Palaui, Cagayan Island Hopping: Cape Engano Lighthouse

If there’s one thing you shouldn’t miss on a Palaui travel/island hopping, it’s a visit to Cape Engano lighthouse.

Cape Engano lighthouse combines the serenity and beauty of a typical rural setting: a centuries-old lighthouse standing on top of a lush mountain, overlooking a scenic beach with deep blue hues and rocky shore. As I mentioned before, the scenery here evoke those of Batanes, so if you’ve been dreaming of going there but haven’t still, this is the closest you can get. 😀

If I remember correctly, Cape Engano is a two-hour boat ride from Sta. Ana, Cagayan pier. The waves can get really strong, but the view of the beach, Dos Hermanos islands, and a glimpse of the lighthouse far away are enough to calm you down during the boat ride.

To get to the lighthouse, you have to trek through the mountain; in our case, under the scorching heat of the sun. A guide is required for you to get there, and our boatman served as our guide during the time.

That's the mountain you have to trek to get to the lighthouse — *That’s the mountain you have to trek to get to the lighthouse*

It’s a tiring trek but not one that would require mountaineering skills. There are a few concrete steps built in the first part of the trekking area to aid travelers. Afterward, you wade through grasses and trees until you get to the lighthouse.

*Here you can see the stairs built to aid travelers going up the lighthouse*

Views from Cape Engano Lighthouse

The captivating (in the truest sense of the word) views from Cape Engano lighthouse will undoubtedly make a lasting impression on any traveler.

Right across the lighthouse, Dos Hermanos islands offer a spectacular view, smacked right in the middle of the vast ocean.

On the right side of the lighthouse you’ll find the beautiful rolling hills almost similar to Marlboro Hills in Batanes albeit smaller. The seemingly endless row of lush hills/mountains are a sight to behold; add to that the rocky beach below with its huge waves.

It was literally a picnic for us at the lighthouse with the scenic views around us. We had to carefully go down to get to the area where we could sit on the mountain and have a closer look at the islands and rolling hills.

Besides the scenery, the ruins of the lighthouse itself offer a different kind of view. We went up the frail-looking stairs (which was somehow scary) to enjoy more breathtaking scenery.

After a few minutes, we decided to go down from the lighthouse (via the stairs we used to get there).

*Going down from the lighthouse, toward the rolling hills*

From there, you can see the beach with a light blue line beautifully splashed across its body. It’s also one of the most photographed sites of Palaui Island.

To cap off our tour, we also explored the rolling hills, from which we were equally captivated by the view of the mountain we just came from, where the lighthouse is perched.

*Bonus pic: the rocky beach fronting the mountain where Cape Engano lighthouse is situated*

Next post: last stop for this Palaui Island series: Anguib Beach

2 responses to “Palaui, Cagayan Island Hopping: Cape Engano Lighthouse”

Jepay

08/03/2015

Hi, do you have the breakdown of your expenses for the entire trip in Cagayan (e.g Boat rental, meals and other tours).

thank you.

1. jan
  
  08/03/2015
  
  Hi. Thanks for visiting my blog. Unfortunately, I don’t have a list of expenses, but as I mentioned in my Palaui posts, our boat rental cost Php 3,500 for all the possible places to visit in the province, which are: Punta Verde, Crocodile Island, Palaui Island & Cape Engano. The tour is usually offered for one whole day but we negotiated with the boatman for the tour to be divided for two days for the same price. The meals per person would typically cost you Php 100 per meal since there are no fastfood or restaurants in the town; carinderia is the most common type of eating place in Sta. Ana, Cagayan. Hope this helps. Thanks!

Wanderworld