The Caramoan Islands

The Caramoan peninsula sticks out into the Pacific at the eastern edge of Camarines Sur, and the water off it is scattered with limestone islets much like Palawan's - jagged karst, small pale beaches, water that shifts from green to blue. Boats run a standard circuit from Paniman: Matukad with its cliff climb and the enclosed lagoon behind it, Lahos where two beaches join at low tide and separate at high, Sabitang Laya's long sandbar, Hunongan and Cotivas. International survival television series have filmed here repeatedly, which brought the roads and some of the accommodation, but the place never turned into a resort strip. Getting there is still the filter that keeps numbers down.

What you actually see

• Matukad - the short cliff scramble to a view over the beach, with a hidden lagoon behind it.
• Lahos Island - two beaches joined by a sand bar that the high tide covers.
• Sabitang Laya - a long pale beach with karst outcrops at either end.
• The karst islets - limestone spires and undercut rock scattered across the bay.

When to go

March to June is the calm window, and it is short. Bicol takes the brunt of the typhoon season from July into November, and the northeast monsoon keeps the sea rough from December to February, when boat trips are cancelled for days at a stretch. Book the boat and the crossing together and leave slack in your schedule.

Honest expectations

The journey is the cost: a van from Naga, a two-hour open crossing to Guijalo, then road again, and the boat is cancelled often. Accommodation in Caramoan town is limited and basic, power can be intermittent, and there are few restaurants. Island-hopping fees are charged per island. Nothing here is as polished as Palawan, which is both the appeal and the problem.

Nearby

Naga City is the regional hub, and Mount Isarog Natural Park lies inland from it.