Cuyo Island

Cuyo lies out in the Sulu Sea roughly halfway between Palawan and Panay, and it was the capital of Palawan before Puerto Princesa - a fact that explains its centrepiece, the fortress church of Cuyo, built by Recollect and Augustinian missionaries and completed in 1680 with the church, convent and bell towers enclosed inside defensive stone walls against raids from the sea, and still in use. The Cuyonon people speak their own language and keep their own traditions, including the Ati-Atihan-style festivities and the sinamay weaving. Around the town are white beaches, the Capusan and Victoria shores, small islands offshore, and a steady amihan wind from late in the year that has made Cuyo a modest kiteboarding destination. Getting there is the obstacle: ferries take many hours from either direction and run irregularly, which is why the island stays as quiet as it does.

History

Traders from the east were early visitors, and settlers led by the Malay chief Matuod, and later the Muslim chieftain Datu Magbanua, made their homes on the island; Chinese who found gold on Mount Aguado were in time expelled by the islanders. The Spanish reached Cuyo in 1571, in the time of Miguel López de Legazpi, set up the encomienda system in 1580 and began formal missionary work in 1622. In 1636 a fleet under Datu Tagul raided Cuyo, burned the town and carried off prisoners, among them a priest, and to guard against such raids Recollect and Augustinian missionaries built the church, convent and fort, completed in 1680. In 1873 the capital of the province of Paragua, today's Palawan, moved here from Taytay, and Cuyo kept that role until 1903 (Wikipedia, Cuyo, Palawan).

What you'll find

• The fortress church - walls enclosing the church and convent.
• The town - Cuyonon streets and the old capital's remnants.
• The white beaches - Capusan and the shores around town.
• The wind season - the amihan that brings kiteboarders.

When to go

November to April for the dry season and the wind. Ferries are least reliable in the storm months, and schedules thin out considerably outside peak periods.

What to expect

Access is the difficulty - long ferry crossings on irregular schedules, and flights are occasional at best. Accommodation is small lodges and homestays. Bring cash; banking is limited.

Nearby

Puerto Princesa and Iloilo are the ferry ports; the Cuyo archipelago's smaller islands are reached by local boat.

Key facts