Touchdown at Last: North Batan

September 11, 2025

asia, basco, batan, batanes, food, travel

This post is long overdue. It’s been almost six months, and between being busy and, at times, just too lazy, I kept putting this on the backburner.

March 30, Sunday

Batanes has always been the top place I wanted to visit locally, so finally getting the chance felt really exciting. I managed to score two roundtrip tickets for just a little over 15k during peak season. Back in June 2024, nine months before the trip, I was randomly checking PAL flights hoping to find a deal for our first wedding anniversary, and to my luck, I found one! Our flight was set for 10:35am from Clark Airport, so Asis and I took the 6am P2P bus from Trinoma. Unfortunately, bad weather in Basco caused the flight to be cancelled. We decided to rebook for the next day instead of moving it to a later date and booked a place near the airport. Losing a day was disappointing, but we made the most of it by checking in at Andeo Suites near SM Clark. The highlight of the day was dinner at Bayernstubn Bistro & Deli. Good steak always makes me happy.

March 31, Monday

Our flight finally pushed through! The weather was gloomy, with clouds shifting quickly and light rain coming and going. It was supposed to be summer and peak season, but climate change is real, and Batanes welcomed us with rain.

At the airport, the travel and tours (AAB Travel and Tours) I booked picked us up and brought us to Harbour Café for lunch, which was included in the package. I arranged a three-day private tour for Asis and me, and instead of joining a van group, we chose to explore by tricycle with one driver and a guide. It gave us more freedom with our time, and the package even included drone shots at some spots. I didn’t see this offered anywhere else, and the price was reasonable too.

After lunch, we dropped our bags at the inn I booked via Agoda and started our first day of sightseeing. Our afternoon was dedicated to the North Batan tour, which covered spots close to Basco. We visited Valugan Boulder Bay, the Japanese Tunnel, Basco Cathedral, Tukon Chapel, Basco Lighthouse, Radar Station, and Vayang Rolling Hills. Our drone shots were taken at Basco Lighthouse and the rolling hills, which made the day extra memorable. After the tour, we walked around town, sat at the plaza, tried some street food, and just enjoyed the scenery and the locals. I also loved the weather, it was cold and windy, making the stroll really pleasant.