Potipot Island Travel Guide and Story

I can say I was normal a few years ago. Haha!

I was like, the majority of us, who think that to live a satisfying life, one must kill himself with work, and if ever he needs a break like a vacation, well he can do that just once a year.

Yes. Once a year. You read it right. It’s way different from what I am right now, who tries to explore new places for like once or twice a month.

But I had to be honest, that was me. That was my life. I focused too much on work, thinking that money and material things are the only way to go. Then if I need to travel, I just have to wait for my friends so we can travel together, once a year.

For me, the word “wait” is big. After learning much about life from my travels, I realized that the word is dangerous.

It gets you stuck.

Why?

Why you have to wait for that once a year trip with friends If you can travel solo? If you can just go to that destination, face the adventure, and meet people along the way.

Why wait to follow what your heart desires? If you can pursue it now.

Looking at my life right now that I am pursuing what I love to do despite having a demanding day job, I am just amazed at how much I have grown as a person and as a traveler. Much of my learnings and wisdom in life are mostly from the travels and adventures I faced.

If I would do a throwback to the way I travel before, one of my favorites is Potipot Island in Candelaria, Zambales.

Credit: chenb.reyes / Creative Commons

Potipot Island, I liked the feeling of being in this small, secluded islet. It was like being a castaway of the reality show, Survivor!

I remember I helped planning this trip with my high school friends. I contacted the agency to rent the van going there and even helped in booking the resort where we stayed at the mainland.

Off the coast of Candelaria, Zambales, one can easily spot the tiny island of Potipot. What a strange name, right? But it suits this little creation of nature. About a 15-minute boat ride from the mainland, we finally arrived at Potipot.

You can explore the entire island like in minutes. In the middle are numerous trees perfect for giving shade and relaxation for every tourist. After eating our lunch, we all stayed at one corner of the island where there were no travelers except us.

We took our time to relax and swim. Then, when boredom struck, we all enjoyed taking jump shots!

Ang drama ni Gev.

READ THE BLOG POST: 15 Best Zambales Tourist Spots

I will always treasure my old friends, no matter what. They will always be my priority when we talk about friendship and all.

I would love to be with them in my travels, but I have to accept the fact that we have our own lives, our priorities. And after all the learnings and adventures, travel will always be part of my life. Besides, travel is not that expensive, after all. I can attest to that. 🙂

Sometimes I feel sad, that I also long to share memories and stories with my old buddies, but I can’t just drag them to be part of this kind of life, especially in our case and in the eyes of our society, I am the one who is not normal. LOL!

Is it okay to travel just once a year? For me, NO.

If you want to explore, there are ways without breaking your wallet. I am a more serious traveler now, but I am keeping my old friends, and if ever they plan the usual annual getaway, I’m still going to be there.

Again, looking back in our Potipot getaway, I am immensely thankful at how much I’ve grown.

If the majority is chasing money, fame, promotion, or climbing the mystical corporate ladder, I am here just to do my job so well so I can do the things I love, which are travel and writing. This is my life. I will discover places and adventures as much as I can, no matter how stressful my day job is. I will find a way.

I will discover more, travel more and write more. And if choosing this life makes me crazy, it’s okay with me. It’s cool to be abnormal.

——————–

Potipot Island – How to get there?

1. Take a bus going to Sta. Cruz, Zambales. Victory Liner and other bus companies have trips there.
2. Fare is about PHP 450 with a travel time of 5-6 hours.
3. The drop off point is near the Petron Gas Station in Uacon, Candelaria, Zambales.
4. Then take a tricycle going to Potipot Park N Boat. Fare is Php 30.
5. From the port or the jump-off point, you can rent a boat going to Potipot Island. Travel time is just 10 to 15 minutes. Back and forth fare is PHP 100 per person. You can also negotiate with the boatmen for an appropriate fee if they’re going to fetch you the next day if you plan to stay overnight.

Where to Stay at Potipot?

You can do an overnight stay at Potipot through camping.  As for us, we stayed at the Dawal Beach Resort, it is located at the mainland. This option is suggested if you want to have more convenient travel. There are some other beach resorts near the island.

Accommodation Update on Potipot Island!

Potipot Island now has treehouses for visitors to stay overnight. Here are the rates

Treehouse – 2500 PHP per night
Tent – 200 – 2000 PHP per night depends on the size
Cottage – 1000-2000 php per night

Entrance Fee
Day Tour – PHP 300
Overnight – PHP 500

Why you should visit Potipot Island

I would love to go back to Potipot. It’s one of my fondest memories with my high school friends, and I truly enjoyed the trip. The beach is raw and uncommercialized; you can have the peace and relaxation that you want.

Based on my experience, there are not many tourists when we were there. And checking the latest travel blog entries, I’ve never read anything like it’s crowded or what. Just the right number of visitors. I hope it will stay that way. Maybe, just make sure that you don’t go there during the holy week. Everywhere gets crowded during this time.

If you are the adventurous type, you can spend an overnight stay at Potipot Island. The islet is conducive for camping, all you have to do is to ensure that you have enough food and potable water, okay? If you don’t have enough “baon,” you can buy your food at Uacon market.

You can also stay at resorts near the island. That’s what we did! We stayed at Dawal resort, spent the entire day at Potipot, then went back to the mainland and stayed at the resort. It is a much convenient way of enjoying Potipot. Of course, you just have to allot more funds for the accommodation. Below this blog post is the list of hotels to choose from.

Things to Do in Potipot Island

Jump Shot!

Honestly, being a raw island with natural beauty, there is not much to do on the island but to enjoy the beach with friends. But I just want to give you an idea of the things we did when we were there.

Beach Bumming – This is probably the best thing to do in Potipot. You can explore the island in less than 10 minutes by walking from one side to the other. So the entire island is surrounded by beaches that you can choose to stay and explore.

Play Games – It’s funny to admit that at our age, we still managed to feel young and kids at heart by playing some games like habul-habulan, agawan base, hahaha! Only the not so young can relate to these games, but we had a blast. We enjoyed every minute that we were there.

Do some jump shots and Photoshoot – Come on! This is something you shouldn’t miss when you’re in Potipot. There are a lot of spots where you can have your awra moments. Hahaha! For me, I did the Kung Fu Panda jump shot. Hahaha! My photographer had some difficulty in capturing that perfect shot. Well, I gave up and just joined my friends for a group shot.

Play Cards – If you get tired of the games and running on the beach, why don’t you try to sit down with friends and play cards. You can play tong-it and my favorite unggoy-ungguyan hahaha There are cottages there for rent. Just sit, eat, drink, and play cards.

Snorkel – You can bring your gear and snorkel to experience the clear water and abundant marine life of the island.

Potipot Island Itinerary

4:00 AM – Departure in Manila through Victory Liner
10:00 AM – Arrival in Uacon, Candelaria, Zambales
10:30 AM – Arrival in Potipot Island
12 Noon – Lunch
1:00 PM – Freetime. Beach Bumming etc. You can stay at the island overnight, or you can also stay in resorts at the mainland, near Potipot
7:00 PM – Dinner (overnight)
8:00 PM – Drink or Socials
10:00 PM – Sleep Time
Day 2
6:00 AM – Wake up time
7:00 AM – Breakfast
8:00 AM – Freetime. Swim
11:30 AM – Lunchtime
12:30 PM – Go back to Manila
7:00 PM – Arrival in Manila

Potipot Island Budget and Expenses

Bus to Uacon – about PHP 500 one way
Tricycle – Php 30
Boat rental (back and forth) – PHP 400 good for five persons

Accommodation
Treehouse – 2500 PHP per night
Tent – 200 – 2000 PHP per night depends on the size
Cottage – 1000-2000 php per night

Entrance Fee
Day Tour – PHP 300
Overnight – PHP 500

Potipot Island Travel Tips

1. Again, bring your own food. There’s no food that you can buy on the island. It’s advisable to just bring your baon. Then make sure it’s adobo, so it’s still okay to eat for days. You can also buy food and other supplies at the Uacon market. If you do that, make sure you bring your cooking materials.
2. Be responsible travelers. Do not throw trash on the island. Please let’s take care of the environment. Bring your own plastic bags and bring them back to the mainland and dispose properly.
3. There are enough shower rooms and comfort rooms on the island. So freshening up and answering the call of nature is not going to be a problem. These are just simple bathrooms, okay? Don’t expect fancy hotel types. Huwag maarte.
4. Bring your power banks to keep your phones and gadgets charged.
5. There’s no potable water in Potipot. Bring enough bottled water.
6. I saw some grilling materials there, but I am not sure if they’re free. It’s better to talk to the caretaker or whoever is in charge there.
7. New Entrance fee is Php 300 per person for day tour and  Php 500 per person for overnight. (2020 Update)
8. For cottages, the basic Kubo is Php 2000 for five persons, while the modern Kubo with a fan is Php 2500 suitable for 5-6 persons.
9. Pitch tent for only Php 200 for two-person capacity. While for bigger tents that can accommodate more than three persons, it’s Php 300.
10. Added facilities as of March 2018 are 20 comfort rooms/shower rooms, facilities for grilling, and lamp post.
11. As for the boat rental, the price is only PHP 400, that’s back and forth for five persons. Please contact  09151387491.
12. There are tables and cottages for rent. Please coordinate with the person-in-charge.
13. When we were there, there’s no electricity on the island. But I heard that now, there’s a generator to at least have some lights during the night.
14. Any form of liquor is not allowed. Well, if you’re good at hiding it upon arrival on the island, good for you. Just make sure that you don’t get drunk and do some stupid things, okay? hahaha
15. Bonfire is not allowed.
16. If you avail of the service of resorts near Potipot, you can ask and check for their tour package. Also, I’m seeing some Potipot packages in metrodeal. You can also check that one.

Note: First published in 2018/ Update for 2020

Potipot Island Video and Drone

Here’s just one of the awesome drone shots of Potipot Island by lodi  Youtuber pambansangdatcom. Enjoy and be amazed with Potipot!

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