FIVE FINGERS COVE Adventure in Bataan (Trip and Itinerary)

This is getting a lot of attention in social media right now, and I know you’re also curious as to what this destination has to offer. Five Fingers Cove to Cove hopping (not island hopping) is packed with adventure and nature-tripping that you can enjoy in one full day. Most of all, this is just near Manila, about 4 hours of land travel.

This is located in Mariveles, Bataan, a province known for its history like the Bataan Death March, but Mariveles has definitely a lot more to offer aside from history and culture. Its rock formation and beaches will surely excite you for adventure and beach bumming.

Wondering why this was called Five Fingers? Our tour guide said this looks like five fingers when you check out its map. When I had a chance to get a decent internet connection after, I checked Google Maps and searched for five fingers in Mariveles, Bataan. I zoomed it out and there it is, the place with its series of coves really looked like five fingers! And it is just amazing that we were able to explore all coves in one day.

Also, in addition to the cove-to-cove hopping itself, our tour has some more side trips like visiting the Sisiman Lighthouse located at Sisiman Cove, hiking the Sisiman grotto (San Miguel grotto), enjoying the beauty of Laki Beach, and even having some photographs with what they call “Batanes of the west,” it’s a series of hills and mountains with a spectacular view of nature and sea.

talikod shot. nakikiuso hahaha!

Well, so let’s start this tour. We availed the service of a tour/event organizer for hassle-free travel since I was with Eloi, my girlfriend. You can actually do this DIY by traveling to Mariveles and renting a boat there. Below this article is a Travel guide, but for now, I’m going to show you our tour of this awesome place in Mariveles.

The side trips before the cove to cove hopping

It was 2:30 in the morning when we left Manila going to Mariveles. At about 6 AM, we arrived in Mariveles and off to our first stop.

Before the main adventure itself, we toured the town first and explored some of its spots. First, we visited Sisiman Cove with its picturesque Sisiman Lighthouse. Just before sunrise we took some pictures overlooking the vast sea first and went straight to the lighthouse. It was a good exercise for all of us that morning.

Sisiman Lighthouse

Sisiman Lighthouse seemed melodramatic in the morning. According to our guide, the place is now owned by a multinational company. By the look of its surroundings with its boulders and some machinery nearby, it is imminent that more infrastructures will soon be built.

After that, we were off to another adventure as we hiked a hill near the lighthouse. There is a grotto on top of it and a cross. Plus, it has a spectacular view of the sea and mountains. Hiking was not easy for Eloi and me but we loved what we witnessed at the top.

May aso sa tuktok hahaha

We had our breakfast at the Mariveles town proper, bought some food for our lunch, and off to the main event. That’s what I also expected, but before the exciting Mariveles Five Fingers Adventure, we made a quick stop at this series of hills, with a good spot for picture-taking, this is what they call “Batanes of the west,” The view was just stunning and we enjoyed taking photos.

Five Fingers Cove to Cove Hopping

We then traveled to what they call Porto at Barangay Balon, the jump-off point of the cove to cove hopping. I realized that island hopping is not a good term for this because we are just transferring from one cove to another. We’re not exploring islands.

We spent a few minutes there, putting on our life jackets or life vests, and then the adventure began.

Talain Cave / Cove

Just a few minutes from the port, we arrived at our first stop. It’s located at the tip of a cove and has some interesting rock formations. In the middle of it is a cave and a cliff.

Talain Cove

Getting off the boat was a challenge because of the waves. You literally should be brave enough to face those waves that caused the boat to sway. Intense. Hahaha! After numerous attempts, we made it and got off the boat, and enjoyed the place. Looking at those rocks, well, the effort was worth it.

Just imagine what we’ve gone through to go back to the boat. Hahaha!

Paano ako babalik ng bangka? malakas alon

Apatot Beach / Cove

We got all excited when we were approaching a beach. Yes, it was time to swim and enjoy. Our guide said that it is called Apatot Beach, of course, located in Apatot Cove.

Apatot Cove

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yown oh! 🙂

It has an interesting gray sand, and the water was refreshing, but the bad side of this place is it doesn’t have any good trees or shade to rest. There’s only one tree there but it wasn’t enough. Our guide was pretty much aware of this so she said that we’ll just spend a few minutes there. So you know what to do when you have little time to explore a place. Take a lot of pictures! Hahaha!

Pulong Kwayan Cave or Bat Cave

It was just a cave surrounded by boulders and rock formations. I asked our guide, she said this is called the bat cave. Are there bats inside? She just shrugged. Maybe if you dare to swim further. But the best thing to enjoy this is swimming and snorkeling. Just don’t swim further inside the cave, in case you’re afraid of bats.

Tinanlakan Cliff Diving

This is the famous cliff diving spot in the entire Five Fingers adventure! The highest part is a 40 feet cliff which some of our brave travel companions tried. If you’re asking about me? I think we should just talk about the place. Hahaha!

Seriously, come on, I didn’t try it. I’m some kinda afraid of heights you know, besides you have to be a good swimmer if you dared to jump.

Mataas yan. talon ka? hehehe

Nagbintana Arc

This is probably one of the most interesting parts of the adventure. There’s this huge rock formation, that looks like a façade of a church. It was so nice to look at while we were on the boat, but it was better if you finally had a chance to be with it up close.

It was another challenge getting off the boat but we were prepared for it. The place is surrounded by unbelievable rock formations. Aside from the huge main rock, we still discovered some sweet spots for you know, pictures. Hahaha!

Laki Beach

We ended our tour at the beautiful Laki Beach. It was another 30 minutes of boat ride going there and we were in awe when we were just approaching the beach. It’s white sand and the bluish color of the beach was irresistible.

We didn’t mind the scorching heat of the sun. We enjoyed the beach and took a lot of photos. For a detailed story about Laki Beach, check out this post, Laki Beach: New Getaway in Bataan.

Approaching Laki Beach

After reading this post, I hope you’ll find Bataan an interesting tourist destination. This province has so much to offer from history, culture, and even nature tripping and awesome beaches!

Five Fingers DIY Itinerary, Budget, and Expenses

How to get to Five Fingers Cove?

I’ve you plan to experience Five Fingers Adventure DIY style, just ride a bus from Manila going to Mariveles. Bus companies like Genesis and Bataan Transit offer daily trips to Mariveles at their terminals in Cubao and Pasay. Fare is about 280 pesos.

The drop-off point is the bus terminal in Mariveles. From there, ride a tricycle going to Barangay Balon or what locals call Porto, the jump-off point of the cove to cove hopping. Tricycle fare is 75 pesos maximum of 4 persons.

Expect that some tour operators will approach you and offer their services. If you already have a contact, just ask them and you’ll be assisted. Boat rental costs PHP 2500 for a day tour and PHP 3500 for overnight.

NEW! Via Ferry from MOA Pasay to Mariveles

You can take a one-hour ferry trip from the MOA (Mall of Asia) sea terminal going to Mariveles, Bataan. The fare is PHP 499 and the schedule is at 11:30 AM. Once you arrive in Mariveles, take a tricycle going to the jump-off of the Five Fingers Cove Adventure.

You also have the option for an earlier ferry trip but it is not direct to Mariveles. This is via Orion at PHP450. Then you can ride a 45-minute free shuttle to Mariveles.  Then take a tricycle going to the jump-off. Book ferry here – 1Bataan

Five Fingers Itinerary

Here is just a sample day trip itinerary going to Five Fingers Cove. Of course, you can customize this depending on your schedule. If you plan to do an overnight, you can spend the night at Laki Beach.

2:00 AM – ETD Manila
6: 00 AM – Arrival in Mariveles
7:00 AM – Breakfast and some side trips
9:00 AM – Start of Five Fingers Adventure
4:00 PM – End of the Tour
6:00 PM – Back in Mariveles
10:00 PM – Arrival in Manila

Five Fingers Budget Expenses

Bus from Manila to Mariveles – PHP 280
Tricycle to Porto – PHP 75
Boat Rental – PHP 2500 Day tour / PHP 3500 Overnight
Breakfast – PHP 100
Lunch – PHP 100
Dinner – PHP 100 to 200

Five Fingers Travel Tips

1.    It’s better if your tour operator will provide lunch, but if not, make sure you buy food at the Mariveles town. There’s no carinderia nor eatery in any spots that you’ll explore in Five Fingers.

2.    Also, there are no hotels or any accommodations in any place to explore in the cove-to-cove hopping.

3.    Weak to no cell phone signal and data/ internet. Perfect time to disconnect.

4.    No comfort rooms to all destinations in the cove to cove adventure.

5.   If you plan to explore Bataan further, you can stay in one hotel or any accommodation in Bataan, then do one full day in Five Fingers Cove and Laki Beach.

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6.    In case you need contact for boat rental, you may call or text Kuya Tikboy and Ate Melca at 09075946138 / 09971074378.

7.    If you want a hassle-free Five Fingers Adventure, check out the services of tour organizers. There are a lot of them on Facebook. Just check the reviews and make sure they’re legit.

There you have it again. I hope our stories and travel guide help you with your planning in visiting Mariveles, Bataan. This is such a wonderful experience and I hope you could also experience this. Start planning your trip to Bataan now.

Five Fingers Cove Map

Note: Blog post updated for 2018 and 2019
Updated for 2023

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