Places of interest in Batanes

The Batanes island group is the smallest province in the Philippines in terms of population and land area. The capital of Batanes, Basco is 280 kilometers north of Apari, Cagayan (the tip of main island of Luzon) while it is only 190 kilometers south of  Taiwan. Batanes lies in the vast waters of the Pacific ocean where the Pacific meets China sea. An area that for generations is almost isolated from the rest of the Philippines. Batanes consist of 10 tiny islands and islets namely: Batan, Sabtang, Itbayat, Mavudis, Siayan, Diogo, North Island and Y'ami. Only the first three islands are inhabited.

The wind swept islands of Batanes are beautiful and enchanting and they are like no other in the Philippines. Since Batanes is separated from the country by miles of rough waters, the Ivatans (the name of the people of Batanes) have developed a different culture. Ivatans are honest, gentle and polite but brave and robust. They are proud of their their heritage and their land.

The weather of Batanes is cool and windy. And it rains any month of the year. It has an almost temperate temperature from December to February where temperatures dip as low as 7 degrees centigrade. Although Batanes lies along the typhoon belt and gets hit by strong typhoons, it get it's fare share just like other provinces on the north. But in spite of the reputation of Batanes as a backward region, it now has modern conveniences like mobile phones (cell sites by Smart & Globe Telecoms), electricity and cable television but hardly any vehicles.

A trip to Batanes bestows one a feeling timelessness, an experience that will linger long after arriving back home. It makes one appreciate the simple things in life, but in a deeper sense. But be forewarned though, once you've experienced Batanes, it will haunt you to come back.

Interesting Places in Batanes:

House of Dakay
Lighthouses of Batanes
St. Dominic de Guzman Parish Cathedral
Burial Caves - Pre-historic burial caves in the town of Itbayat.
Sumhao Wind Power Plant
Nakaboang Beach, Ark & Cave
Beaches - Chadpidan Beach, White Beach and more.
Payaman - known as Marlboro Country

Batanes Accommodations, Hotels, Inns and Resort

There are lots of available Hotels and Inns waiting for a visitors or tourist visiting Batanes. This Hotels and Inns have thier different amount of prices it defends on the rooms that best fitted the visitors or tourist needs. If you are new to Batanes and if you know somebody there, you may decide to ask if you could stay with them. It makes your stay cheaper and they can be your guide during your stay.

Popular Hotels in Batanes:

Rapitan di Vasay
Pension Ivatan
Shenedel's Inn
Batanes Seaside Lodge


Possible ways to go to Batanes Island:

If you want to go to Batanes Island by plane it has early morning flights daily to Batanes from Manila and vise-versa. These flights land straight to Basco on Batan Island, Batanes.
By ship, you can catch a ferry operated by the Batanes Multi-Purpose Cooperative from Currimao, Ilocos Norte to Basco Batanes and vise-versa every Wednesday and Sunday.