A Sidetrip to Crocodile Island in Cagayan

The Crocodile Island in the town of Sta.Ana, Cagayan derived its name from that large aquatic reptile that, they say, has the same formation as the island. So, it’s just the form of it, no actual crocodiles live here!

This is our second destination for the island hopping. Please check out our Palaui Island and Anguib Beach posts too!

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

Country: Philippines
Region: Cagayan Valley (Region II)
Province: Cagayan

MAJOR JUMP OFF

One can get a boat from San Vicente Port in Sta. Ana, Cagayan to get there. However, we suggest to have this as a side trip, or part of an island hopping adventure, just like we did.

HOW TO GET THERE 

By Air - The fastest way to get to Cagayan is through a flight to Tuguegarao. Air travel takes only about an hour. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have available flights going there.

You can book tickets by clicking on the links below:

https://www.cebupacificair.com/
http://www.philippineairlines.com/

From Tuguegarao Airport, get a tricycle and ask the driver to take you to the van terminal bound to Sta.Ana. The municipality of Sta. Ana is on the northeastern-most point of Luzon. Getting there is around 3 hours

By Land - Air-conditioned buses of Victory Liner, Five Star, and Florida Transport have daily trips to Tuguegarao. Land travel usually takes around 10 hours hence these buses usually run night trips.

Trip schedules have changed due to some new policies of LTFRB and DOTC. In order to know the exact schedule of their trips, please contact the bus company directly. Contact information are provided below:

Victory Liner
http://www.victoryliner.com

We have found that only their Pasay and Kamias terminals have scheduled trips going directly to Tuguegarao, but here are the contact details of all of their terminals in Metro Manila and Tuguegarao:

Pasay Terminal: (632) 833-4403/(632) 833-5019 to 20
Kamias Terminal: (632) 920-7396
Cubao Terminal: (632) 727-4688/(632) 410-8986/(632) 727-4534
Caloocan Terminal: (632) 361-1506/(632) 361-4665 to 66
Manila Terminal: (632) 559-7735
Tuguegarao Terminal: (6378) 844-0777

Five Star
http://www.5starbus.co/

Pasay Terminal: (632) 851-6614/ (632) 851-6659

GV Florida Transport
https://tl-ph.facebook.com/pages/GV-Florida-Transport-INC/199961173372920

Sampaloc Terminal:(632) -7433809
Tuguegaro Terminal: (6378)-8462265

Tip! We suggest that you take the Florida Transport bus instead as it has a direct trip to Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

Once in Sta. Ana, just go to the San Vicente Port and get a boat to take you on the island.

BACKPACKER'S PARADIGM

After an enjoyable trek to the Cape Engano Lighthouse in Palaui Island, we asked our boatman to take us here at Crocodile Island. It was only a 20-minute boat ride from the lighthouse.

The island is relatively small, but offers lots of interesting things to enjoy. Its pristine atmosphere gives a relaxing feeling and sets you in a worry-free mood for the day.

Scattered on the island are damaged corals that must have been swept by the waters on the shore.

We are not exactly sure what this island is made of, but its very distinctive composition sets it apart from any other island that you will stumble upon. It is like the biggest coral under the ocean that suddenly appeared on land.

The locals recommend to catch the view of the sunrise from the island. But we were already fascinated by the 360-degree view from above the rock formation.

For more pictures, kindly visit our Gallery page.

GUIDE'S CONTACT INFORMATION
Sir Benmar
+63 935.397.1942
For island hopping and trekking to Cape Engano Lighthouse

BUDGET

We are a group of 4 and here is a list of our expenses:

Php 300 - Tricycle from the airport to the van terminal (fare is only PHP 15 each, but we paid him this amount because we first went to the restaurant, then searched for the gas store, and finally to the terminal)

       800 - Overnight accomodation at Costales
    3,500 - Boat Rental for Island Hopping
         50 - Registration Fee at San Vicente
       250 - Food and water supplies
       400 - Van from Tuguegarao to Sta.Ana (roundtrip)
    2,000 - Plane ticket to Tuguegarao (roundtrip, discounted price due to a promo)

As mentioned in our Palaui Island post, please note that the budget listed above isn't for Crocodile Island alone. For example, the boat rental is for three destinations. We have posted the other two, which are Palaui Island and Anguib Beach, on separate articles. Also, our budget for the food and water supplies is actually good for 2 days, and we consumed half of it when we were in Anguib. Lastly, the plane ticket is for our whole exploration of Cagayan. Again, we encourage you to maximize your budget, and make the most of what you have. Cagayan is a great place to explore and we'll give you more of that in the next posts.