Islas de Gigantes

The Gigantes group lies off the northeastern corner of Panay, two main islands and a scatter of smaller ones, and the journey out is long enough that most visitors stay a night. The set piece is Tangke, a saltwater lagoon enclosed by limestone walls that you reach by climbing over the rock from a boat at low tide; at high water the entry is submerged and the boats do not stop. Cabugao Gamay is the picture everyone knows, a narrow island with two curving beaches back to back and a short climb to look down on them. Antonia beach is the swimming stop. The islands run a large scallop fishery and shells are piled everywhere.

History

The group was once called Sabuluag or Salauag, after a tree that grows only here, and took the name Gigantes in the Spanish period from a legend of coffins in Bakwitan Cave holding giant human bones. A lighthouse, one of the original 27 Spanish lighthouses in the Philippines, stood on Gigantes Norte before 1895 until Typhoon Fengshen brought it down in June 2008; Japan donated a solar-powered iron tower in its place (Wikipedia, Gigantes Islands).

Highlights

• Tangke lagoon - a saltwater pool inside limestone walls, entered over rock at low tide only.
• Cabugao Gamay - the twin curving beaches and the short climb to the viewpoint above them.
• Antonia beach - the main swimming and lunch stop on the island-hopping circuit.
• The scallop piles - mounds of discarded shells around the fishing villages on Gigantes Norte.

When to go

March to June is the calmest and the most reliable for the crossing. From July onwards the sea gets rough and boats to Bancal are cancelled for days. The Tangke visit depends entirely on tide, so ask about the tide table before fixing the day. Leave Iloilo City early: the road alone takes about four hours.

Practical notes

This is a long, uncomfortable trip - a half-day of road and a ninety-minute open crossing in a small boat that gets wet. Accommodation on the islands is basic, with limited power hours and no ATMs. Tangke is small and when three boats arrive together it is a queue on the rocks. Fees are charged island by island and add up faster than expected.

Nearby

Concepcion and the northern Iloilo coast, with Sicogon Island nearby.

Key facts