By Anjo Perez
In Aklan
It’s summertime once again and we’re sure that all of you are raring to drive out of the metropolis for a leisurely drive to the countryside. However, the weekend is just not enough time for anyone to enjoy a cross-country drive with family or friends. Three days would be pushing it to the limit but the best would be a five-day trip.
Fortunately, the government has been crafty enough to squeeze in several extra-long weekends throughout the year due to the public holidays that fall on the middle of the week. The holidays were moved towards the weekend, thus making the weekends longer — giving the Filipino family more chances to travel.
Now, if you are lucky enough to get an approval for a leave of absence a day or two before or after the long weekend, that would give you just enough time to travel the islands of the country using your car via the Roll-on, Toll-off (RORO) ferries.
The ROROs have been a very efficient and reliable way of bringing motor travelers from one island to another in the shortest amount of time. Did you know that from Manila, one can reach the island of Visayas in 12 hours — with the actual driving time of only six hours covering 270 kilometers. The trip involves an easy 150 kilometer drive from Manila to the Batangas port via the Southern Tagalog Access Road or STAR, a two-hour ferry ride to Calapan in Mindoro, a 120-kilometer three-hour drive from Calapan to Roxas and another ferry ride that will bring you to Caticlan in Aklan in four hour’s time. Fast indeed.
A five-day trip to the Visayas and back would really be a good treat for your family as safe and cheap as well. For a family of five, you can work on a budget of P30,000 for the entire five-day trip which includes fuel, boat fare and RORO charges, food and accommodation plus a little bit of shopping on the side.
ROROs from Batangas to Calapan operate on a 24-hour basis with one ferry leaving every 30 minutes. In Roxas, there are regular trips daily to Caticlan. It would be best to check the schedules through the website of Montenegro Lines and Starbrite. The RORO rates for a regular car from Batangas to Calapan ranges from P1,100 to P1,300 while the RORO rates from Roxas to Caticlan ranges from P2,800 to P3,000. The rates include a free ride for the driver while the fare for each passenger is P180 for the Batangas-Calapan leg and P360 each for the Roxas-Caticlan leg.
Once you reach Caticlan, you can go around Panay island and visit historic places like Kalibo in Aklan, Roxas City in Capiz which is the seafood capital of the Philippines and then down to Iloilo City which is the land of “Hala-bira.”
You are probably wondering why we didn’t mention Boracay earlier, which is just a stone’s throw away from where the RORO docks in Caticlan. We purposely did, so you will make it your last destination while in the Visayas. Making Boracay your final destination will make the trip more worthwhile and relaxing especially after a long trip across Panay.
From Caticlan, Kalibo is just an hour and a half away. After touring the Cathedral in Kalibo and the museum across it, you can drive a few more kilometers to New Washington, Aklan and have lunch at the Sampaguita Gardens Resort.
You’ll be surprised once you get there. After lunch, it is time to head off for Roxas City. It is just 85 kilometers away so you’ll have plenty of time to get there before sundown.
Roxas City’s 25-kilometer long Baybay Beach is filled with resorts and restaurants that serve the freshest and cheapest seafood anywhere in the country. It’s your choice where to stay for the night.
The following day, you can either drive back to Caticlan via Kalibo, or go down towards Iloilo which is 135 kilometers to the south. If you leave after breakfast, you’ll reach Iloilo by 11 am and still have extra time to go around before having lunch.
You can explore the city and stay overnight or go back to Caticlan via the San Jose de Buenavista/Antique route. Along the way are several historic churches that are really worth a visit. You can also drop by Tibiao, where one can see the seven-tiered waterfalls called Bugtong Bato. This route is also well-paved making the 225-kilometer drive to Caticlan smooth and fast.
Once in Caticlan, hop on a boat towards Boracay, check-in your favorite resort and enjoy its beautiful bars and beaches. But don’t get carried away, make sure that you leave the island at least two hours before the RORO leaves for the Roxas port in Mindoro and prepare another 12 hour travel-time back to Manila.
