A ‘Biyahe ni Drew’ Itinerary: How to be a castaway in Burias Island, Masbate

The powdery sand bar of Tinalisayan Island peaking through turquoise waters.

Are you so tired of city life that you find yourself daydreaming that you are Tom Hanks in the “Castaway” movie, minus the obsession with Wilson (the volleyball)? Are you craving for quietness that can only be attained by looking at endless white sand and hearing the soft thunder of sea breeze? Are you allergic to the blazing lights and sounds of beach bars and tourist crowd? We found just the right spot for you-- Burias Island, Masbate.

Quick facts:

• Burias Island is one of the three major islands of Masbate. The other two major islands are Ticao Island and Masbate Island.
• The island has two municipalities, Claveria and San Pascual.

How to get there:

• It takes effort to get to the island, but we promise that it will be worth it. Either fly or take a bus to Naga City in Bicol Province. From Naga, one may ride a jeepney or van to Pasacao Port which will take about thirty minutes to one hour. From Pasacao, a two-hour boat ride will take you to Burias Island.

Where to stay:

• The municipality of San Pascual, a charming old-world town, has inns, beach resorts and home stays. Contact the Tourism office of San Pascual at +639094988530 to find the accommodation of your taste. Make sure to register at the tourism office upon arrival for a safe travel.

What to do:

• Island hop. Take a long walk in Tinalisayan Island’s white powdery sand bar or spend the night a’la castaway in Sombrero island to watch the stars as the waves softly rolls and rumbles. You may also marvel at Animasola Island’s exotic rock formations that resembles a pancake tower. Drew’s tip: “Mga biyahero, the most appropriate time to be in the Tinalisayan sand bar is when it’s low tide. Make sure to ask your boatman what time that will be. Islands are a bit far from one another. To maximize the experience, limit the tour to two islands per day.”

The pancake tower-like structure in Animasola Island.

• Visit San Pascual’s unique bird house. A house owned by the Espares family in San Pascual boasts of having 80,000 swiflets. The swiflets made thousands of nests inside a portion of the concrete house which the family serves to guest. A bowl of bird’s nest soup good for four persons is sold at P1000.

Two of the 80,000 swiflets in the Espares' home.

What to eat:

• Have the hunger for bizarre food? Burias Island can deliver. Slurp the tasty “tamilok,” a wood worm found in decaying mangrove logs, which tastes like oyster.
• Make sure to indulge in Burias freshest seafood produce. Two of the must-try are “Laswi,” a kind of shellfish and “Takla,” a kind mangrove shrimp.

The tasty "Laswi," a kind of selfish.

• Burias also makes coco sugar, a sweetener made from coconut nectar. Rice cakes sprinkled with coco sugar are yummy desserts you shouldn’t miss.

There you have it, folks. Burias Island is the perfect castaway island to be happily stranded in this summer. Now let’s get stranded. -Annalyn Ardona/BMS, GMA Public Affairs