Time flies really fast. My 15-year old daughter is super excited for her first-ever overnight trip without us. She’ll be travelling somewhere in South Luzon with her friend, the only daughter of my husband’s cousin.  At first we are hesitant to allow her to join. But then we thought this might be her much-needed break with more than 2 years stucked in the four corners of our home. And all of them in the group are already vaccinated against Covid-19. So we finally said yes to her early summer vacay.

Having said that, I was wondering if we could go on a beach trip or camping this summer. We used to go on out-of-town trips once or twice a year, during summer before the pandemic changed our lives. Since I’m checking out possible places we could explore this summer, I want to share them with you.

Let’s start with the best camping sites near Metro Manila:

Anawangin Cove (San Antonio, Zambales)

I’ve been to Anawangin few years ago, together with my officemates. It was my of the memorable and most relaxing trip. I wanna go back, this time with my family.

San Antonio has many beautiful coves where tourists enjoy camping and beach bumming. One of those is the Anawangin Cove. The shores are covered with fine, gray sand and the water are clear blue – perfect from swimming and snorkeling.

With the campsite surrounded with tall agoho trees and amazing mountain landscapes, you’ll get to experience the most tranquil getaway ever!

Pansacola Beach (Cagbalete Island, Mauban, Quezon)

My daughter and went here, again with my colleagues. Located in a quaint, small town in Mauban, Quezon, Cagbalete Island is a home for a number of camping sites with accomodations such as nipa huts and lofts. We stayed in Pansacola Beach.

 

You could reach Mauban, Quezon Province with three to four hours from Manila, while the bangka ride going to Cagbalete is only 45 minutes. 

 

When it’s low-tide, the clear blue water is transformed into a massve expanse of sand, just perfect for playing beach volleyball and other games with your friends or family. At night, you’ll fall in love with the wide blanket of stars on the clear sky. 

 

Hundred Islands National Park (Alaminos, Pangasinan)

  credit: zenrooms.com

I’ve been here once, during a side trip from an out-of-town training several years ago. Unfortunately, we did the island hopping in the afternoon and we have to go back our resort before nighttime. 

 

Hundred Islands is one of the country’s best tourist destinations. With more than a hundred islands and islers, you have a lot of choices for island hopping, swimming, and snorkeling. If you opt to spend the night, you can pits your tent in some of the islands such as Governor’s Island, Marcos Island, and Children’s Island. 

 

BLOC Camp Site (Laguna)

  credit: zenrooms.com

I want to experience camping here!

If you love mountains and lakes more than beaches and the sea, the BLOC Camp Site is for you. In just few hours drive from Metro Manila, you’ll have access to this glamping site and other activities like swimming and paddle boarding.

San Rafael River Adventure (Bulacan)