Here’s a travel guide to Catanduanes, also known as the “Land of the Howling Winds” and recently the “Happy Island.” I hope this will give you all the basic information you need to know about Catanduanes.

How to get to Catanduanes

Here’s a map from the Catanduanes Tourism Board listing the current tourist attractions in Catanduanes. 

Catanduanes Map

All You Need to Know About Happy Island

Catanduanes is one of my favorite provinces in the Philippines aside from being my actual hometown. It has scenic landscapes — pastoral cliffs, rolling hills — as well as great beaches and natural lagoons. I hope you’ll enjoy visiting Catanduanes as much as I did!

How to get to Catanduanes

By air

The easiest way to get to Catanduanes is to book a flight to Virac. As of this writing, Cebu Pacific flies once a day from Manila to Virac, with a morning schedule.

By land

It will take about 15-16 hours of land travel to get to Catanduanes.

• From Manila (Cubao, Pasay or Alabang), ride a bus with direct route to Tabaco (about P840, 11-12 hours). An alternative is to ride a bus to Legazpi (12 hours). From Legazpi bus terminal, ride a jeep or van bound for Tabaco.
• From Tabaco, ride a pedicab to Tabaco Port.
• Once in Tabaco Port, you can ride a passenger boat to either San Andres Port (P290 aircon, P220 non-aircon) or Virac Port (P320 aircon, P240 non-aircon). Travel time is about 4 hours. Another option is to ride a fast craft to either port in Catanduanes (P320, 2 hours). However, schedules for the fast craft are limited.

It’s best to get to Virac since it’s easy to find hotels and resorts there. Other attractions in Catanduanes are also accessible from Virac.

From San Andres Port, you can ride a jeepney to Virac or charter a tricycle.

When is the best time to visit

The best time to visit Catanduanes is during the summer months, from March to May.

How to get around

From Virac, there are public jeepneys, multi-cabs and vans to nearby towns.

For touring, it’s best to charter a private motorcycle or tricycle. You can specify which areas you would like to stop by. Rates vary depending on the destination. For instance, going to the nearby beaches in Virac usually cost P500.