Part 2: Pinamalayan ➡️ Sibale
If you’ve been following my story, you’ll know Sibale had caught my attention due to the lack of information I could find on the island. This is part of a longer series on getting from Boracay to Manila without flying. In case you’re new to the journey, you can catch up on the links below:
- Boracay to Manila the stubborn way: introduction
- Part 1: Caticlan to Dangay Port, Roxas to Pinamalayan
Pinamalayan to Sibale
Pinamalayan is a hub for getting to islands like Marinduque.
Getting to Pinamalayan from Dangay Port, I grabbed a trike (similar to a tuk tuk). I’d been told you tell them the island you’d like to go to, and they take you to the correct port. There were other passengers keen to go to the port, so I shared a trike with another passenger and paid 10 PHP to get to the port.
From there, I asked around and found out that a daily cargo and passenger ferry leaves for Sibale every day. I was lucky – that day’s boat was leaving within the hour. I walked around, bought a few snacks, and then returned to the port for the 1pm departure.
What I should have done was look for an ATM, as there are – quite obviously – none on the island (at least in 2015). I did not have such foresight. There is also nothing on the boat, so bringing some food and water is essential.
Getting to Sibale
In May 2015, the daily boat from Pinamalayan to Sibale left at 11am. From Sibale, it returned every day to Pinamalayan at 6am. They called it a Roro boat, but it was quite a small boat.
Company: n/a – individual boat arranged at the port
Cost: 150 PHP (2015)
Length: 2-3 hours (allow for 3.5, since the boat will stop to drop off cargo)
An article I read a while ago (which has since been removed), Montenegro Shipping Lines was meant to start a FastCraft route between Pinamalayan and several of the outlying islands. Back in 2015, only individual Roro boats covered the routes.
My 45 minutes in Pinamalayan were far more eventful than my full day in the Dangay area. Walking along the ocean, I came across a group of around 20 children who stopped swimming to gawk at me. They yelled, mainly in English and asked me where I was going, if I was alone, what my name was, if I had a boyfriend. A few of them asked if I had any money for them.
As I walked around the area, I got the impression foreigners don’t pass by Pinamalayan often. Adults asked me similar questions to the children (but did not ask for money). Everyone was chatty and curious. I exchanged emails with a man named Henry, who asked if I could answer his questions about Europe, and had breakfast with a friendly, older woman near the port who sold local snacks made out of corn and sugar, which I stocked up on before heading back to the boat.
The journey to Sibale
Roro boats are not for everyone and are by no means a luxurious form of travel. They can be overcrowded and smelly. This is especially true if you sit inside, where most passengers squeeze in to avoid the sun.
I loved sitting on the wings outside, a scenic and generally relaxing ride, albeit very hot. If you choose this option, make sure you have plenty of water with you. Three hours under strong sun will not be pleasant if dehydrated! You’ll also have to ask the captain to sit on the wings in advance.
I shared the first ferry with live roosters and goats. On this boat I had the company of live chicks and a pig. That said, Roro boats get you to your destination without a giant detour, my main requirement for this trip.
On the boat, I got chatting to a woman named Sally, who worked for the municipal government. She told me there’d been a government initiative to promote Sibale as a destination for eco-tourism. Apparently it had been put on the back burner for a while, since preserving the island is so important.
Selling Sibale to the average tourist could prove difficult – first of all, there is no quick or particularly comfortable way of getting there. From my understanding, you have to get there by going to Pinamalayan or one of the other islands dotted around Romblon, and then by Roro boat. This could change if the FastCraft route mentioned above comes into effect, but it would still be from Pinamalayan, a bit of a trek to get for the time-sensitive traveller.
Next, the lack of accommodation is a problem. It is not possible to book accommodation online. Although some information suggests that there are several home stays available on the island, as far as I know, there are no phone numbers listed anywhere to help arrange accommodation ahead of time. There are no resorts or hotels. Apparently, a Chinese guy used to own a resort on the island, but chose to close it and open another in Boracay. Everyone I spoke to who had been to the island was either a Sibale native, or a someone who was friends with one and had gone to visit them.
Sally joked with me, saying maybe one day I’d write something about the island, and foreign tourists would come to visit. I’m pleased to say I know at least two people visited as a result of this blog. If you’ve been, please do get in touch via the comments – I’d just love to know!
When I first got on the Roro boat, I figured I would arrange accommodation upon arrival, as I usually do. I thought the reason for there being so little information on Sibale was because hotels / home stays just weren’t online – not because they didn’t exist. Regardless, I wasn’t worried. I figured if I couldn’t find a place to stay, I could knock on people’s houses and offer cash to sleep on the floor for a few hours, or camp out on the beach and depart the next day.
This may sound a bit mad – but honestly, I have never had any issues in the Philippines. In my experience, Filipino people are some of the warmest, most helpful people around.
When I told Sally my plan, she laughed. She told me there are no hotels or home stays, just one guest house with two rooms, owned by a friend of hers. She called him from the boat to see if he had a room.
The rooms were above a little restaurant called TDL Foodhouse, and luck would have it that its main chef was on the Roro boat with me – perhaps this shows the size of the island. Sally asked the chef if he could take me and my bag there safely, and the chef happily agreed. I tried to offer them my snacks and cash as a thank you, but they politely declined. Sally told me I better save what cash I had, because there are no ATMs on the island.
As we approached Sibale, the water became crystal clear. Circling the island, I noticed the occasional boat, but no people. I was impressed by the colour of the water and vast vegetation.
After around 3.5 hours, we disembark the boat, and the chef accompanied me to TDL, where he works. There I meet Enyet, the owner of the restaurant and the rooms. He told me I was in luck – one of the two rooms was available. I gratefully took the room, excited to have made it to my destination.
Ready for part 3? Click here to head to Sibale.
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