Capul Island

Capul sits in the San Bernardino Strait between Samar and Luzon, on the route the Manila galleons used, and its history follows from that position: the Spanish built a fortified church here in the 1600s, with the church enclosed by defensive walls and bastions against raids, and it survives as one of the more complete fortress-church complexes in the country. On the island's northern point stands a lighthouse from the American period, weathered and standing over cliffs where the strait's current runs hard. The island's other distinction is linguistic - the people of Capul speak Inabaknon, a language unrelated to the Visayan tongues around it and belonging instead to the Sama-Bajau group, which is unexplained by anything else about the island's geography. Boats cross from Allen in about an hour, accommodation is homestays, and visitors are few.

What you actually see

• The fortress church - walls and bastions around the seventeenth-century church.
• The lighthouse - the American-era tower on the northern cliffs.
• The strait - the galleon route's current below.
• The island villages - Inabaknon-speaking communities.

When to go

March to June for the calmest crossings; the San Bernardino Strait is rough and boats are cancelled readily. Weekdays are quiet everywhere.

Honest expectations

Access depends entirely on sea conditions. Accommodation is homestays and there is little to eat out. Bring cash - banking is on the mainland. The lighthouse is a ruin, not a maintained site.

Nearby

Allen and the Northern Samar coast are across the strait; Matnog and Sorsogon are north on Luzon.