Still wet from an afternoon of frolicking on a white sandy beach, we hurriedly packed our stuff, walked through the forest, and made our way back to our room. The sun was about to set and we didn’t want to miss it. From our balcony, perched high up—overlooking the Strait of Iloilo—we quickly prepared cups of coffee, brought out some chips for snacks, and savored the colors of the day’s end. It’s the perfect way to wrap up our day at Nature’s Eye Beach Resort.

Guimaras is an island province located in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is sandwiched by the province of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. The island is known for its fine, white sand beaches and its sweet mangoes—which is renowned worldwide. Tourist and backpackers flock the island especially during summer for its crystalline waters and a few historical sites.

Most travelers usually consider Guimaras as a day-tour destination forming the usual side-trip from Iloilo City, but with this travel guide, I’ll let you in on a little secret, the province has a lot more to offer more than its usual tourist spots and frequented beaches. Check out the 2-day and 3-day itineraries I’ve prepared for those wanting a more intensive Guimaras tour.

At the far end of the cove is a rocky area highly in contrast with the rest of Guisi Beach. Here craggy rock formations soar like deconstructed houses hovering above the sea; the booming waves battering them, hell-bent on bringing them down to their foundations. I watched and sat down on the most comfortable rock I could find, and waited for the sun to peek through the thick blanket of clouds quickly moving through the darkening twilight.

The first time I found out about Guisi Beach was when I visited the nearby cast-iron Guisi Lighthouse. From the promontory leading to the tower, I spied this beautiful emerald cove and promised myself to check it out the next time I visit Guimaras.

That next time proved to be much quicker than anticipated.

►CHECK OUT: GUIMARAS TRAVEL GUIDE

It was nine in the morning when we woke up. The sky was finally showing some colors and the beach looked inviting—quite far from the previous night’s seething waves. At last, the weather seemed to be clearing up. I stripped off my shirt, unmindful that I haven’t even had breakfast yet, and ran to the sandy shore of Guimaras’ Guisi Beach.

Coming from Iloilo City, we decided to head to Guimaras to spend a couple of nights before pushing through to Boracay. Alubihod Beach is the usual beach of choice when in the island, but we want none of that. We want something more secluded, a place where most tourists find too far to stay in. Guisi Beach was the obvious choice.

► CHECK OUT: BORACAY TRAVEL GUIDE

Vines crawl along the old walls of an outpost situated on a promontory along the southwestern coast of Panay Gulf. Somehow, along with the dreary weather, it reminded me of banyan roots clinging along the more ancient sites of Cambodia. Taking a few steps forward, a short roofless corridor led directly to a dilapidated rusty farola; after three visits, I finally got a glimpse of Guimaras’ Guisi Lighthouse.

It was my fourth day in Iloilo City and after church-hopping myself to high heavens, I finally ran out of churches to visit. With nothing else to do, I decided to revisit the island of Guimaras, which is just a song away from the city. Meeting a local guide, Kuya Cherald, at the Jordan (pronounced as Hordan) Port, I quickly asked him to whisk me away to the Guisi Point Lighthouse.

►SEE MORE: GUIMARAS TRAVEL GUIDE

What was supposed to be an errand for buying some needed supplies turned into an adventure after taking a right turn off the main road of Villa Igang. I wandered alone into a forest of Mangroves, my not so light weight supported only by time-weathered and creaking bamboo walkways wondering if the thorny mangrove roots impale me should it give way haha.

I don’t mind bringing along a bagful of snorkeling equipment just as long as I can glide along the surface to my heart’s content of whatever beach my sore feet takes me. I was expecting to find good snorkeling grounds in Villa Igang as per my previous experience in Raymen Beach not one year ago but I was a bit disappointed as I dove down and switched on my underwater camera. Everything’s not lost though; there were still some pretty interesting things down under every few feet or so; this was no coral garden, but it was a fair enough in-betweener before my next snorkeling trip.

I planted my tripod firmly on a rocky beach, I crawled with my camera inside a seawall cave, I looked and looked and can’t seem to find my rhythm for the fading sun over the horizon. I then saw a path leading upwards into a hill and finally found my frame; the sun was already gone but its mighty afterglow still painted my first colors of Guimaras.

The ride from Guimaras’ Jordan Wharf to Alubihod Beach in Nueva Valencia took quite a while since we detoured for a bit at the Trappist Monastery to buy some stuff to bring back to Manila later that afternoon.

We arrived at Raymen Resort at almost noontime and the sun was already having a feast at the few tourists walking and taking a dip along the shore. There were not too many people though and we mostly have the beach to ourselves.

Guimaras Island is famous for its sweet mangoes, I read somewhere that even the US Whitehouse import these for their consumption. So before visiting the beach, we dropped by at the Our Lady of the Philippines Trappist Monastery where these mangoes are hand-processed by monks into various sweet concoctions.

The Trappists sound so mysterious to my ear. According to Wikipedia they were an offshoot of the Monks of the Cisterian Order which follows the strict rule of St. Benedict; living their lives in austerity, manual labor and prayers. This is the only Trappist Monastery in the country and they apparently chose to settle at Guimaras due to the island’s isolation.

I never thought I would get to drop by Guimaras Island during our stay in Iloilo as our real purpose then was to really visit my aunt who would do her Perpetual Oblation as a sister of the Oblate of the Society of Saint Pius X. So it was with much surprise that my nun aunt asked us if we wanted to visit the island right across the city, I was almost unable to contain my enthusiasm.

Nuns were not supposed to be so adventurous, right? Well I guess that doesn’t apply with my aunt. 
 
We headed off to the Ortiz wharf not so early the next day, breakfast in tow right after hearing mass. The cab ride took us an hour from Jaro Church.