Off the beaten track in the Philippines: CAMSUR Top Picks:


CamSur is shorthand for Camarines Sur. The young governor of this Southern province of Luzon in the Philippines figured the new name would be more marketable among a younger generation of travelers. Smart move. The province of Camarines Sur is in Bicol - one of the most calamity-prone and one of the poorest regions in the Southeast Asian country. Googling the old name will most likely turn up a depressing list of facts and incidents that run counter to the revitalized image the provincial government wants to project.



The CAMSUR Watersports Complex

There's a reason why young travelers and extreme sports enthusiasts are being targeted. The province has been investing and continues to spend on tourism infrastructure precisely meant to attract young and extreme water sports enthusiasts. The CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Pili is already a magnet for wake-boarders this side of the Pacific ocean. (The Australian Wake Magazine even calls it the "Best Cable Park in the World").

The CWC was built around a man-made lake and features facilities for wakeboarding, water skiing, beach volleyball, skateboarding and is also a popular place for all day partying. The real attraction though is the state of the art cable skiing system where skiers and wakeboarders are pulled by an overhead cable suspended 8-12 meters above the water which runs around the lake. Instead of using a speed boat to pull skiers the CWC opted for a more environmentally friendly way of doing it. Cool.

Because the CWC is located far from most tourist facilities, the provincial government decided to build hotel accommodations and a dining hall right within the complex grounds. Considering the target market (kids!), It's a surprise to see upscale facilities. In fact, luxury travelers won't be disappointed at all by the Villa del Rey Villas. The villas are all in the trendy Modern Filipino Tropical style and they come with spacious private gardens and personal outdoor tubs. The rooms are huge and are all tastefully decorated while the toilets and baths are outfited with high quality fixtures. (T&B's are my gauge of quality when it comes to hotels).

It's hard to believe that the villas are actually run by the provincial government - although service is typically laid back and uneven, but that didn't stop me from enjoying my stay. It's a small price to pay considering that villas start at 110 USD per night. The private garden and personal gazebo alone is worth it.

There's a bit of that trickle down effect for budget conscious travelers. The nearby Villa del Rey Cabanas are scaled down versions of the Villas. Although not as luxurious, cabanas are clean and well-appointed. For 28 USD a night it's a steal especially since it's a short walk away from the cable park.

But the real budget deal is the Villa del Rey Trailer Homes. It's actually bigger and better than it sounds. Built from the shell of a container (as in, container van) they are surprisingly comfortable and seem entirely liveable over long periods of time. In fact, these were built with long-time visitors in mind so each trailer comes with a choice of one or two bedrooms, a kitchenette, bathroom and a private deck to chill under the stars. Prices per night begin at 22 USD! No wonder some guests never leave.

The only downside? Well, if sports isn't your thing, there isn't much else to do. And because the facilities are run entirely by the local government, there are questions about sustainability. The young governor who envisioned all this has one term left in office and who knows what could happen after he leaves?

The upside? Even non-fans of watersports won't be able to resist the carnivalesque atmosphere that young and active travelers from all over the world and the Philippines bring to the complex. And although the CWC isn't close to any major attractions, it isn't that far either. With no upscale hotels in the province, the CWC is a good base for day trips around the province for bird watching, dolphin watching and treks to the magnificent Mt. Isarog. Even the legendary perfectly conical Mayon Volcano in next door Albay province is only a few hours away.

Community Tourism

The guys at The Lonely Planet predict a surge in community tourism as younger travelers look for more meaningful experiences off the tourist trail. In the Philippines, there is no shortage of places where travelers can integrate with the local community. Provincial Filipinos are such open-minded and open-hearted people and that makes foreigners and even big-city Filipinos feel right at home so quickly. And while community tourism has been happening for many decades now, it's a largely unorganized phenomenon.

CamSur and the Gawad Kalinga Foundation are pioneering organized and marketable communtiy tourism using the villages of relocated squatters as a backdrop for curious travelers and hardcore volunteers alike to experience provincial life untouched by tourism gimmicks. What the visitor sees is both the unfortunate yet often noble face of poverty in the countryside. Surely, it isn't as raw as it all seems. Gawad Kalinga Villages are clean and crime-free havens due to a high level of organization and accountability within the community. Still, the feeling of community spirit - what locals call bayanihan - is palpable and refreshing. Often even more so than the beautiful landscape before you.

Two Gawad Kalinga villages in CamSur have launched what they call the GK Bed & Breakfast services. Basically, its for outsiders wanting to experience life from the inside. My favorite is the B&B located in Iriga. Two houses at the top-most part of the hillside and with the best views of Mt. Iriga and the CamSur countryside were set aside as B&B's. The facilities are basic but comfortable and there's clean running water all day. Designated villagers will take care of you and even provide your meals for a negotiated fee. The Iriga village has its own organic vegetable patch so fresh produce is always assured. But, the one reason why you'll enjoy your stay here is the people. they're always willing to strike up a conversation and even invite you into their homes. It's one of those really emotional experiences: when people with so little in life have so much to offer a stranger.


Caramoan Islands

It's ironic that the French public were first to know about the Caramoan Islands. Even ahead of most Filipinos. The group of Islands were chosen by the producers of the French Survivor program as the backdrop for the popular reality TV series. But if not for them, the provincial government would not have been able to fund the resort infrastructure now in place. So, all is forgiven.

It turns out that the reason behind CamSur's best kept secret is simple: an inaccesible location. Like most jaw-droppingly beautiful spots in the Philippines, the Caramoan islands are relatively inaccessible except for fishermen with pump boats or tycoons with helicopters (which were the only ones who knew about it).

The CamSur tourism office is pushing Caramoan as an alternative to the increasingly crowded and overpriced beach destinations of Cebu and Boracay in the Philippines. For now, there is only one resort in Caramoan - the Gota Village Resort (although as I write this another upscale resort is undergoing finishing touches in a cove next door).


Getting there is still for the more adventurous and patient among us. It's an hour's drive from the airport to the seaport after which you'll need to board a speed boat to the tip of the Caramoan peninsula where the resort is located. The speed boat ride could take up to two hours depending on wind conditions but unless you suffer from extreme motion sickness, the airconditioned ride is a great opportunity to view the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful Mayon Volcano in the distance. It's even possible to see dolphins racing into the open sea.

The dozens of cabanas of the Gota Village Resort were originally built to house the production crew of the French Survivor program but have since been converted into a quaint village-like resort complex. Each one is made of freshly cut pine wood and resemble Swiss log cabins more than tropical villas. Which is okay because I love the smell of pine.

The airconditioned and cable-ready cabanas are small but space is utilized wisely so much so that it doesn't feel cramped. The resort has its own restaurant with an international menu which a Manila-based chef supervises for quality control. The local seafood is always best and you can have the staff pack a picnic lunch in case you want to dine in any one of the islands surrounding Caramoan.

Gota has its own beachfront but there's lots to do along the shoreline and the interior. The area gets its name from "Gota de Leche" or milk drops - a term used by the Dutch Traders that would use the port as a stop-over. The Dutch were referring to the abundant limestone formations that resembled drops of milk to them. The Spanish colonials eventualy called it Caramoan after the sea turtles that were found in the shorelines of the peninsula.

Aside from island-hopping rock climbing in the many limestone cliffs is very popular. Scuba divers and snorklers will also enjoy exploring the various underwater caves. Trekkers have some of the most beautiful landscape to navigate as trails wind through limestone formations, forest cover, lagoons and caves. There's one hidden lagoon a hundred meters from Tayak Beach you should ask your guide to take you to. It's surrounded by limestone cliffs and a fallen tree serves as a convenient plaform for diving or just sitting on as you take in the view. In a little while tiny fish will begin to swim to you and nibble at your toes. Pure natural ecstacy.

There are many islands to discover scattered across Pitogo Bay in Caramoan and everyone of them has its own unique geological character. Some are covered in limestone formations while others are flat-out beaches. One of the most scenic and unusual is Lahos Island. It's actually two limestone formations cut in the middle by a long and uninterrupted sandbar - creating what locals call a back-to-back beach.


Matukad island is closest to the resort and has some of the finest powdery sand I've seen. This is the best beach for swimming although locals encouarge you to scale the limestone cliffs where a lagoon awaits.

Caramoan may not be the most beautiful string of islands in the Philippines (there is still Palawan), but its definitely up there with the best. I like Caramoan because it's neither overly touristed (yet), and neither is it too underdeveloped. For now, it has the right balance of creature comforts and provincial charm. Unlike many ultra exclusive resorts that keep you isolated in the middle of nowhere, there are still local communities close by and the area isn't closed off to non-guests. This provides Gota with an authentic sense of place and history - not the claustrophobic artificiality of most luxury resorts.

CamSur faces the Pacific Ocean and this means right smack in the path of tropical typhoons - so avoid booking during the rainy season. Package prices at the Gota Village Resort begin at only 214 USD for 3 days and 2 nights. It's a steal considering this includes all land and sea transfers, meals, island-hopping tours and local guide! Of course, you can skip the package and rent your own boat to the islands and picth your own tent - or even do it ala French Survivor. But why?