White Beach Boracay • Boracay Island • Philippines

Tablas Island

Tablas Island is centrally located in the Philippine archipelago between Mindoro and Sibuyan Island and belongs to the region MIMAROPA. Boracay is a two-hours boat trip away in southerly direction. Tablas is the largest island of Romblon Province with 64 km (39.77 mi) from north to south and 17 km (10.56 mi) at its widest point. Tabla captivates by its beautiful landscape with plenty of options for outdoor activities. The best time to visit Tablas Island is from November to May. In that period the weather should be relatively dry and calm. The swell of the sea is not as strong and the rivers are not flooded.

The Island of Tablas is subdivided into nine municipalities: Odiongan, Alcantara, Calatrava, Ferrol, Looc, San Agustin, San Andres, Santa Fe, and Santa Maria. Each municipality is subdivided into Barangays. Odiongan is the largest municipality, where the Tourism Office of Tablas Island is located. Odiongan town includes a university along with government and private hospital (Tablas Doctors Hospital and Medical Center). Furthermore, there are many small shops, a commercial center, family-run restaurants and a large market (New Market). Fresh groceries and articles of daily use can be bought there. Like it or not, in 2017 fast food company Jollibee opened a branch in Odiongan.

Several banks are located in the town center of Odiongan such as Philippine National Bank (PNB), BPI, LANDBANK, or Rural Bank. All have ATMs. The maximum cash withdrawal is limited to 10,000 PHP per transaction. Common credit cards are accepted. Small hotels and pensions offer a limited selection on accommodation. Information on this is available at the local Tourism Office. Some hotels and restaurants have Wi-Fi Internet access. Mobile internet is widely available on Tablas trough Philippine telecommunications providers SMART and Globe.

Once a year, mostly in April, the Kanidugan Festival (Fiesta) takes place in Odiongan. Besides, there's no remarkable nightlife on the entire island. Tropical Tablas has retained its original character and inspires those looking for original nature and simplicity. Farmers use the side of public roads to dry their rice seeds and coconut husks. The Wildlife and landscape often appears untouched as deep-green vegetation is crossed by rivers and streams.

Tablas Island provides a wide variety of outdoor activities. Visitors can see unique waterfalls and caves surrounded by dense, tropical nature. Sig-Kop Cave, Mablaran Falls, Garing Falls, Mainit Falls, or turquoise colored Linao D Victo are natural attractions in Tablas. In the middle of the island scenery becomes hilly and mountainous. The highest mountain is Mt. Payaopao with 665 meters (2,182 feet) located in the municipal of San Augustin. But it is not necessary to climb mountains to get stunning views. Through partial winding roads arise magnificent outlooks on surrounding nature. Roads are mostly paved with asphalt some are covered with gravel. Tablas are not nearly as frequented by tourists compared to Boracay. Therefore, the beaches are deserted. Beautiful and picturesque beaches in Tablas are: Aglicay Beach in Alcantara, beaches north of Looc, the bay in Barangay Libertad, the coast in Adpudlos north of San Andres. Odiongan beach has a natural character with darker sand and driftwood from the nearby river.

About 153.000 people live on Tablas Island. Most of them are Catholic Christians. The main spoken languages (dialects) are Romblomanon, Tagalog and Bisaya. English is understood and spoken by almost everyone. Tourism as a source of income and employment has no great significance in Tablas. A large part of inhabitants live on agriculture, such as rice cultivation, fruit and vegetable farming. Fishery and small animal breeding are important revenue streams of local Tablas residents.

Tablas Island, Romblon

Getting to Tablas Island

By air:
Manila - Tablas Island (Romblon)
Domestic flights from Manila to Tablas (Tugdan Airport) are being offered by CEBU Pacific Air. Flights to Tablas Island take place three times a week (Wednesday/Friday/Sunday) and return to Manila on the same day. Departure and arrival in Manila are at NAIA Terminal 4 (Domestic Terminal). Aircraft is a propeller-driven ATR 72-500. The flight time to Tugdan Airport takes about 60 minutes. Tugdan Airport (TBH), also known as Romblon Airport, is located in the southeast of Tablas in the municipality of Alcantara. From the airport all municipalities of Tablas can be reached with public transportation. Vans, Jeepneys, tricycles and motorbikes are available to continue the journey.

By sea:
Caticlan (Boracay Island) - Odiongan / Looc / Santa Fe (Tablas Island)
Ferry company "2GO" connects Caticlan and Odiongan on Tablas Island 6 times a week. Schedule is on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday always at 8:00am. A trip with the Ro-Ro vessel costs about 520 PHP one way. Buy tickets online (travel.2go.com.ph/) or at the 2GO office in Caticlan Jetty Port.
Second option: Motorized outrigger boats (bangkas). They operate daily from Caticlan Jetty Port to Looc in Tablas. Usually, the first ferry crossing starts at 8:30am. Sometimes there will be even two trips per day to Tablas Island. When a second trip is scheduled, the boat will leave Caticlan around 9:30am. The passage from Caticlan to Looc takes about three hours depending on weather conditions. Boat tickets can be bought at the port of Caticlan and costs 300 PHP one way. Public transportation is available in Looc (e.g. jeepney, tricycle), so that all municipalities of Tablas Island can be achieved.
Motorized bangkas also operate daily between Caticlan Jetty Port and Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a fishing village located in the south of Tablas Island. The crossing takes 1.5 hours and the fare is 200 pesos per trip. Caticlan departure is at 10:00am. Departure from Santa Fe at 7:00am. Bangkas have capacity for 50 people.

Batangas (Manila) - Odiongan (Tablas Island)
The ferry operator "OceanJet" started sailing daily the route Batangas - Odiongan - Batangas in 2018 with a fare of 1500 pesos in Open Air / Tourist Class and 2000 pesos in Business Class. Travel time is 4 hours.
Shipping company "Montenegro Lines" runs daily (except on Tuesdays) the route Batangas - Odiongan (Tablas Island) - Batangas. Departure time in Batangas is 5:00pm. The journey takes about nine hours. Arrival time in Odiongan (Poctoy Pier) will be around 2:00am. All kinds of ferry ticket can be purchased at the respective port. The full fare for a single ticket to Tablas amounts between 800 and 1200 PHP based on cabin category. Discounted fares apply for pensioners, students and children.
Another option getting to Tablas Island from Batangas is with 2GO. Their vessels leave 7 times a week from Batangas to Odiongan. The cheapest ticket costs about 1000 pesos and increases depending on the category of booking. Ferry crossings to Tablas Island start at 10:00am from Batangas Port and takes 7 to 8 hours.
Buy E-Tickets online at: http://travel.2go.com.ph or at the 2GO Travel Ticketing Office in Batangas Port / Odiongan Town.
Travel time from Poctoy Pier to the town center in Odiongan is appr. ten minutes by tricycle or motorbike.

San Jose (Carabao Island) - Santa Fe (Tablas Island)
Up to three motorized outrigger boats operate daily from Port of Said in San Jose/Carabao Island to Santa Fe in Tablas. Carabao Island is also known as Hambil. The ferry crossing takes about 45 minutes and costs 100 PHP per person. Daily departure time from Carabao is at 6:00am. The daily crossing from Santa Fe to San Jose starts at 9:30am.