Adventures in Real, Quezon

from Wikepedia

3 Waterfalls
3 Island Destinations (Gateway to)
1 Beach 
1 Coastal Town
And unceasing handful of adventures await tourists who flock the the small town in Quezon facing the Pacific Ocean.

It is approximately 133 kilometers from Lucena City, 136 kilometers from Manila and 42 kilometers away from Famy. Laguna. Infanta, Quezon is 148 kilometers away from Manila.

It has 17 barangays and the second largest in total land area in Quezon. 

Real is also the gateway (port) to Jomalig Island (5-6 hours), Cagbalete island (4 hours) and Polillo Island (2-3 hours).

How to Get There

There are 3 options.

AH Bus in Lucena City

Option 1 (Antipolo Route)

Ride either the van or Raymond bus (ordinary) going to Infanta, Quezon situated at Legarda, Manila. Fare in Raymond bus is P205.00 while the fare for the van is P220.00 Travel time using the bus is 6 hours while for the van is 3-4 hours only. Infanta, Quezon is 148 kilometers from Manila while Real, Quezon is 136 kilometers from Manila. 

If you are traveling in a group of 10-15 pax, better hire the van for P2,500.00 (one-way) and contact Sir Herman 0910-980-9755.

Option 2 (Sta. Cruz, Laguna Route)

Ride the aircon bus (either Greenstar or DLTB) en route to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. The terminal can be found in Buendia, Pasay City. The fare from Manila to Sta. Cruz is P140.00 Travel time is 3 hours. From Calamba City to Sta. Cruz, the fare is P61.00 and travel is only 1 hour and 30 minutes. Reaching Sta. Cruz,  board the jeep going to Siniloan for P40.00 and travel time is 1 hour (There is also a van in Pagsanjan directly going to Infanta and travel time is only 1.5 hours; from Sta. Cruz board a jeep to Pagsanjan for P8.00 only). Then, alight in Siniloan and board the jeep going to Real, Quezon. Travel time is 2 hours.  

You can also rent a van from SM Calamba City to Real, Quezon for P4,000.00 and contact Sir Herman 0910-980-9755.

Option 3 (Lucena Route / longest route from Manila)

Ride the bus going to Lucena either in Cubao or Buendia. In Buendia, the bus companies available are Lucena Lines, Jacliner, DLTB or Jam. Travel time from either Buendia or Cubao to Lucena is approximately 4 hours. Fare in Cubao to Lucena is P218.00 and it is 132 kilometers. Fare in Buendia is P209.50 and it is 127 kilometers. Alight at the Lucena Grand Central terminal,and then ride either AH bus or the van going to Infanta, Quezon. Fare in the ordinary bus from Lucena to Real is P158.00 and travel time is 4.5 hours. While the fare in the van going to Real is P200.00 and travel time is 4 hours.

If you are traveling in a group, you can rent a van for P4,500 and contact Sir Ryan 0920-260-8471.

Coastline of Real, Quezon

After the Jomalig experience, I decided to explore Real, Quezon. 

Thanks to Red Chuca (aka Adobo Journey), I was able to get the details from my Real, Quezon adventure. Going to Real, we used Option 1 in our tour for Jomalig. 

From Jomalig Island, we arrived at the port of Real 5:30 pm and went straight to Eva's Canteen situated in the middle of the town, took our dinner and I bid goodbyes to my co-travelers.

Puerto Real Resort

Without wasting time, I immediately went to Puerto Real Resort (042-536-6358 / 0910-295-8860), my accommodation for that night. I learned in my Camiguin adventure that before 5 pm, a traveler should already have his place to stay. In Camiguin, I looked for my stay past 7 pm and I was able to get a homestay around 10 pm. 

There is another lodging available named - Club Manila East Pacific. But I decided to stay in Puerto Real Resort since its price is cheaper and more affordable. Prices in Puerto Real for non-aircon is P300 and P400. While for aircon accommodation ranges from 1,000 - P3,500 depending on the size of the room.

I was able to hire Sir Danny (0910-332-6793) as my driver/guide for my tour of the waterfalls in Real. I hired Sir Danny for P400.00 only. Sir Danny is known as "Cute na Pasaway," having it as his tagline in his tricycle. 

I booked myself in a P400 fan room (P300 room was occupied) and waited for the electricity.  I thought the day was over! But after the brownout, I found out that Chef Arvin and Francis, two of my companions in Jomalig, were also staying in the same hotel and booked adjacent to my room. And we went to the nearest store and consumed 15 bottles of beer. 

jump-off point to Cawayan Falls

The following morning, Sir Danny arrived 6 am and we went to our first destination.

The Cawayan Falls is just 5 minutes away by foot from Puerto Real.

According to the locals, there are 5 small falls in the vicinity and we started our trek to the falls.

After 12 minutes of walking, we reached the first falls.

Falls No. 2

 Then, we continued our ascent and after another 12 minutes we reached the third and fourth falls. The trail was wet that day and very difficult. Falls no. 4 was the highest and the most difficult to reach. After seeing the fourth falls, we decided to go back. It took us 25 minutes to reach the fourth falls. Cawayan Falls offers the best trekking experience among all the falls and the best nature tripping experience. There is no entrance fee.

jump-off point to Balagbag falls

I boarded the tricycle and went to our second destination - Balagbag Falls.

Balagbag is 16 kilometers away from the town or 15-20 minutes of travel using the tricycle.

It is the number one falls in Real, Quezon. It is number in terms of its height and its cascading falls.

Entrance fee for adult is P20.00 and P10.00 for children.

After less than 3 minutes of walking, we reached Balagbag Falls situated at Brgy. Malapad. Cottages are available in vicinity for P300.00. There are also public comfort rooms available for tourists. Contact person for the resort is Mrs. Elecinita Aceboque (0912-229-4894).

Best time to go Balagbag falls is during rainy season when the current of the water is strong and the cascading effect of the falls can be fully seen by tourists.

The sightseeing will not be complete unless I go to the second level off the waterfalls and I did. It was a little bit slippery but manageable.

view from the top of the second level of the falls

After staying for an hour at the site, I decided to go to the last waterfalls.

jump-off point to Nonok Falls

Our last destination is just 1 kilometer away of rough road from Balagbag Falls. Along the way, you can see the coastline of Real, Quezon and Cagbalete Island.

Entrance fee in this falls is P20.00. The trek to the falls is more or less 10 minutes only. Cawayan Falls has the longest trek while Balagbag falls has the shortest.

We had to cross first the river before we were able to get to the trail.

Nonok is also situated in Barangay Malapad.

 And after minutes of trek, we reached - Nonok Falls. Although Balagbag offers the best view, Nonok offers the strongest flow of water and is the best spot to take a swim! I took pictures and afterwards, left the site.

Along the way back, I asked Sir Danny about the best resorts in Real and he gave me two names situated in Barangay Tignoan. The first one is - The Park. 

The Park is the only resort which has both the salt  and fresh water swimming areas. It is open 6 am and closes at 10 pm. Contact person is Mr. Teody Villaflor (0920-924-6102 / pacificrecreationkamp@gmail.com).

Entrance Fee / Impact Fees

Adult - P35 (day) / P50 (overnight)

Kids - P20 (day / P35 (overnight)

Open Huts

Medium (10 pax) - P400 (day) / P700 (overnight)

Large (20 pax) - P700 (day / P1,000 (overnight)

Tent Pitching

Small (1-2 pax) - P50

Medium (3-4 pax) - P100

Large (more than 5 pax) - P150

Tent  Rental 

P300 - 2-3 pax dome tent

P500 - Full fly dome tent

180 degrees view of the resort

 Surfing and River Rafting

from Biyaherongbarat.com

Foam or fiber glass - P200/hr / P500 half day / P1,000 whole day

Paddle board - P300/hour

Body board - P50/hour

Instructor - P300/hour

from www.balita,net.ph

River Rafting (River Tubing) P300/pax

I tried to do river tubing but according to my guide, it was not possible that day since the current of the river is not that strong. Best time to enjoy it is from September to December when the flow of the current in the river is strong and overflowing.

The other resort is La Juliana.

After 4 hours, I was able to finish my tour and went straight to Lucena. But this time, I used Option 3 for the trip back to Batangas. I had to experience the route.

It's Really More Fun in Real, Quezon!  

Related links:
The Jomalig Island Experience: http://junvillegas.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-jomalig-island-experience.html
Cagbalete Island, Mauban, Quezon: http://junvillegas.blogspot.com/2014/05/cagbalete-island-mauban-quezon.html

Youtube links:
Cawayan Falls: http://youtu.be/TkzAbD9du6E
Balagbag Falls: http://youtu.be/nrq24Y7mTmg
Nonok Falls: http://youtu.be/OOmuNTFR0-A