Hi, wanderlust!
Two of my friends and I went on a four-day tri-province Visayas trip a few weeks ago. We spent the first two days in Iloilo; we availed a Guimaras day tour on the third day and then explored Negros Occidental during our last day.
Guimaras is only 15 minutes away from the port of Iloilo. FYI, there are two ports in Iloilo that could bring you to Guimaras. Make sure to tell the taxi/tricycle driver to take you to Iloilo to Jordan port because it’s closer to the tourist spots than the other port. The fare costs less than P20.
Since we had limited time, we chose to avail the city day tour rather than the island hopping tour. As soon as we arrived at Jordan Wharf, a local welcomed us, asked us to register and offered us the city day tour package.
Shall we start the tour now? 😉
GUIMARAS DAY TOUR PACKAGE
Duration: 4 to 7 hours (It depends on the time you’d spend in the tourist spots.)
Cost: The amount varies depending on the vehicle you will rent.
- P1,500 (tricycle)
- P2,500 (jeep)
- P3,500+ (van)
We spent only P500 each for the transpo since we chose to ride the tricyle and enjoy the fresh air.
Smallest Plaza
As its name implies, this plaza holds the smallest plaza title in the Philippines. It’s the nearest spot in Jordan Wharf.
Lopez’s Mansion
This mansion facing the ocean is owned by Fernando Lopez, the vice president of the Philippines from 1949 to 1972. Yes, he served three terms.
Guimaras Church
Founded in 1180, this is the oldest church in Guimaras.
Windmills
San Lorenzo, Guimaras is the home of less than 30 electricity-providing windmills. Established by Trans-Asia Renewable Energy Corp. (TAREC), these windmills have become a tourist attraction just like those in Ilocos.
Lunch at The Pitstop Restaurant
This is a popular hangout place in Guimaras – both of locals and tourists – because they serve almost everything with mangoes. The must-try is their range of mango pizzas.
Guimaras Capitol
The featured photo of this blog was shot in the provincial capitol. Aside from the local government offices, you’ll also find several pasalubong shops in this area. But I won’t recommend you to buy there because they sell keychains, ref magnets, etc. more expensively than those being sold in other tourist spots.
Trappist Abbey
Run by monks of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, Trappist Abbey is a sacred place for the locals.
Mango Plantation
I won’t deny that I was quite disappointed because we weren’t able to see the trails of mango trees up close. The tour guide said it’s already privately-owned so we just gazed at the greens from a few kilometers.
Guisi Lighthouse
Built in the 18th century, this lighthouse stands in front of the Guisi beach. You’d need a three to five-minute trek to see it. In case you’d like a refreshment, some locals are selling buko (coconut) fresh from the tree.
Alubihod Beach
Seeing the beach is part of the tour but we didn’t push through with it because we’re running out of time. After the trip, we headed back to Iloilo and then traveled one hour via sea to Bacolod.
I hope you’d enjoy your Guimaras day tour as much as I did. Take a lot of photos, alright? Have fun!
SML,