Kalanggaman Island, Philippines

June 14, 2023

Kalanggaman Island – a tiny speck in the ocean, yet so much more.
by Andrew Roberts

Finding peace in the tranquil “nothingness” of one island stop.

The Philippines is notorious for an unlimited choice of different islands to visit – from the party islands to the chill hipster islands, and a lot in between. Often this makes it rather difficult to choose which islands to visit based on the time you have to explore this amazing part of the world. So much to see, so little time seems very apt in the Philippines.

On my recent trip to the Philippines, I ended up in Cebu, the second largest city after Manila. More laid back and fewer tourists here, most people pass through Cebu on to other parts as it’s a great port to visit other islands in the region – but the city has some interesting sights and amazing food to explore, too. There is still a strong Spanish influence from the days gone by, making it a culturally rich and interesting place to visit.

While trying to decide which islands to visit, one small speck on the map caught our attention – Kalanggaman Island – also known as Paradise of Kalanggaman. With a name like that it was worth a visit. Isn’t it strange how sometimes something so easy in your mind becomes a struggle to get to, yet we pursue these dreams anyway and the reward justifies the hassles? Well, getting to Kalanggaman Island is similar.

The boat that took us island hopping. A must-do activity when visiting the Philippines.

Boat Trips? Let’s Discover the Islands
It seemed like a nice easy trip from Cebu - visit the island and return that evening. No. Perhaps the beauty of this tiny island is that it is a slight challenge to get to it. But our minds were made up so we headed off hoping our time would not be wasted… and wasted it certainly was not!

Boat trip 1: Cebu to Polompon
From Cebu port, we took a 3-hour ferry to the port of Polompon on the island of Leyte. This is mainly an industrial harbour, so don’t expect a glam arrival. We headed straight to the Office of the Eco-Tourism to find out how we could get to Kalaggaman Island. This is the only place to depart for the island and there is strict control on the number of people allowed on the island per day. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. There are camping facilities on the island and tents can be rented from this office. We opted to spend the night at a local hotel in Polompon rather, as the weather was not in our favour. Luckily so – as it rained a lot that evening. Not ideal for camping that night, that’s for sure.

Our guide shows us the ropes and gives us a hint as to where we’re off to.

Boat trip 2: Polompon to Kalanggaman
First thing the following morning we headed back to the Eco-Tourism office and booked a private boat to the island, along with our entry permit. The weather started to improve so we headed out on the waters again. This time only about an hour's trip on a local boat. Finally, we spotted land on the horizon. As it grew larger we started to realize we were actually going to make it to this mysterious island. I think at this stage all the complaining & suffering is forgotten when you finally make it here. Fortunately, there weren’t many other people on the island when we arrived, although during high season I think this could be rather a popular spot.

Views of paradise along our island-hopping tour.

Exploring the island is really easy as its total length is only 750m with a footpath down the middle of the island and a sandbar on either end of the island. The one side is more rugged with coarse sea sand, while the other has the typical beauty of the Philippines islands with blue oceans and soft sea sand. There is a makeshift tent camping area under cover, but it is very rough. There are toilets and basic bathroom facilities available. In the middle of the island is a reed hut that sells a selection of alcohol and snacks – perfect for this experience. Give the local GSM Blue Mojito a try – it’s fun!! I suggest adding a mix to it.

LEFT: Bangka boats line the shores, just waiting to take you out to see the surrounding islands. RIGHT: Enjoying the island bar spoils - that’s what island vacays are all about… right?

There seems to be accommodation being built currently, hopefully, this will be authentic in design and controlled by the Eco-Tourism board to prevent further destruction of the trees and birdlife on the island. Snorkelling and scuba diving are offered amongst the coral reefs on the one side of the island, with swimming allowed in the more protected bay.

The highlight of the visit is walking along the endless sandbars as the water laps on either side of you – an amazing experience well worth the visit. The island's name is derived from the word “langgam” which means bird in flight. When the island is viewed from above the two end sandbars seem to flap like a bird’s wings with the changing tides.

Kalanggaman Island is a little out of the way and not easy to get to, but it was worth the effort and time spent getting there. It’s these unexpected moments that remain with you as a highlight of any trip – I guess sometimes venturing off the track is actually worth it.