The Province of Leyte is home to many islets with white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. Among the popular are Kalanggaman Island in Polompon and Canigao Island in Matalom. But if you want to get all the best out of Leyte, head to Cuatro Islas, a 12,500-hectare of protected landscape and seascape situated in the municipalities of Inopacan and Hindang. Cuatro Islas is a group of four small islands, namely, Digyo, Himokilan, Apid and Mahaba.
Digyo Island
This one is my favorite. It is the smallest among the four but is definitely not the least. Its shores are of white sugary sands. It also has a sandbar that stretch to about 50 meters. What sets this island apart from the other three is its pristine waters teeming with so much life. The water surrounding it is as clear as crystal that I can literraly see the colorful world several meters deep down the surface from where I sat on our boat.
Mahaba Island
Mahaba Island is for me the most beautiful among the four. It has a very long stretch of white sugary sands hence its name. What I love about this island is how clean and natural it was. There was only one small native cottage there and that’s it. No other signs of human intervention and best of all, there was not a single trash.
Apid Island
Apid Island is a fishing village and a beautiful one for that matter. This is where you will get to interact with the locals and learn about their culture and way of living. What I didn’t like about this island is how it is slowly degraded by irresponsible and unmanaged waste. I hope the local tourism of Inopacan would take the time to educate the locals of proper waste management in order to preserve this precious island for future generations to see.
Himokilan Island
I really couldn’t say anything about Himokilan Island since I didn’t have the chance to see it due to severe weather. I tried to do me some reading online about this island but the info are pretty limited. All I know is that if you wanna see this island then you must be willing to pay its hefty price tag.
The first thing you have to do before going to Cuatro Islas is to contact a tour guide to book a boat and ask for travel assistance, especially during summer where tourists flock to the islands. Our contact was Kuya Loloy with mobile number 09065004881.
Inopacan Town Hall, as seen from Baywalk
If you’re coming from Manila or Cebu, you can take a direct flight to Tacloban Airport (Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport). From Tacloban City, you can ride a van with “Tacloban-Maasin” route to Inopacan, Leyte. Tell the driver to drop you off in Inopacan near the town hall where you can walk straight to the town’s baywalk. Travel time from Tacloban City to Inopacan thru van is approximately 2.5 hours. The fare per person may cost less than 250 pesos.
If you’re from Cebu, you can also ride a ferry boat to Hilongos, Baybay City or Ormoc City. Hilongos to Inopacan is only 16.3 kilometers away, while Baybay City to Inopacan is 30 kilometers away. Ormoc City is the farthest since it would take a 76-kilometer road trip from the city to Inopacan, via Baybay-Inopacan road.
The following were the boat and other fees as of the date of our trip.
1. Pump boat fee*
10 pax and below – P2,000
11-22 pax – P3,000
23 pax and up – P4,500
2. Entrance fee: P50/person
3. Cottages: P350 for open cottages and P500 for closed cottages
4. Tent Fee: P50 for using your own tent
* The rates of the pump boats above are only good for visiting one island. For overnight stay and inclusion of island hopping to all four islands, add P500. The rates may also change anytime.
Cuatro Islas has 4 Islands with different views and beautiful bluish water, this is just one of the beautiful islands here in leyte. Cuatro islas is the best place to make fun memories with your loved ones.
Maredel's Blog 