6 am and coming back as late 5 30 pm. Check the picture below to see the exact prices!

Tourism Office in Matnog Ripped Us Off

I didn’t like this lack of information from the tourism office about prices. We just paid the environmental fee and they put as in a hurry in a boat without any explanation. Once in the boat we left in a hurry and we didn’t get any information until our first stop in Juag Lagoon where we asked the rest of the itinerary. After this we pass by Calintaan Cave we didn’t even stop for a picture. Our last stop was Subic Beach what is popular because is a pink sand beach. It was amazing this beach and one of our favorite beaches in the Philippines.

After the island hopping. Obviously I complained in the Tourism Office and I found out the real price is 1800 PHP for the tour when they overcharged us 200 PHP in the Tourism Office in Matnog. And we also found out that there are more stops that we didn’t do in the island hopping in Matnog. They said due to the typhoon. As nobody explained us anything how can you know about this, we can’t trust them.

As I complained about the island hopping organization and price in the Tourism Office. They gave us back 200 PHP. They apologized to us and said that they prices are confused. Who charged you that price? They asked us. Well in the Tourism Office saw the boatmen in the morning so perfectly they know who they are. They charged us the money for the environmental fee and no more explanations about the trip.

This is only our experience in Matnog. We always recommend going to the Tourism Office, pay the environmental fees and getting all the information there. It’s the first time that happened to us that the Tourism Office overcharged us and not even explain and help in anything. The goal in the Tourism Office is to set a price to regulate the prices and avoid other people skipping paying the environmental fee doing the tour with illegal boats with no insurance. And we totally support his!

We have been in other Tourism Office like Bataan amazing which is the best one for sure that we have visited in the Philippines. Where they really give you information about what to see, where to stay, prices and schedule. Even Hundred Islands, Burias Island where they helped us after we registered in the office with our accommodation an itinerary.

Apart from this keep reading below our island hopping in Matnog where we had amazing time in Subic Beach and it became in one of our favorite ones in the Philippines.

If you want to sign up for Airbnb, we give you $30 USD credit with your first booking!

Read more about all the places to stay in Sorsogon and book your staying with Booking and Agoda!

Click here if you want to get your discount booking activities in the Philippines with Klook!

Island Hopping in Matnog, Sorsogon

Juag Lagoon

Our first stop in Matnog Island hopping was Juag Lagoon where you can feed and swim with the fishes. At that day the rates for feeding the fishes was 200 PHP. Plus another 200 PHP extra per adult for swimming in Juag Lagoon. It takes 15 minutes to get there from the port. And from Juag Lagoon to the next stop Calitaan Caves or Subic Beach will take 10-15 minutes more by boat.

Calintaan Cave

Our second stop was Calintaan Cave after Juag Lagoon. We only passed by there and we didn’t even stop to take a picture. We took while passing by with the boat before coming back to Subic Beach. It wasn’t possible to stop because of the tide. Sadly they didn’t give any information if it was allowed to stop there in other schedule during the day. From Calintaan Cave to Subic Beach takes 10 minutes boat ride.

Subic Beach

Subic Beach was an amazing stop and this beach was worth it to spend the day. Blue and transparent water where you can do snorkeling. The white sand is inviting to spend your day. Before going to Subic Beach we pass by to the Caves which was part of the tour based in the Tourism Office.

It’s called Pink Beach! It’s a long beach where you can walk around, swim and even snorkeling. You have to bring your own snorkeling since there is not snorkeling for rent. You always have to be ready for snorkeling in the Philippines.

We enjoyed Subic Beach for ourselves nobody came into the beach. You can stay overnight there are a few cottages for rent. You can also rent a cottage to spend your day 500 PHP. There is no entrance fee in Subic Beach.

Tikling Island

As a part of the tour Tikling Island is only 15 minutes boat ride from Matnog. It’s a private island. You will find pink sand and blue waters. The named of Tikling Island is because of the birds with this name there were in the island. We couldn’t visit at that time because of the last typhoon two weeks before.

WHAT TO BRING FOR THE ISLAND HOPPING

There are no food sellers in the island, but you can buy food, coconuts and water

Bring a dry back for the island hopping and I would suggest plastic to cover your staff just in case is raining hard.

Bring your snorkeling mask since the boatmen will not have available. You can’t miss the opportunity of swimming around the clear waters.

Bring your sunblock.

Bring your own food if you are planning to spend the day or overnight. Bring cash, don’t expect there are ATM’s or exchange offices in paradise ha!

Take pictures everywhere with your camera.

Take underwater shots with the done or underwater camera.

Of course if you have a drone fly it around Subic Beach, the pink beach in Sorsogon!

Hope you like our Island hopping in Matnog travel guide is useful for your next trip. Let us know in the comments below if you have questions or there are any changes in the prices and schedule.

If you want to sign up for Airbnb, we give you $30 USD credit with your first booking!

Read more about all the places to stay in Sorsogon and book your staying with Booking and Agoda!

Click here if you want to get your discount booking activities in the Philippines with Klook!

Click here to know prices and schedule to book your bus/boat tickets online with 12Go Asia.

Feel free to use our links with discounts for Booking, Agoda, Airbnb and Klook. Using our links you will help us to continue with the maintenance of the website and it will not cost you anything. Thanks for the love guys.

Happy travels!