Calvin’s Hub

Plane ride from Manila going to Legaspi only takes around 45 minutes. We went via Cebu Pacific and arrived at around 10:30 AM. We took a tricycle from the airport and asked the driver to take us to the van terminal going to Donsol. The fare was Php60 for the two of us.

FROM LEGASPI TO DONSOL

A view of Mayon Volcano from the van terminal in Legaspi

It will only take around 10 minutes from the airport to get to the terminal and the van will wait until it reaches maximum capacity. Since it was already late in the morning, it took a long time for the van to be filled but luckily, two of the passengers were in a hurry so they paid for the remaining seats. It will take around 1.5 hours to reach Donsol from Legaspi and the fare is Php60 per head.

If you arrive really late, you can also head to Daraga jeep terminal (near a Shell gas station and 15 minutes from the airport) and from there, take a jeep going to Donsol. Jeeps usually make stops dropping and picking up passengers so it might take a bit longer than riding a van.

ARRIVING AT DONSOL

The van dropped us at the town center which is not much of a place so we hailed a tricycle to take us straight to the Woodland Beach Resort where we stayed overnight.

A 2-room cottage at Woodland Beach Resort

There are three main resorts in Donsol and all are DOT accredited.

• Amor Farm Beach Resort - it’s about 10 minutes walk from here to the Tourism Office. Contact Agnes 0917-6941687 / 0917-9682733 / 0910-4586140/ 0910-4762176
• Vitton Beach Resort – this resort is right beside the Tourism Office so it’s the most convenient place. We tried to eat here but there are less selection and it’s a bit pricier than where we were staying. Contact Nora 0927-9126313
• Woodland Beach Resort – this is the newest resort among the three and also a 10 minute walk away from the Tourism Office. They have a nice canteen with friendly and helpful staff. Contact Marichu 0921-9699544 or Mel 0918-2315420

The price between the resorts are almost the same. There are no air-conditioned rooms for two so we ended up renting a room for four people for Php1,500 per night. Php1,700 if you want a room with hot and cold shower.

Beach in Donsol, not exactly breathtaking

We arrived at the resort at lunch time so we headed straight to the canteen after dropping our things. The food there is not that great but it’s cheap and they gave us huge servings since we’re pinoys. Hehehe. Buttered or steamed crab for Php150? or was it Php100?

TOURISM OFFICE

The Tourism Office in Donsol

In the afternoon, we headed to the Tourism Office to register for the whale shark interaction for the following day. We also signed up for the firefly boat tour that takes place every evening at around 6 PM.

We went back to our resort to eat a heavy snack since the firefly tour usually lasts for 2 hours. At around 6:30PM, a tricycle sent by the Tourism Office came to pick us up and bring us to the bridge where we were to board a small motored boat. The boat can accommodate 5 passengers who would split the Php1,250 fee but you can have a romantic boat ride for two if you want.

FIREFLIES IN DONSOL

The firefly watching tour takes place either in Donsol river or Ogod river depending on the tide. It was the first time we saw plenty of fireflies in one place so the tour was pretty amazing for us.

Fireflies

The only light would be the stars and the moon and hundreds of fireflies in some trees lining the river. We were also joined by other local visitors who were pretty entertaining.

Ask the tourism officer who will arrange your firefly boat tour to send a tricycle to the place where you are staying free of charge or you could walk to the tourism office. You don’t have to finish the two hours alloted but be mindful of the other passengers.

After the tour we grabbed a quick dinner and slept early to prepare for the whale shark interaction the following day.

That’s pretty much what happened in Day 1. I’ll write about our whale shark encounter on the next part.

FARE BREAKDOWN

• Cebu Pacific round trip plane ticket – Php2,475
• Tricycle to van terminal – Php40 – Php60
• Van to Donsol town proper – Php60 per head
• Tricycle to resort – Php20 per head

Note: Fare price will have most likely increase due to the constant increase of fuel cost.

If you have any questions/suggestions/corrections, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!

You might also be interested in:

• Touring Sorsogon Without a Car Part 4: From Donsol to Rizal Beach Resort in Gubat
• Touring Sorsogon Without a Car Part 6: Back to Legaspi City
• Touring Sorsogon Without a Car Part 1: Our Plan
• Touring Sorsogon Without a Car Part 5: Destinations in Sorsogon

Filed under: Travel