Whale Sharks, Butanding in tagalog, are the largest fish on earth, with an average length of 40 feet. Imagine, having yourself a chance of a close encounter with these wild creatures, wouldn't it be nice? Thanks to our very generous friend, Ate Joy, we surely did have a very joyous moments with our friends, Butanding, at Donsol, Sorsogon.
Donsol is a quite town in the bottom part of south Luzon. It can be accessed by land from Manila. It's nearest port is at Pilar, Sorsogon, which has number of trips from Masbate everyday. So, if you come from the Visayas or Mindanao, you may pass by this port or through the port of Matnog, Sorsogon which is the usual route from Samar.
Of all the tourist destinations in the Philippines, Donsol is one of the most organized and systematic. They are highly regulated by the public officials which I highly appreciate. This in really needed in order to preserve the natural balance of things. Butandings are wild animals and just like others wild animals they are easily scared by drastic change of the environment they are living. In here, they limit the number of boats to interact with the whale sharks and number of persons per boat, which is only 6 persons per boat and only 30 boats per day and only 3 hours interaction per boat only. You may need to know this in planning your trip or you may have to leave some members of your group during the interaction, which could be very unpleasant.
The Butandings converted the town of Donsol into a tourism hub of the Philippines. It now hosts a number of resorts and other lodging houses in the area. Mostly, these resorts are crowded where the tourism office is located and where the jump off for Butanding interaction is. Since these resorts are near where the happening is, although they are pretty nice and friendly, they also charge more compared to those near the town area. So if you're on a tight budget, you may try some homestay at the town area however you need to take a motorcab.
For food, the resorts have their own restaurant or there are some eatery near the tourism office but they are a little bit pricey. You can visit Yshan's Eatery in the town area, owned by Red Millare, if you want a good deal. You can also arrange with them to deliver it to your place. Red even helped us buy tickets for our fastcraft-ride to Masbate in Pilar because we insisted to have another swim with the Butanding on our 3rd day even when were on a very tight schedule. Thanks man.
During the interaction, you must be ready at all times. As I have said above, Butandings are wild animals and just like other wild animals, they are fast. But if you are lucky, you may interact with friendly ones, just like in the video. It is also a plus that you know how to swim in order to have really good moments with them. You may also try practicing the use of fins during swimming for you may need one in there. And please listen to your guide at all times. Thanks to our guide, BIO (Butanding Interaction Officer) Joel Briones, we really had fun.
There are other site's to see in Donsol. You can also try the firefly sightseeing and waterfalls tour. These are all accessible through banca ride. But the motorcab drivers are offering services for these too at a cheaper price but we haven't tried it though. And on sunny days, the Mayon volcano is a really good sight on your banca ride during your Butanding interaction.
Just 2 hours from Donsol is Legaspi City. Minutes from the city is the Cagsawa Ruins which is also a popular destination for tourist. Here lies the ruins of the Cagsawa Church which was buried by rocks and lava during the eruption of the Mayon Volcano on 1 February 1814.
In the town of Daraga, the replica of the Cagsawa Church was built.
Of all the tourist destinations in the Philippines, Donsol is one of the most organized and systematic. They are highly regulated by the public officials which I highly appreciate. This in really needed in order to preserve the natural balance of things. Butandings are wild animals and just like others wild animals they are easily scared by drastic change of the environment they are living. In here, they limit the number of boats to interact with the whale sharks and number of persons per boat, which is only 6 persons per boat and only 30 boats per day and only 3 hours interaction per boat only. You may need to know this in planning your trip or you may have to leave some members of your group during the interaction, which could be very unpleasant.
The Butandings converted the town of Donsol into a tourism hub of the Philippines. It now hosts a number of resorts and other lodging houses in the area. Mostly, these resorts are crowded where the tourism office is located and where the jump off for Butanding interaction is. Since these resorts are near where the happening is, although they are pretty nice and friendly, they also charge more compared to those near the town area. So if you're on a tight budget, you may try some homestay at the town area however you need to take a motorcab.
For food, the resorts have their own restaurant or there are some eatery near the tourism office but they are a little bit pricey. You can visit Yshan's Eatery in the town area, owned by Red Millare, if you want a good deal. You can also arrange with them to deliver it to your place. Red even helped us buy tickets for our fastcraft-ride to Masbate in Pilar because we insisted to have another swim with the Butanding on our 3rd day even when were on a very tight schedule. Thanks man.
During the interaction, you must be ready at all times. As I have said above, Butandings are wild animals and just like other wild animals, they are fast. But if you are lucky, you may interact with friendly ones, just like in the video. It is also a plus that you know how to swim in order to have really good moments with them. You may also try practicing the use of fins during swimming for you may need one in there. And please listen to your guide at all times. Thanks to our guide, BIO (Butanding Interaction Officer) Joel Briones, we really had fun.
There are other site's to see in Donsol. You can also try the firefly sightseeing and waterfalls tour. These are all accessible through banca ride. But the motorcab drivers are offering services for these too at a cheaper price but we haven't tried it though. And on sunny days, the Mayon volcano is a really good sight on your banca ride during your Butanding interaction.
Just 2 hours from Donsol is Legaspi City. Minutes from the city is the Cagsawa Ruins which is also a popular destination for tourist. Here lies the ruins of the Cagsawa Church which was buried by rocks and lava during the eruption of the Mayon Volcano on 1 February 1814.
In the town of Daraga, the replica of the Cagsawa Church was built.
Nice pics, nice place... ;-)
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We should visit it soon bebs.. It's a must go place..
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