Batanes Dream Vacation

Wondering what are the places that you’ll get to see for your North Batan Tour in Batanes? While we equally love North and South Batan, there are some several spots here in North Batan that we will never forget.

In our last visit to the breathtaking province of Batanes, our first tour was the North Batan as this can be completed half a day only, unlike the Sabtang, which we opted to stay a little longer than usual, and South Batan tour, which requires a day to visit all places.

Although you can finish the tour for just half a day only, we promise that you will not go home wanting for more. And yes, this will be your very first jaw-dropping sunset.

Imagine being on top of a hill with lighthouse waiting for the sunset — while holding your love’s hands whispering sweet-nothings? Charot!

While this second visit of mine is with Ryan already, I experienced waiting for the sunset alone. And it’s magical still. But of course, I prefer my last experience, the one with my baby, of course. Hahahaharot!

Okay, so enough with the kaartehan. Here are the places you can visit on your North Batan Tour in Batanes! Sobrang saya!

Top 11 Places to Visit on your Batanes North Batan tour!

Welcome to Basco Arch
Tukon Church (Mt. Carmel Chapel)
PAGASA Weather Station – Basco
Valugan Boulder Beach
Nakamaya Burial Grounds
Dipnaysupuan Japanese Tunnel
Fundacion Pacita
Vayang Rolling Hills
Chadpidan Boulder Beach
Basco Town Proper
Naidi Hills (Basco Lighthouse)

1. Welcome to Basco Arch

This is the usual first stop on every North Batan Tour. This is situated near Basco along the mountainside. Imagine looking at the vast ocean with your loved ones here?

This one should not be missed when in Batanes! Although… I know you will never miss this because if you do, you will miss half of your Batanes tour! Coz you know, the Batanes Arch. Charot! Seriously though, this is just beside near Basco Town and can be reached when you start to explore Basco with a bicycle.

2. Tukon Church | Mt. Carmel Church

Tukon Church or Mt. Carmel Church is usually the second destination in the North Batan Tour. Medyo pataas ‘to so alalayan mo si Kuya Tricycle Driver lalo na kung medyo heavy tayo.

This church was devastated by a storm before and it has still ongoing repairs. Perched on top of a hill, this church is perfect for weddings — I actually thought for a second, “Magppropose na kaya siya?” Harots! Haha!

3. PAGASA RADAR Station

One of the attractions on top of a hill that can be found near Tukon Church is the PAGASA RADAR Station.

On my first travel here, we were caught by a typhoon like rain here! And guess what, same happened during my second visit. Isn’t it amazing?

4. Valugan Boulder Beach

This unique beach is not filled with sand, but with boulders instead.

We’re so cute here right? We looked photoshopped in pebbles. Haha! It was a good time when we visited here as it was not too hot. Perfect for photoshoots!

While planning for our Batanes tour Ryan is insisting to hire a photographer for our prenup shoot… Even though he hasn’t proposed yet. LOL!

5. Nakamaya Burial Grounds

We didn’t get the chance to take a picture of the burial grounds but according to the locals, there was a belief that early Ivatans believed that when they die, their final rest would be the sea.

This belief is evident in the boat-shaped markers on their grave, which point towards their destination: the sea. – Explorra

6. Dipnaysupuan Japanese Tunnel

This 5-door Japanese tunnel is the shelter and hideout of the Japanese soldiers when they arrived in Batanes in 1914.

From 1941 to 1945, the soldiers ordered the Ivatans to dig the tunnel, creating five exit points, chambers, bunkers, and water reservoir. The bunker served as their lookout spot while in battle with the Americans.

The tunnel, meanwhile, is 250-meter long and has a lower deck chamber. – Primer

I told Ryan that I will just wait for them outside as my first visit here was not that pleasant… Goosebumps till now as I remember it. But, baka art ko lang, I still went inside — of course, brisk walking tayo girl. Haha!

7. Fundacion Pacita Batanes

Fundacion Pacita Batanes is one of the grandest hotels in Batanes. If you want a view of the ocean and rolling hills in your room, Fundacion Pacita is for you.

Room rates start with P12,800 but with a room perched on top of a hill, with a scenic oceanview and Mountainview, why not spend if you have the capacity, right?

Don’t forget to visit their arty restaurant and museum too! Yup! Just so we can visit the place, we tried their restaurant with golden rates, but! But never thought that its super duper delicious. I miss this place so much.

8. Vayang Rolling Hills

Vayang Rolling Hills is a sea of rolling hills in the north of Batanes. Definitely our favorite! I don’t know but I can still remember I was so happy because it was so windy and drizzling that time. Imagine being in Tagaytay or Baguio, so cold with all the greens surrounding you. Perfect!

Here you can also get a scenic view of Mt. Iraya, a dormant volcano residing in the island of Batan.

My first sunset! Sana pala nag picture kami ni Ryan ng ganto. Haha!

9. Chadpidan Boulder Beach

If you think there’s only one boulder beach in Batanes, unsurprisingly, it’s not.

The second boulder beach on the island of Batan is the Chadpidan Boulder Beach. Located at the west side of Batan, Chappidan Boulder Beach was formed because of the materials spewed by Mt. Iraya centuries ago.

10. Basco Town Proper

The usual last stop for the North Batan tour is the Basco Town Proper. Tour includes visiting Basco Church and a short trip to town’s park near the municipal hall, and airport road, among others.

This is our favorite past time when we were in Batanes. This spot near Basco park and Basco Municipality Hall is our go-to place as well whenever we feel like going out.

11. Basco Lighthouse at Naidi Hills

Naidi Hills is the most popular spot in Batanes because it is where the iconic Basco Lighthouse resides.

This spot is perfect for people who loves watching the sunset. Better view though is at the top of the lighthouse but be there early as the crowd at the top gets thick in the afternoon.

You will also get to have a nice panoramic view of the Basco town while watching the glorious sunset.

You may also visit the place in the morning if you want a lesser crowd. Many people jog to get here and some hail a tricycle or rent a bike.

North Batan and South Batan for me are equally beautiful. Both tours are rich in scenics views, picturesque mountainsides, rolling hills, and beaches.

Batanes Travel Guide Frequently Asked Questions

Where to Stay in Batanes?
- Basco
- Sabtang
What are the usual tours in Batanes?
What and where to eat in Batanes?
- Batanes Authentic Dishes at Hiro’s Cafe
Best Batanes Tour Providers
- Amazing Batanes Tours Review
What to do in Batanes?
- 10 Best Things to Do in Batanes – Our favorite is number 8!

Where to Book North Batan Tour?

We highly suggest you book your North Batan tour with a well-organized, hassle-free tour provider. Tried Batanes DIY before — it was adventures, yes but would like to suggest to have a team who’ll help you maximize your Batanes trip.

Got ours from the Amazing Batanes Tours! From the name itself, this tour provider is actually amazing! They’ve got cool tour guides — whom I think knows everything! All our questions where answered and we were brought to many awesome places. Check them out!

Check this blog about them as well at Amazing Batanes Tour Provider Review.

We always want to save money for our dream vacation. We love the idea of going to places that we’ve never known but oftentimes, we fail in doing the steps in making our dreams a reality.

And in this blog, join me as I make ways to save for a trip that I never thought will come true. Yes, claiming this already!

We are all wishing for a great vacation. Sandy toes, white sand beaches, relaxing ambiance in the middle of a lush garden. And most of all, no deadlines, no work stress, just you with your friends, family, or love one. Or maybe, just you alone.

Like each and every one of you, I am also fond of dreaming my own vacation.

Of course I love to travel with close friends and with my family, who doesn’t want to? But this time, I am going to my dream vacation.. alone.

I honestly don’t know if that thrills me, excites me, or scares me, but one thing is for sure, I have to go to this place.

Never thought that it will come true this early but yes, I will be going to the land of rolling hills and greens, BATANES!

I can still imagine the time I booked this trip. PAL had a seat sale last year and since I was not feeling sleepy yet, I tried checking a trip to Batanes. And luckily, after hours of booking, I never thought I would tick book and actually pay for the flight!

Thanks for the P3,042 roundtrip fare, PAL! Love kita!

THE BIG ‘HOWEVER’

So here goes the big ‘however’.

Like most of you as well, ta daaa! I still don’t have cash for my trip because I used it for our house in Cavite so we can move in already. Huhu but Haha!

We are not wealthy enough to go from places to places but I realized that a single dream can go beyond a thousand excuses.

And traveling is not just for the yayamanins, okay? We just have to plan and save.

Anyway, as much as possible, I don’t want to borrow money for this that’s why I am making this list on how I can make this Batanes dream vacation a reality and this is for you too, reader! 🙂

Read also:

PS: If you have other ideas, please don’t hesitate to share it with me by commenting below. Thank you!

10 Ways to Save Money for Your Travels

As mentioned above, I was not born wealthy and traveling for me before is a luxury. That it is just for the rich kids. And then TravelBook and the blogging world exposed me to a whole new different mindset. That anyone can actually travel if she/he has the right mindset.

So, here are just some of the ways we can do to save money for our travels. I highly suggest though that if you don’t have an emergency fund yet, better check on that as well.

1. Know how much you need to save

Of course before saving for a trip, you need to know how much you need to save for your dream vacation. Do you need P30,000? P20,000 pesos? P10,000?

You can’t actually determine a number if you don’t do your assignment – research.

TO DO:

Make an itinerary listed with estimated expenses
- So this depends on what kind of vacation you want to have, how many months before the grand dream vacation, and on how many nights is your dream vacation.
  - In my case, since I already have a round trip fare, I just need to know how much will it cost me for my tours, food, and lodging in Batanes for 9 days and 8 nights.
  - I researched and still researching for my itinerary
  - I suggest that you make the itinerary using google sheet because you can edit this anytime, anywhere. Just make sure you have an internet.

Personally, my estimated budget for my Batanes trip is P11,000 for 9D8N but will try my best if I can lower this amount. I have also started listing my itinerary in google docs sheet. Like my page here if you want to stay updated for this dream vacation. 🙂

2. Budget your money

Okay, guys.. You still need to budget your money even if you don’t have an upcoming trip, okay? If this is your first time to make one, I hope you’ll do this religiously ever if you don’t have a trip. You need to have one so you’ll know if you can cut on some expenses and for you to allocate your money effectively and efficiently.

TO DO:

1. 1. Make a budget today! Grab a pen and paper, list your expenses, and income and assign amount on each category (food, transportation, rent, etc). Remember the golden rule thought. SAVINGS = INCOME – EXPENSES and not the other way around.
  2. I’m including a 50-30-20 Budget tracker here inspired by savingspinay.ph. This works for me and maybe for you too!

3. Stick to your budget and track your expenses daily

Now that you have a monthly budget already, next step is to stick to your budget and track your expenses.

From here, you should really be focused to stay on track and not to splurge on things that you don’t really need.

TO DO:

1. 1. Use the envelope budgeting system. This one helped me so much!
  2. Download an expense mobile app to track your expenses or you can also track by manually writing it down in a small notebook.
    - Currently using iSaveMoney app on android.

So now that you already know how much you need for your dream vacation and you already know how to budget your income, here are some extra sidelines and tips on how you can make your dream vacation come true.

4. The Invisible Money Challenge

This is actually a technique I have been doing but I always fail to achieve. You will be putting aside specific money (20, 50, 100, 1000 peso bill, 10, 5 peso coin) for your trip and will regard it as invisible money.

TO DO:

1. 1. Decide the specific amount of money that you want to be invisible for your dream vacation.
    - I tried the 20 peso bill invisible challenge but I think I need to shift to P50. Pray for me! Haha!
  2. Set a coin bank at home or a savings account dedicated for your travel
    - Every week, I plan on transferring to my travel savings account para less temptation. Mahirap na. Haha.
  3. Never ever use this for other type of expenses
    - Never use this money for your skin care or make up buys! No. No. No. Learn how to discipline yourself and forget that you have this money for awhile. You’ll thank yourself after. I promise.

5. Sell Your Unused Things

I am positively sure that you have tons of things at home or in your apartment that you don’t plan in using anytime soon. What to do? Sell them!

TO DO:

1. 1. Check all your clothes, books, kitchenware, anything that you don’t need anymore and and sell them to friends and even strangers! If you are planning to do this from time to time, you can use these platforms to sell:
    - Carousell
    - Shopee
    - Instagram
    - Facebook Page

6. Sell Yelo and Ice Candy

I know it’s already rainy season while I’m writing this. But hey, still, if you have a refrigerator at home, go and make yelo and ice candy! Titila din ang ulan eventually. Haha!

Let your family know why you are doing this and for sure they will support you on this as well.

TO DO:

1. 1. Talk to your family. Let them know the reason why you want to do this.
  2. And of course, know how to make ice candy!

7. Earn Extra Cash Online

Your skills can turn into cash online!

Whether you love writing, designing, or if you have a knack in social media marketing, you can actually earn from it by doing part time jobs.

1. 1. Onlinejobs.ph
  2. Upwork.com

Or if you love traveling, you can also sign up for a travel company’s referral program just like TravelBook’s wherein you can get referral fees when you refer TravelBook.ph’s hotels, tours, and activities to your friends and get up to 65% referral rate.

You can also use your referral code even in your own bookings! Talk about cashback! You can sign up here.

Yes, earning online is totally possible!

8. Solicit Cash From your Aunts, Uncles, Ninangs, and Ninongs

I know, I know!

Maybe you’re thinking what will they say because you already have a job and all that. But, why not try? Haha!

I honestly don’t know if this will work because this will be the first time I’ll try this on my Batanes trip but I want to do this. Hahaha. But possible, right?

TO DO:

1. 1. Just try to ask but don’t get mad if they won’t give you. Okay? Haha! At least you tried. *wink*
  2. Oh, don’t forget to ask a small amount from your Mama and Papa too! Just a small amount please.

9. Set up a savings account for your dream vacation and set an automatic money transfer

One of the things that I wish I did last year is to set a separate account for me and my Mama’s travels. Starting this year, I am planning to take my Mama on a vacation, inside or outside the country that’s why I am planning to open a bank account and request for an automatic transfer of money.

This will greatly help in your future travels. Just make sure that you still prioritize your savings rather than your travel fund!

TO DO:

1. 1. Ask your bank that your current company is using for your salary (assuming that you are an employee) if they do auto-transfer.
  2. If yes, open an account solely for your travel fund
  3. Request for an auto-transfer of a specific amount

Currently, I am using my then salary account from the Robinsons Bank. But I am already planning to open in Metrobank since we are using this bank for our salary.

10. Tell people about your dream vacation

..and how you will achieve it. Declare that you will be going there on these travel dates. Ask for suggestions to people who have gone to your dream place already. Ask for some tips, what to do, how to save, what are the things that they love about the place.. Tell people about your dream and for sure, this will fuel excitement and focus in helping you reach your dream vacation.

I am a firm believer that as much as God wants us to use our time wisely, He also wants us to enjoy living here on Earth. He made these beautiful places as a manifestation of His love for us that He wants us to also enjoy and marvel on these beauties.

Who’s going to Batanes this September? Let me know so we can share tour expenses.

Do you have tips on how to save money for your travels? Hope you can share below. We want to know too! 🙂

Travel features:

Manila Bay Cruise | Ultimate Dating Experience
Enchanted Kingdom Guide (Entrance Fee, Park Rides, Hotels Near EK, Direction)
6 Things You Should Know Before Your La Union Trip
Best Western Plus Hotel Subic: A Review
Life Lately: My PCOS Journey