In the sleepy towns of Inopacan and Hindang, Leyte province, lies a gem that can give the island of Boracay a run for its tourism money.
Cuatro Islas, composed of four islands, is surrounded by crystalline water that changes color from deep blue to turquoise green and is teeming with marine life.
The islands of Digyo, Mahaba and Apid belong to Inopacan, while Himokilan Island is part of Hindang. All have been declared Protected Seascape and Landscape by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on April 23, 2000.
Apid is the main island barangay, while Digyo and Mahaba are sitios (subvillages) of Apid.
Cuatro Islas has been identified as among the emerging tourist spots in Leyte, and a growing number of tourists are discovering the beauty of its islands.
Last year, at least 35,325 tourists visited the three islands of Inopacan, according to tourism officer Alfredo Galo Jr. In the first half of 2017, arrivals registered at more than 45,000 tourists, he added.
Changing sea colors
Digyo, which means small in the vernacular, is the smallest island and is only 30 minutes by boat from the mainland of Inopacan, a fourth-class municipality 135.3 kilometers from Tacloban City.
It has two sandbars facing one another and protruding from both ends of the beach area.
Tourists can frolic on the white sand beach or swim in the water that change colors from dark blue, turquoise blue to turquoise green—depending on the shifting of the tides.
Swimmers are accompanied by fishes thriving in a canopy of corals.
A kiosk can be rented in Digyo at P200 for a day. A two-room cottage can accommodate 10 people and costs P1,000 per day, while open cottages go for P300 to P500.
Those who want to pitch a tent are charged P150 a night.
Palm trees abound near the well-manicured grass. The beauty of the landscape is enhanced by “talisay” trees.
Seafood abundance
Tourists can buy seafood, which is abundant and cheap. Three kilograms of blue marlin, for example, are sold at P750, plus P200 for cooking.
Among the celebrities who had set foot in Digyo were Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago and her buddy, actor Eric Quizon.
Digyo is uninhabited, though half of it is privately owned. Only 20 people oversee the cottages.
There are toilets and washing facilities, as well as tubs of clean water.
Visitors enjoy the serenity offered by Mahaba Island, one of the four emerging island destinations in the towns of Inopacan
and Hindang in Leyte. —PHOTOS BY VICKY ARNAIZ AND MELQUE SCARLET E. ARINGOY
Like a floating boat
Near Digyo is Himokilan, the biggest among the four islands. From afar, it looks like a boat floating on deep blue sea.
Himokilan is still developing its tourism potentials, according to Mayor Betty Cabal of Hindang town. Aside from its beaches, it has mountains and caves waiting to be explored.
Boat-making is a must-see activity on the island.
Mahaba Island, so-named for its elongated shape, has pinkish sand and sandbar at the center of its wide beach.
“The moment I saw the [beauty] of Mahaba Island, I just took the plunge when we were near the shore,” said Doreen Dañas, a businesswoman and long-distance runner from Baybay City in Leyte.
The sandbar extends from a rock formation in the southern part of the island to the the center of the beach.
When it disappears during rains or high tide, the beach looks flat. Since it is pinkish in color, the beach front glows under the blazing sun.
Red shrimps in lagoon
Mahaba is also known for its coconut crabs (coconut-eating) and rare red shrimps found in a lagoon in the forested area about 300 meters from the beach.
About 100 families live in Mahaba.
While Apid has beaches, too, the island is known for its mat-weaving and other handicrafts made of romblon and pandan leaves. It has some 600 residents.
Before, the unavailability of boats going to the islands hindered the entry of visitors.
Not anymore. Twenty-eight pump boats registered by the Maritime Industry Authority can now ferry passengers to the three islands of Inopacan and to Hindang’s Himokilan.
Rental of a boat, which can load 30 people, is P3,500 for the day tour to Digyo, Mahaba and Apid, and an extra P500 to proceed to Himokilan.
But if there are only fewer than 11 tourists, a smaller pump boat can be rented for P2,500, plus P500 with Himokilan as part of the day tour itinerary.
If tourists plan to stay overnight, P3,000 a night is charged for the boat.
Galo said both Inopacan and Hindang were preparing for the arrival of an international cruise ship with 150 passengers on board in the first quarter of 2018.
Tourists are encouraged to bring their trash bags, water and food during the trip though seafood is served on the island.