Kalanggaman - Leyte's Slice of Paradise
- Work To Wonders
- Feb 28
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 1
We rose before the sun casted its glistening rays over Ormoc Bay. We were only travelling an hour and a half from Eva's home village, but we had to be at the port of Palompon sharp to spend as much time as possible on one of Leyte's newest, and soon to be best known, tourist attractions.
Having packed a couple of SUVs with people and provisions for the trip, we headed north through Merida and Isabel, before quickly finding Palompon's small port.
Half an hour later, after registration and a short boat journey, we set foot on a white sand, palm-tree fringed, picturesque paradise of an island, its long white sandbar stretching out seemingly with longing towards the Leyte coastline from whence we had come.
We spent the day swimming and splashing, taking the obligatory dozens of pictures, exploring this beautiful place, and sheltering from the midday sun under palm trees, barbecue coals still smouldering, as we ate sticks of marinated pork and chicken with puso, tropical fruit and cakes, and downed a plentiful supply of water and soft drinks.
When it came time to leave this wonderful place, we gazed in awe as flying fish leapt in a glorious guard of honour in front of the prow of our bangka.
This truly is one of the great travel experiences of Asia. Completely unmissable. A worthy addition to any bucket list.
How to get there
From Scotland, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines all offer one-stop flights to Cebu.
From Manchester and London, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines also offer similar routes.
Once you reach Cebu, take the MyBus to SM City, and take a taxi from there to the port.
It's also possible to fly to Tacloban in northern Leyte. Cebu Pacific offer flights from Cebu and Manila, Philippines AirAsia and Philippine Airlines from Manila. However, they are much more expensive than a ferry from Cebu.
How we did it
Flights: We've flown to the Philippines with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines. We start tracking flights around 11 months before our travel dates using Kayak, Skyscanner or Google Flights and then book them when the price drops to around £750-£850 per person for the long haul portion.
We have used both SuperCat and OceanJet to travel to Ormoc from Cebu, depending on which schedule and ticket price suited us best.
Transport: There are several agencies now providing tours of this glorious island, but we travelled with Ormoc Rent a Car. Booking in advance is a must. This island can get busy, particularly during national holidays or weekends, and you will want to spend as much time there as possible.
Hotels: We stayed with family, but we recommend staying at La Vista del Rio in Merida. Put simply, it's the best place to stay near to Kalanggaman. It's a small resort, so booking in advance is a must.
Location: https://w3w.co/referring.natures.pruners
Our Top Tips
Get there early! As Kalanggaman is such a wonderful place to visit, queues will form and boats will fill up fast. It's only a small island, so we recommend registering with the Tourist Office at around 5.30-6.00am to ensure you have an early boat, especially if you are travelling with a large group.
Take all your provisions with you to the island and bring all your trash back with you. There are no facilities at all on the island other than a wooden outdoor toilet block.
January is the calmest time to go; September to December is more risky due to typhoons.
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