Live like castaways in Anawangin Cove

It’s been two years since my husband came back from America. And, since we really missed each other, I decided to plan a trip for the two of us in the Philippines. I told him that I wanna go to a place that is far from the busy city life and he said, “okay no problem!” After a long search in the internet, I finally found an amazing place named Anawangin Cove.

Anawangin Cove is located in San Antonio, Zambales; facing the South China Sea. It is a crescent shaped cove with a pristine white sand beach. What makes the place unique is the unusual riddle of tall pine-like trees flourishing round its vicinity. In fact they are not pine trees; they are Agoho trees, a species endemic to the Philippines.

There are no roads leading to Anawangin. It is only accessible by a 45-minute boat ride from Pundaquit, San Antonio, or by a six-hour trek through hot, open trails thru the Pundaquit range. There are no resorts on this sparkling piece of natural beauty, save for a few huts and deep wells. I already forgot the name of our contact person there but what I remembered is we rented a boat and a camping tent to him. The rental fee though, is quite expensive.

On our way to the not-so-secret cove

Finally, we reached it after 45 minutes.

The crystal-clear waters of Anawangin becomes very evident once your boat enters the cove. The sea would turn from very dark blue to light greenish blue and the sand has a smooth texture due to the mixture of volcanic ash after Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991.

When we arrived, our first priority was to setup the tent and cook the foods that we bought at the Public Market in San Antonio. We bought Rice, Tilapia, Liempo, Hotdog, Chicharon, Chips, Mangoes, 1 gallon of water, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, etc. YES, you are right! We are afraid to get hungry and thirsty. Hahaha!

Since there’s no electricity there, we have to set up a campfire to cook for our meals. Well, fallen branches can be used as fuel for cooking and its dry leaves are very useful when starting a fire. Good thing we brought a lighter and flashlight.

There are sari-sari stores that sells canned goods, tube ice, drinks, kitchenware, etc. but don’t be shocked by the prices because their merchandise are way too expensive.

The good news is… Campsites have bathrooms, toilets and large changing area. It’s better to take a bath before it gets dark especially if you’re paranoid like me. Hahaha!

BUT you have to fill a pail with water via hand pump and use a water dipper to take a bath.

Anawangin is probably one of the most popular destination for campers and tourists.

And oh, you may also bring a hammock or duyan for relaxation. There are a lot of trees available for you to tie the hammock on to.

Before we leave this amazing place, we bought a souvenirs for us and for our loved ones.

What an adventure! We really had fun and we’ll definitely come back in Anawangin again. My husband and I are also planning to explore the Capones Island and Nagsasa Cove when we get back in the Philippines.

If you have any ideas or tips about Capones and Nagsasa, kindly leave a comment below. Thank you!