How I Celebrated My Birthday in Batanes

Batanes. Where the earth, sky, and sea meet. Many travelers like myself have dreamed of visiting the northern paradise of the Philippines, and unsurprisingly so. Anyone who’s ever been to Batanes gushed over its beauty and charm.

Last October 16, I ticked off two check boxes on my bucket list: 1) celebrate my birthday away from home, and 2) visit Batanes. For most of us, a trip to the northernmost part of the Philippines would mean saving up a huge amount of money because of the generally more expensive airfare. Heck, plane tickets to Hong Kong or Malaysia are even cheaper! But, as I would soon find out, it’s all worth it.

My sister, Pam, and I booked a room with Marfel’s Lodge, one of the more popular homestays in Basco. We also booked North and South Batan and Sabtang Island tours with BISUMI (which stands for the 6 municipalities of Batanes: Basco, Itbayat, Sabtang, Uyugan, Mahatao, and Ivana). For our first day, we availed of the tricycle tour for North Batan. Since the itinerary for this portion of Batan Island is shorter, the tour only takes about 4 to 5 hours.

Batan is one of the three islands of Batanes, and the biggest among the three. The other two islands are Sabtang and Itbayat. The airport, a quaint little one-floor building, is located in Basco City (capital of Batanes) which is in Batan Island. Because of the size of the island, tours are divided into two – north and south. You can do DIY tours but I don’t recommend it. For one, destinations are far away from each other and for another, having a tour guide is a real treat. Having someone to explain the history behind each destination allows you to understand and learn more about the place you’re visiting, its culture and its people.

Lunch at Octagon Bed and Dine

Our first stop for the North Batan tour was Octagon Bed and Dine where we had our lunch which was included in the tour package. Octagon is located along National Road (where Marfel’s Lodge annex is also located) and for the next seven days, it would be our second home in Batanes not because it serves good food (it does) but primarily because it had okay internet connection – a luxury in Batanes.

The restaurant isn’t big; it can probably seat around 25-30 people. Octagon serves common Filipino dishes like sinigang, adobo, sisig, bistek, and silog meals. For our lunch, we were served pork nilaga, bistek, pork barbecue and fruit salad (which became our favorite). It was a feast. Too bad I didn’t get a photo.

Besides good food and internet connection, Octagon also gives a good view of the vast West Philippine Sea and the lighthouse in Naidi Hills. Pretty ain’t it?

Officially said hello to Basco

After a filling lunch, we started our tour by officially saying hello to Basco. Just a two-minute walk from Octagon is the Basco welcome arch. Perfect for photo ops!

Visit churches

Being a pre-dominantly Roman Catholic territory, Batanes has no shortage of Catholic churches. My sister and I are not Roman Catholics but I do appreciate the architecture and history behind old churches.

The first church we visited was Mt. Carmel Chapel, also known as Tukon Chapel. ‘Tukon’, in the Ivatan dialect, means ‘mountain’, an appropriate name, given the chapel’s location. From here, one can see both the West Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean.

Designed after traditional Ivatan stone houses, Tukon Chapel was borne out of the Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad’s (current Secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and Management) parent’s dreams of a chapel to which they could just walk. They didn’t make it long enough to see the church but the Abad family, the most prominent and influential family in Batanes, and the local community were able to make this dream come true.

The ceiling of the chapel is painted with images of the six patron saints of Batanes. So much history and artistry!

We also visited the Santo Domingo Church. Also known as Basco Cathedral and Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, this is the oldest Catholic church in Batanes. It was originally made of cogon and wood and built by the Dominican missionaries Balthazar Calderon and Bartholome Artiguez in 1783.

Check out PAGASA Weather Station

Just a few minutes’ walk from Mt. Carmel Chapel is the PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration) Weather Station which is another good vantage point in Basco. The area gives a great view of Mt. Iraya, Naidi Hills, West Philippine Sea and the nearby Tukon Chapel.

Go underground in a World War II tunnel

One of Batanes’ attractions that I was looking forward to was the Dipnaysuhwan Japanese Tunnel because I get fascinated with all things related to World War II. The tunnel has five doors and several chambers and served as shelter and lookout spot for Japanese soldiers during World War II. There are caged coconut crabs inside.

More camera-worthy views await us when we left the tunnel.

Make music videos in Valugan Boulder Beach

To say that Valugan Boulder Beach is beautiful is an understatement.

The boulders are said to be a result of Mt. Iraya’s eruption around 325 BC. The strong waves of the Pacific smoothed over the rough rocks, giving birth to a picturesque and unique beach. It’s no white beach and not recommended for swimming but it’s perfect for quiet reflection, photo ops and, wait for it… music videos.

Pam and I made a short music video (a dubsmash, really) to Kodaline’s High Hopes with the boulders, ocean, and the nearby hills of Tukon as our background. But I will not upload it lest I want to embarrass myself. Hehehe

Feel the wind in Basco Idjang and Vayang Rolling Hills

Batanes is dubbed ‘home of the winds’ and it couldn’t be truer during the time of our stay. It was still sunny on our first day but the following days were grayed out by Typhoon Lando. It was consistently windy though and that’s why in almost all of my photos, my hair was blown away.

The Basco Idjang is an old Ivatan fortress used by the Ivatans as a look-out point. We didn’t go inside but we got pretty good photos here.

When we stopped in Vayang Rolling Hills, it was so windy, Pam’s cell phone hit her face while she was taking a photo. You can just imagine how crazy the breeze and the waves were. It was so strong that our tricycle couldn’t go further up and we had to walk to get a better view of the sea and the western part of Basco.

Climb the Basco Lighthouse at Naidi Hills

Our last stop was at Naidi Hills where the famous Basco Lighthouse is situated. Standing at 66 feet, the lighthouse is both a navigational facility for fishermen and a tourist attraction. It was also the first modern lighthouse to be completed in Batanes.

My 27th birthday was my most memorable one because it was so different from my usual low-key birthday celebrations. It wasn’t grand – far from it. Saying I had a blast is an understatement, nor is it fitting. It was quiet and peaceful and for a while, I forgot that it was my birthday! Because I had very limited access to internet, I was left to enjoy the view and what a view it was. The fact that I was, for the very first time, celebrating my birthday away from home felt symbolic (like maybe next year would be filled with more travels hahahaha) and liberating as well.

Whatever your reason – whether it’s your birthday or you’re looking for a different kind of adventure or you simply want to de-stress – Batanes is the perfect place to be. If this post doesn’t convince you just how much it’s worth visiting, check out my South Batan post. I bet you’ll be drooling over the photos. 🙂