Due to popular demand! Haha! If you have more questions, don't hesitate to text Nong Floro he's very responsive sa mga texts. 😊 Enjoy Agho! ❤
▪️DEPARTURE FROM ILOILO
Ride Ceres Liner bus to Concepcion from the Ceres Northbound Terminal located at Balantang, Jaro, Iloilo City. Regular fare is 125 and travel time is approximately 2.5 hours. I highly suggest that you ride the earliest departure at 4:15 am (aircon bus) or 5am (non aircon bus) to get to the island early and to avoid the morning traffic. Last trip is at around 3-4 in the afternoon.
▪️ARRIVAL IN CONCEPCION
Descend the bus upon arrival in the town of Concepcion. By this time, you should also contact Manong Floro of Agho Island at +639305710337 to let him know that you're already in the main land.
▪️FOOD & OTHER NECESSITIES
While waiting for the boat that will bring you the island, ask the locals for directions to where their wet market is located so you can buy food and other necessities for your overnight stay. It's approximately a 5 minute walk from where you will be descending the bus. There are no restaurants in the island so I suggest that you buy everything that you'll be needing while you're still in the mainland. Bringing a cooler with you is also a great help since there's no available refrigerator in the island. You can also bring your own cooking needs. We didn't actually bring much cooking tools since everything that we ate in the island was grilled. Several grilling stations are scattered in the island. The caretaker sells charcoal. Bring your own utensils too. You can also ask the caretaker to cook your rice for you (bring your own uncooked rice) and also grill your food. They don't ask for bayad so just give them tip.
▪️TRAVEL TO AGHO ISLAND
Manong Floro will give you instructions as to where you will be riding the boat to Agho Island depending on the availability of the loading and unloading areas. Our group rode the boat in Balasbas (or Balasabas) near the Pan de Azucar Hotel. Ride the pedicab to go there for a minimum fare of 20-30 pesos. It's actually near, but since you got heavy bags with you, I suggest that you save your energy and ride the pedicab na lang. 😂 Round trip transfer is 1,800 for smaller groups (like us na 4 lang) and 2000 for larger groups (6-10). Travel time is approximately 20-30 minutes.
▪️ARRIVAL IN AGHO ISLAND
If you'll take my suggestion to ride the earliest departure of the bus from Iloilo, you will arrive in the island by 7:30 to 8 am. We went there on a Friday so the island was not that crowded. Day tour is 500 pesos and overnight is 900 pesos. Entrance fee is 30/person. They offer 2 basic cottages with a room good for 4-6 pax for 1,500/night. They also offer tent rentals for 500 pesos good for 4-6 pax/night. You can also bring your own tent and just pay 300 pesos/night pitching fee. There are common bathrooms available in the island.
▪️LUNCH
We had the caretaker cook our rice for us. Our group had grilled fish and eggplant garnished with tomatoes, onions, garlic and vinegar. HAHA!
▪️AFTERNOON ISLAND TOUR
Island hopping is 500/island on top of the round trip boat transfer from the mainland to Agho.
Top destinations for island hopping includes:
1. Sandbar Island Beach Resort
2. Pan de Azucar Island
3. Malangabang Island
You can also tour Agho Island. There are big rock formations on the southern part of the island where you can pose and capture the view of the blue waters and the majestic Pan De Azucar mountain as the background. Not advisable to bring the kids in the rocky area though since it's quiet a struggle to tackle the rocky path and can be very dangerous for the children. It is also possible for adults to circumnavigate the whole island as an add on adventure. Just be very careful since it's rocky, okay? 😊
▪️ SUNSET IN AGHO ISLAND
You shouldn't miss the sunset in Agho Island. No other words. You shouldn't miss it. ❤
By this time you could also gather dry wood that are scattered in the island's forest to be able to light a bonfire when nighttime comes.
▪️DINNER
Again we had the caretaker cook our rice for us. For dinner, we had grilled pork and grilled stuffed squid. Dayummm! Plus the caretaker's super sarap na sinamak (vinegar concoction with chopped pieces of ginger, garlic, galangal, and chili in it) *nosebleeds
▪️NIGHT TIME IN AGHO ISLAND
Electricity only power the light bulbs in the island. If you badly need your electronic devices to be charged, you can ask the caretaker to do have it charged in their house for you.
There are designated areas to light a bonfire. You should also dig through the sand before putting all the wood. Jope, another helpful companion in the island, helped us light our bonfire. If you ran out of wood, and you're brave enough, you are free to run back inside the forest to get more lol. We also had a little booze by the bonfire and still dipped in the water until 11pm since it's not that cold and the moon was bright.
P.S.
Make sure to cover the remains of your bonfire when you're done. #CleanAsYouGo
▪️NEXT DAY
We woke up at around 5:30 in the morning. We bought noodles from the caretaker's sari-sari store and had her cook it too. After our light breakfast, we spent the morning taking pictures in the island while it's not crowded yet. We also swam the clear waters of Agho Island for the last time before preparing to go home.
▪️GOING BACK TO ILOILO CITY
Ride the boat from Agho Island back to the mainland. If you're lucky, you will be able to catch a glimpse of swimming pawikans during the boat ride.
We ate our lunch at Apple Tree Karinderya in the town of Concepcion. Just ride the pedicab and tell the driver to bring you to Apple Tree. They have an aircon room where you can eat for a fee of 10/head. 😂
The Ceres Bus terminal is a 5-8 minutes walk from Apple Tree. It's near the town's plaza.
🔴 MAJOR EXPENSES
Iloilo City to Concepcion one-way bus fare - P125/person
Round trip transfers to Agho Island Resort: P1,800 (small group) & P2000 (large group)
Day tour is P500 and overnight is P700. Entrance fee is 30/person. There are 2 basic cottages with a room good for 4-6 pax for P1,500/night. Tent rentals is for P500 pesos good for 4-6 pax/night. If you'll be bringing your own tent, pitching fee is P300.
Credits to Divine & Pinoy Exchange
Enjoy Iloilo - Kari kamo sa Lugar namon kag Magsinadya kita...
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