Batanes Island is one of the most longed-for tourism destinations in the Philippines. It is the smallest province and located in the northernmost part of the country at the confluence of the West Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

Composed of 10 islands, only 3 are inhabited which are Batan, Itbayat and Sabtang. Dubbed as the “Nature’s Playground” and has been declared by the government as Protected Landscape and Seascape because of its rare flora and fauna, undulating terrain, diverse marine life, limestone cliffs and panoramic sceneries.

Initially, the ticket we booked was going to Boracay which we got as a promo fare from Cebu Pacific. Due to the closure of Boracay, we were given the chance to choose another destination, luckily, Batanes was one of the options. I have been dreaming of going to this breathtaking island, though a bit worried as it is rainy season in the month of August, we still went ahead with our trip.

The day of our flight with Cebu Pacific at NAIA Terminal 3 was Friday. 2 hours of flight to Basco. The turbulence was very strong but it was my dream to see the island, I just called all the saints that I can name! Then they announced that we are about to land, but 25 mins circling the island and we are still not able to land the island due to unfavourable wind condition, unfortunately, the crew decided that we go back to Manila. Sigh.

The next day, Saturday, we tried our luck again and was able to make it! Yey! Though I wouldn’t suggest that you take Cebu Pacific if you have any plans of going to Batanes. Skyjet and Philippine Airlines are more reliable when it comes to flying to Batanes.

On our first day, we stayed at DÍsland Lodge and Restaurant. Highly recommend this place if you are going to Batanes with your family and you are looking for cheap but good food.

Day 1 Part 1: We started our first day with a trip to Basco’s tourists’ attractions – Mt. Carmel, Fundacion Pacita, Dipnaysuhwan Tunnel, Valugan Boulder Beach, Vayang Rolling Hills.

Watch the video below to see the beauty of this island.