Limasawa Getaway

Limasawa is a small island located at the Southern part of Leyte. Limasawa boasts a rich history dating back to 1821 when the first mass in the Philippines was held here, a laid-back and friendly community with an astounding diversity of landscapes and seascapes with clear turquoise water, and a diverse array of marine life ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving.

There’s no direct route going to the island when you’re from Ormoc or Tacloban City. But since we’re all from the latter, this itinerary is from Tacloban City going to Limasawa Island only.

We rode a PUV (Fare is 200php) from Tacloban City going to Maasin City, a 4-hour travel but expect delays as the driver may stop at terminals for a break or to pick passengers. When we arrived at Maasin City, we transferred to a multicab/public mini van going to Padre Burgos Port, another 30-minute travel by land.

Upon arrival, we boarded a big pumboat/tourist boat at the Port going to Limasawa Island, that costs P50 per head. The boat departs from the port daily at 8am and 12pm. So be sure to be there on time if you don’t want to miss the cheaper ride. Private small boats are also available but you’ll have to rent it for P1500.

When I set foot on the island, the first thing I noticed was the huge rock formation  facing the port; a signage in white huge letters that says “Welcome to Limasawa”. To that, I felt a sudden rush of excitement.

After we got off from the boat, we walked at the port area and saw several single-motorcyles patiently waiting for passengers.  We decided to rent two (rate is bet P350-P375), good for 2 person. You can already tour the island the whole day with that amount.

As we were traversing down the sloppy road to our chosen resort, I noticed that the island is not only historical but enchanting, as well. The trees were tall and bushy along the big rocks beside the road, blocking the rays of the sun making it more like entrancing to look at; with all the thick layers of the leaves hovering above the trail, and the rays escaping from the covering of leaves, reminds me of a scene from the movie Twilight.

After more than 20 minutes on the road, we finally arrived at Dakdak Beach Resort.  It’s accessible and cheaper with a good view of the sea plus the cottages are located literally at the beachfront. They have somehow the amenities I’m looking for in a resort or any stay-in houses, like:

1. Continuous flow of clean water from faucets
2. Clean rooms and comfort rooms
3. Stove/grilling place (they have a cook, so you can just ask them to cook for you) and
4. Cold refrigerated drinks!

Tip: Make reservations A DAY before going to the island! Just trust me on this.  😉Haha!

Dakdak Resort Rates and Accomodation:

Airconditioned room – 1500 good for 4-6 person
Cottage room at the beachfront – 700 good for 4-6 person

One of the cottage rooms at the beachfront

Since we arrived a little late, we only had the whole afternoon to tour the island. Our stay was really short, so we regret not extending our stay. We could’ve toured the other beaches or the Marine Sanctuary, wherein you could do scuba diving or snorkeling.
Itinerary

1:00 PM – Magellan’s Cross (a 10-minute ride from the resort)

The chapel where the 1st mass was held

The wishing well. Make a wish! ✨

We climbed the stairs going to the cross, its a 450-step but wasn’t able to reach the top since our feet was beginning to hurt and we haven’t even visited the lagoon, which is by the way has a very steep and rocky pathway.

2:30 PM – Lighthouse

The lighthouse is one of the main attractions of Limasawa. Sunsets are best viewed here. It is also overlooking the turquoise sea connected to the Lagoon. The view was breathtakingly beautiful!

3:30 PM Lagoon

The lagoon was just a 15-minute walk but boy, the stairs going down was very steep so be very careful in going up/down. But once you see the lagoon, it’s definitely worth the effort.
The stairs going down the lagoon.

The Lagoon

We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Lagoon so that we can still enjoy swimming which was actually the main reason why we went there. Haha!

We swam into this floating cottage for photo ops but the struggle was real besh. The current was quite strong that time!

After 2 hours of soaking in the seawater, we went to our last stop, the boulevard.

Boulevard, Limasawa

Sadly we weren’t able to see the sunset. The boulevard is also suggested by locals for the best view of sunset. We just took some photos and head back to Dakdak Beach Resort. 

We spent the night away drinking cold beers (bought from the resort), eating junkfoods, chitchatting and listening to the sound of the waves.❤️

Overall, the experience was quite refreshing, not the typical island-getaway you’ll experience. It was as if I was taken back to hundreds of years ago and the lifestyle here is so laid-back, a perfect haven for de-stressing and unwinding. The locals are very warm and hospitable too. The island with it’s enchanting beauty will surely capture so many tourists especially on-a-budget travelers and backpackers since it’s super budget-friendly, we spent around P4000 or P1000 per person (for the whole trip including food and accomodation!). We’ll surely recommend this to anyone and we’ll definitely come back soon!😊👌🏻