The Secret Howl of the Unearthed Lobo Beach


Summer has always been our favorite season. This means happy times and a good sunshine while having fun at the beach. It was one of those early weekends of March when our team had an unplanned out of town to the nearby province of Batangas where few enchanting beaches can be found ready to be discovered.

Fronting Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro province lies the unearth town of Lobo across the beautiful shoreline of the Center of the Center of the Marine Biodiversity.


As our team trying to live with its “biglaan” or unplanned motto and the core mission of discovering places we’ve never been before, we arrived at Poblacion of Lobo, Batangas roughly around 8:00 a.m. that Saturday morning through a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Trip. And since we left Manila quite early, breakfast was the first thing in our to-do list. Being new in the place and as part of our mission, we decided to look for a carinderia which does not only serve those savory local foods, but also an avenue where we can get an instant overview of the place and find out the great experiences in store for us.


That’s when we found Ate Lina’s Eatery, which serves an all-day, anytime menu – from a hearty Filipino breakfast, to Batangueño specialties such as Gotong Batangas and Loming Batangas; where our Lobo summer escape started.

“Lolobos” or the locals of Lobo are known to be sweet and friendly, common characteristic innate to the people of Batangas. We thank, Ate Lina for telling us where to go. At last, we’ve finally sealed our destination instantly after exchange of small talks. Shortly, we found our team headed to the southern part of Fabrica famous to have the longest white sand beach in the entire municipality of Lobo.


It was only about few minute drive via tricycle when we reached our destination. And eureka – we saw our beach goals came into life! Beyond doubt, nothing beats the testament of the locals. That’s the perks of having great social skills; you have the power to discover the splendor beauty of a true wanderer. You gotta learn more of this on your next trip, our dear Viajeros.


We were happily strolling at the beach that we almost forgot to look for a place stay overnight. Luckily, we met Kuya Donald who accompanied us to a cheap, humble and very cozy “bahay-kubo” few steps away from the seaside. We can hear the humming sound of the waves slowly bursting off the shore. We can also smell the fresh salty air allowing us to be lazy.

After checking in, we hurriedly went back to the market to look for something to cook. We were simply impressed to have found how clean and organized their “talipapa” or wet market was. They have enough and cheap variety of foods choices and supply and lots of “kakanin“and “pasalubong”such as “kalamay na mais”, “nilupak”, ”champoy” or sweetened tamarind, “pinais na dulong” and “sinaing na tulingan”in demand to visitors.


It was already quarter to three when we continued travelling around after falling asleep in a hot 34 degree day. This time, we loved the atmosphere even more. With the sunblock on, we went to explore the beach. It felt like we were strolling in Puerto Galera – another locale famous for its pristine white sand beach and turquoise waters.The beach front is wider than any other beaches we know down south just great for the kids to play and swim. It is perfect for snorkelling, diving and underwater photography too. The only difference is that Lobo beach is not crowded as compared to the White Beach of Galera. You will surely love it, Viajeros.


We’ve noticed that the afternoon vibe was quite inviting and lively. Probably because people prefer going to the beach as the sun goes down, although we think that swimming both in the morning and in the late afternoon are equally gorgeous. You get to appreciate the clear blue sky in the morning and the captivating sunset in the afternoon. Boy, we are telling you, you gotta be ready with your camera phone or drone because the whole shore is undeniably picture perfect. There were also local seen showing off their skiing skills as we continue to seize the day plunges in the calm clear waters of the Lobo strait like. Added to its natural beauty is an exquisite sand bar crossing the protected mangrove areas of Fabrica when the tide is low.

It was a splendid summer morning when we did our city tour as part of our itinerary. We went to Malabrigo Lighthouse down to the La Cueva Beach known to be the haven of the Araw-Gabi’s romantic story. Some popular beach resorts here are Almalin Beach Resort, Cerca Parola and Gerthel Beach Resort and the Punta Verde Beach Resort.

Malabrigo Point Lighthouse


Beyond the diving Lobo is the famous picturesque light house of Malabrigo. Having the Verde Island as the backdrop is perfect for a photo-ops for everyone. No wonder why another Precious-Hearts series was shot here. The Lighthouse is known as the Faro De Malabrigo, designed by Guillermo Brockman as a cylindrical brick tower with metal staircase, adjacent pavilion and machine room. It was built by the Chinese contractor Jose Garcia in 1896. An outstanding work of architecture from the Spanish colonial period, it has served as bacon to sea vessels at the Verde Island. It was declared as the National Landmark in November 27, 2006.


According to our research, this is one of the 24 lighthouses erected in the Philippines during the Spanish Colonial period. At present, the entire place is guarded to be partially “off-limits” to the visitors who wish to climb to the top of the light house for safety reasons. Despite of the risk involved, we took advantage of the time for an instant historical pictorial and we really had fun. Kudos to the Local Government of Lobo! We definitely can tell that the lighthouse can still withstand longer with the quality of maintenance they do. Nicely done!

Submarine Garden


In 2005, the Lobo, municipal government declared the Submarine Garden a fish sanctuary. When the villagers, fishermen and local fisheries official discovered that the sanctuary attracted more and more fishes, the entire 1.9 kilometers shoreline and about 300 meters fronting the shores have been declared a protected area.

With approximately 4-hours ride away from Manila, we think Lobo beach is definitely a great escape route for viajeros who wants something cheap yet rewarding summer experience whether for a quick escape on weekends or during holiday break.

Humidity notwithstanding, summer seems to bring out the best of River Lobo. So, what are you waiting for? Start packing up and join us discover another heavenly place of Lolobos.

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