Barkota Official Blog

• Vigan City
  

Founded by Juan de Salcedo in 1572, this well-preserved historical town is one of the earliest Spanish settlements in the Philippines. With a history running deep in its 18th century Spanish style architecture, cobblestone streets and kalesas (horse-drawn carriages), it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photo source:  http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg135/pochssc/vigan/vigan4.jpg

• Banaue Rice Terraces / Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras
  

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site  between 2,000 to 6,000 years old are ancient terraces carved into the mountains by the Ifugaos, leaving the impression as a stairway to heaven.

• Chocolate Hills

More than a thousand of these 30-50 meters high, unusual dome-shaped geological formations as a result of the uplift of coral deposits and the action of rainwater and erosion

Photo source: http://www.greatarchaeology.com/Archaeological_Places/Puerto-Princesa_Subterranean_River_National_Park.jpg

• Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan

The world’s longest underground river is found in Palawan. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it features limestone karst landscape and spans a total of 8 kilometers of zigzag subversive river ending in a crystal clear lagoon.

Photo source: www.asienguiden.se/filippinerna/underground_river/

• Tubbataha Reef National Park

A UNESCO World Heritage Site that covers 100,000 hectares of marine habitats that is home to a great density of marine species and is one of the oldest ecosystems in the Philippines. Over 1,000 species inhabit in the reef and many are considered endangered.

• Beaches in Boracay & Bohol
  

Boracay Island is popular with tourists from all over the world for its powder white  beaches and crystal blue waters.

Photo source:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Beach_Boracay_2003.jpg

Another popular spot for white sand beaches and diving locations is Panglao, Bohol.

• El Nido, Palawan

Known as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier

Photo source:  http://www.paraisophilippines.com/2008/06/03/palawan-beauty-never-dies/%2Fwww.paraisophilippines.com%2F2008%2F06%2F03%2Fpalawan-beauty-never-dies&size=52k&name=palawanaerial&p=el+nido+palawan&oid=c94ffb1836cfec86&fr2=xpl&no=95&tt=51444&b=81&ni=20&sigr=126gug67a&sigi=11h21f3m5&sigb=138bk94b5

• Hundred Islands National Park

A collection of 123 limestone islands and are believed to be at least around 2 million years old. Along with the Chocolate Hills and Taal Volcano, it is considered one of the national geological monuments of the Philippines.

Photo Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HundredIslandsNationalPark20050420.jpg

• Taal Volcano

A type of complex volcano famously quoted in the country as the world’s largest volcanic island within a lake on an island within a lake on an island… (what a mouthful) .

Photo Source: http://oberonrotary.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/taal_volcano_crater.jpg

NOTE: We do not take credit for any of the photos posted in this blog except for the photo of Bohol Beach Club.

Almost every month throughout the year, there are festivals taking place somewhere in the Philippines. Fiestas, as normally called in the Philippines, might have been a cultural inheritance from Spain after a few hundred years or so of colonization.  They’re colorful, exuberant and always plenty of fun.

The nature of each fiesta is characterized by different origins whether it is to welcome a harvest, to commemorate a historical event or simply to honor a patron saint. Some start with a religious procession while most involve vibrant street dancing and parades to the beat of the drums, trumpets and gongs with the  people dressed in colorful costumes.

No wonder some of these festivals have drawn many foreign visitors around the world just to witness the celebration.

Calendar of Philippine Fiestas

• JANUARY

1.  Sinulog Festival

Celebrated every 3rd Sunday of January, this festival is a dance ritual that honors the child Jesus, known as the Sto. Nino, as the patron saint of Cebu. It draws millions of visitors each year.  Sinulog festival traditionally lasts for nine days, culminating on the last day with the Grand Parade.

WHEN: 3rd Sunday of January

WHERE:  Cebu City, Cebu

2.  Ati-Atihan Festival

Originally a pagan festival very similar to Sinulog, also held in honor of the Sto. Nino., concluding on the 3rd Sunday. The street dancers paint their faces & body black with soot to represent the Atis, wearing contrasting bright costumes. The origin dates back to the 13th century when a group of  10 Malay chieftains fleeing from Borneo were granted land settlement by the Atis, who were the original inhabitants of Panay island.

WHEN: 3rd Sunday of January

WHERE: Kalibo, Aklan

• FEBRUARY

1.  Babaylan Festival

This festival celebrates the music, literature and art of the indigenous people in Negros during the pre-Spanish period. A keeper of rituals and spirits in our world, the Babaylan is also a myriad of characters rolled into one (a doctor, herbalist, agriculturist and artist).

WHEN: February 19

WHERE: Bago City, Negros Occidental

• MARCH

1. Mariones Festival

This festival re-enacts the story of St. Longinus, the Roman soldier believed to have pierced the side of Jesus at the crucifixion. Marion refers to the “mask” worn by the Roman soldiers during medieval time as part of the armor to cover the face while Mariones refers to the men wearing masks and costumes representing the Roman soldiers who marched around town in the search for Longinus . It is done as a form of penance during Lent season by the natives of Marinduque. It is identical to the Festival de Moros y Cristianos in Valencia, Spain.

WHEN: Holy Monday to Easter Sunday

WHERE: Marinduque

• MAY

1. Flores De Mayo

Flores De Mayo, also known as the  “Flowers of May”,  is a festival that lasts the whole month of May in honor of the Virgin Mary. It culminates in the Santacruzan parade that commemorates the search of Queen Elena and her son, emperor Constantine for the Holy Cross and the thanksgiving celebration after finding the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and bringing it back to Rome.

WHEN:  whole month of MAY

WHERE:  many towns esp. Naga City, Bicol ; Cuenca, Batangaas;

• JUNE

1. Parada ng Lechon

This is one very interesting festival held in honor of St. John the Baptist as the patron saint of Batangas.  It involves a parade of roasted pigs around the town before being eaten. The roasted pigs are dressed according to each theme of the participating organization, some wearing sunglasses, raincoats or even wigs.  The lechon queen is then chosen and crowned at the anniversary ball at the town hall. YUM!!

WHEN: June 24

WHERE: Balayan, Batangas

• JULY

1. Sandugo Festival

Also known as the Blood Conpact Commemoration, it celebrates the signing of a treaty of friendship between Spanish Captain General, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, and the native chieftain, Datu Sikatuna, 44 years after Ferdinand Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan. The festival involves a street dance parade competition, Miss Bohol beauty pageant, concerts and food fair.

WHEN: 3rd week of July

WHERE:  Tagbilaran, Bohol

• AUGUST

1. Kadayawan sa Dabaw

This festival is celebrated with the harvest of fruits and blooming of flowers. Tribal music and street dancing, as well as a Floral Float Parade, are the main highlights of the festival.

WHEN: 3rd week of August

WHERE: Davao

• SEPTEMBER

1. The Feast of Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia

This festival involves a grand parade where the image of the Lady of Penafrancia is carried through the water aglow with floating candles.

WHEN: 3rd Saturday of September

WHERE: Naga, Camarines Sur, Bicol Region

• OCTOBER

1. MassKara Festival

MassKara, which refers to a “multitude of smiling faces”, is a week-long festival that features a sort of a Mardi Gras parade where dancers wear masks and colorful costumes. Initially, the festival served as a declaration to the rest of the world that Bacolod City is indeed the City of Smiles inspite of the tragic vessel collision event that happened in 1980. Other highlights of the festival include a mask-making competition, beauty pageant & food fair.

WHEN: 3rd week of October

WHERE: Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

• NOVEMBER

1. Higantes Festival

The festival is held in honor of San Clemente in a procession that features pahadores, men clad in colorful garb, wearing wooden shoes and carrying 10 feet tall papier mache puppets and boat paddles.

WHEN: November 22 – 23

WHERE: Angono, Rizal

• DECEMBER

1. San Fernando Giant Lantern Festival

The name says it all. It is a competition of the best, biggest and most beautiful lanterns made by the local people.

WHEN: whole month of December

WHERE: San Fernando, Pampanga

Looking for a cheap Asian getaway that’s off the beaten path?

Then…Welcome to the Philippines!

With over 7,000 islands, the Philippines is a tropical country that is full of natural wonders and is truly a great hideaway in Southeast Asia. It has some of the world’s best diving spots such as the Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with an ecosystem so diverse it rivals that of the Great Barrier Reef.  Travellers can also explore the fantastic and extraordinary landscapes around: the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, Banaue Rice Terraces, the near perfect cone of Mayon Volcano in Legaspi or the Hundred Islands, which are approximately 2 million years old.  The country is also blessed with plenty of white sand beaches with clear pristine waters.  Or one can travel back in time by visiting historical sites such as the old spanish colonial city of Vigan or the fortresses at Fort Santiago and Corregidor Island.

So pack your bags and get ready to explore one of Southeast Asia’s last great frontiers!

These previously deleted shipping companies  have been restored back to the list with their respective routes marked as CARGO ONLY.

1. MAYPALAD SHIPPING CORPORATION

M/V Samar Star

• Cebu-St. Bernard via Liloan

M/V Guiuan

• Cebu – Sogod /  Sogod-Cebu
• Cebu-Dapa Surigao / Dapa-Surigao-Cebu

M/V Cebu Star

• Cebu-Lanao via Tubod

M/V Leyte Star

• Cebu-Tacloban / Tacloban-Cebu

2. CARLOS GOTHONG LINES INC.

Subic Bay 1

• Cebu-Manila / Manila-Cebu
• Cebu-Nasipit
• Nasipit-Cagayan de Oro
• Cagayan de Oro-Cebu

Cagayan Bay 1

• Cebu-Manila/Manila-Cebu
• Cagayan de Oro-Cebu
• Cebu-Ozamis
• Ozamis-Iligan
• Iligan-Cagayan de Oro

Manila Bay 1

• Manila-Cebu
• Cebu-Cagayan de Oro
• Cagayan de Oro-Nasipit
• Nasipit-Manila

The following shipping companies and their schedules have been recently added to our database.

★　Aleson Shipping, Inc.

• Bacolod – Iloilo
• Ilo-ilo – Bacolod
• Dipolog – Dumaguete
• Dumaguete – Dipolog
• Zamboanga – Skan, Malaysia
• Skan, Malaysia – Zamboanga

★　Carlos A. Gothong Lines, Inc.

• Cagayan de Oro – Nasipit
• Nasipit – Cagayan de Oro
• Cebu – Manila
• Manila – Cebu
• Cebu – Ozamis
• Nasipit – Manila
• Iligan – Cagayan de Oro
• Ozamis – Iligan
• Cagayan de Oro – Cebu
• Cebu – Cagayan de Oro
• Cebu – Nasipit

★　Cuadro Alas Navigation Lines, Inc.

• Bato, Samboan – Tampi, San Jose, Negros Oriental
• Tampi, San Jose, Negros Oriental – Bato, Samboan
• Liloan – Sibulan, Negros Oriental
• Sibulan, Negros Oriental – Liloan

★　Delta Fast Ferries

• Dumaguete – Larena
• Larena – Dumaguete
• Dumaguete – Siquijor
• Siquijor – Dumaguete

★　E.B. Aznar Shipping Corporation

• Danao, Cebu – Isabel, Leyte
• Isabel, Leyte – Danao, Cebu
• Cebu – Poro, Camotes
• Poro, Camotes – Cebu
• Escalante – Tabuelan
• Tabuelan – Escalante
• Hagnaya – Sta. Fe
• Sta. Fe – Hagnaya
• Toledo – San Carlos
• San Carlos – Toledo

★　Island Shipping Corporation

• Cebu – Tubigon
• Tubigon – Cebu
• Cebu – Talibon
• Talibon – Cebu
• Bantayan Island – Cadiz City
• Cadiz City – Bantayan Island

★　Jadestar Shipping Lines, Inc.

• Cebu – Tubigon
• Tubigon – Cebu

★　Lorenzo Shipping Corporation

• Cebu – Bacolod
• Cebu – Cagayan de Oro
• Cebu – Iloilo
• Cebu – Manila
• Cebu – Cotabato City
• Cebu – Dumaguete
• Cebu – General Santos City
• Cebu – Zamboanga

★　Maayo Shipping, Inc.

• Bato, Samboan – Tampi, San Jose, Negros Oriental
• Tampi, San Jose, Negros Oriental – Bato, Samboan

★　Maypalad Shipping Corporation

• Cebu – Liloan – St. Bernard
• Cebu – Sogod
• Sogod – Cebu
• Cebu – Tubod – Lanao
• Lanao – Tubod – Cebu
• Cebu – Tacloban
• Tacloban – Cebu

★　Super Shuttle Ferry

• Cebu – Ormoc
• Ormoc – Cebu
• Cebu – Camiguin
• Camiguin – Cebu
• Cebu – Naval
• Naval – Cebu
• Danao – Poro, Camotes – Ormoc
• Ormoc – Poro, Camotes – Danao
• Hagnaya – Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island
• Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island – Hagnaya
• Dumaguete – Dapitan
• Dapitan – Dumaguete
• Jagna, Bohol – Camiguin
• Camiguin – Jagna, Bohol
• Lipata, Surigao – Liloan, Southern Leyte
• Liloan, Southern Leyte – Lipata, Surigao
• Benoni, Camiguin – Balingoan
• Balingoan – Benoni, Camiguin
• Guinsiliban, Camiguin – Balingoan
• Balingoan – Guinsiliban, Camiguin

We have recently updated our database, and added the following routes below. You may now view the schedules for each route on our website.

Luzon

• Abra de Ilog
• Batangas City
• Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro
• Coron, Palawan
• Cuyo, Palawan
• Lucena City, Quezon
• Magdiwang, Romblon
• Manila
• Marinduque
• Masbate
• Odiongan, Romblon
• Pilar, Sorsogon
• Plaridel
• Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro
• Puerto Princesa, Palawan
• Romblon, Romblon
• San Agustin, Romblon
• San Jose

Visayas

• Argao
• Bacolod
• Baybay, Leyte
• Calbayog Manguino-o
• Calubian, Leyte
• Catbalogan City, Samar
• Caticlan
• Cebu City
• Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
• Hilongos, Leyte
• Ilo-ilo
• Jagna, Bohol
• Larena, Siquijor
• Loon, Bohol
• Maasin, Southern Leyte
• Mainit, Oslob, Cebu
• Ormoc, Leyte
• Palompon, Leyte
• Roxas City, Capiz
• San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
• Sibulan, Negros Oriental
• Tacloban City, Leyte
• Tagbilaran City, Bohol
• Toledo City, Cebu
• Tubigon, Bohol

Mindanao

• Bongao, Tawi-Tawi
• Cagayan de Oro
• Cotabato City
• Dadiangas, General Santos City
• Dapitan City
• Davao City
• Dipolog City
• General Santos City
• Iligan City
• Jolo, Sulu
• Nasipit, Agusan del Norte
• Ozamis City
• Siargao
• Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte
• Surigao
• Zamboanga City

Others

• Sandakan, Malaysia

The following are the shipping companies currently included in Barkota Shipping Guide.

• Cebu Ferries
• Cokaliong Shipping
• F.J. Palacio Lines, Inc.
• George and Peter Lines, Inc.
• Gothong Southern Shipping
• Kinswell Shipping Lines
• Lite Shipping Company
• Montenegro Shipping Lines, Inc.
• Negros Navigation
• Ocean Fast Ferries Corporation
• Roble Shipping, Inc.
• Sulpicio Lines
• SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation
• Superferry – Aboitiz Transport System Corp.
• Tanjuan Shipping, Inc.
• Trans Asia Shipping Lines
• Weesam Express
  

The Philippines is a tropical nation consisting of over 7000 islands. And what better way to go from one island paradise to another than by means of a ship or a boat. (Well, you could opt to take the plane but you would have to shell out more money:P)

With over a hundred ships/boats plying the Philippine seas daily, planning a trip could be quite a pain. One has to search through a couple different listings only to find out that some of the information are out of date or what’s worse, missing.

Barkota Shipping Guide was formally launched last January 18, 2010. It is coined from the Visayan word “barko” which means “boat” or “ship” and the whole phrase “(mag) barko ta” means “we will go on a boat”. Barkota Shipping Guide provides shipping schedules for over a dozen shipping companies. Aside from that, it also shows the accommodation and passage rates.

With just a few click of the button you can search for ships plying your desired destination, compare schedules and rates. Planning your next trip has never been easy. Come visit  us at www.barkota.com