I’ve been wanting to check out the river cruise that this little town of approximately 30,000 is famous for. From the Balamban proper, we rode a jeepney to Toledo and then to Aloguinsan.
Aloguinsan is beautiful! It was the laid-back, quiet little town that I had expected and imagined it to be. A little history of the place: Considered a fishing village, the town is said to be named after the kinsan, a kind of grouper abundant during the months of May to July.
We took a habal-habal (10Php/pax) from the town's market and in less than 10 minutes, we were dropped off here. The start of our Bojo River experience.
“Always turn right” was the advise we got from an old lady that we met along the way. We soon found out that this was a very useful piece of advise since we met a couple of forks on the road. Here’s one -
The Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association or BAETAS organizes the tour. For a fee of 300Php, we got to enjoy this fascinating 1.4 kilometer-long river cruise on a traditional baroto. While the river itself was just amazing, the tour guide made the whole experience unforgettable. He amazed me with how well-versed and trained he was to provide a truly educational tour. He explained how to distinguish the 22 different mangroves growing in the river (with their scientific names), the 71 different birds (61 local birds, 10 migratory birds), how to determine whether a mangrove is a female or a male, why there are bubbles around the roots, etc. He also shared a little history of the river and how the town, Aloguinsan, got its name.
The money paid goes directly to the local communities who run the tours, with the end goal of helping the local folks become self-reliant. It funds environmental protection projects, income for the families, and subsidy for their children’s education among others.
Aloguinsan is beautiful! It was the laid-back, quiet little town that I had expected and imagined it to be. A little history of the place: Considered a fishing village, the town is said to be named after the kinsan, a kind of grouper abundant during the months of May to July.
We took a habal-habal (10Php/pax) from the town's market and in less than 10 minutes, we were dropped off here. The start of our Bojo River experience.
“Always turn right” was the advise we got from an old lady that we met along the way. We soon found out that this was a very useful piece of advise since we met a couple of forks on the road. Here’s one -
The Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association or BAETAS organizes the tour. For a fee of 300Php, we got to enjoy this fascinating 1.4 kilometer-long river cruise on a traditional baroto. While the river itself was just amazing, the tour guide made the whole experience unforgettable. He amazed me with how well-versed and trained he was to provide a truly educational tour. He explained how to distinguish the 22 different mangroves growing in the river (with their scientific names), the 71 different birds (61 local birds, 10 migratory birds), how to determine whether a mangrove is a female or a male, why there are bubbles around the roots, etc. He also shared a little history of the river and how the town, Aloguinsan, got its name.
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| Clear waters! I love it. |
The river opens up to the Tañon Strait, where sightings of Butandings or Whale Sharks have been reported. If we did spot one, that would have been an entirely different experience!
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Tour Schedule : Daily and depends on the tide.The money paid goes directly to the local communities who run the tours, with the end goal of helping the local folks become self-reliant. It funds environmental protection projects, income for the families, and subsidy for their children’s education among others.
