Off the Beaten Beaches in Pangasinan

Situated along the Lingayen Gulf and South China Sea, the province of Pangasinan has what it takes when it comes to beach destinations in the Philippines. Just 4 to 5 hours from Metro Manila, you’ll get to a haven of various beach destinations. The Hundred Islands National Park and Bolinao are just few of the famed beach destinations here but apart from these, Pangasinan still has a lot of beaches that are yet to uncover – beaches that are equally nice but less crowded.

Two beaches that I had discovered recently in the province were Cabongaoan and Tambobong beach. These beach destinations are off the beaten and not famous to many yet which certainly travelers like us like. Being famous doesn’t mean it isn’t worth visiting. These beaches are surely worth the 7 hours butt numbing ride; they are unspoiled, clean and white sand beach with less crowd.

The beach of Cabongaoan is situated in the town of Burgos while the beach Tambobong is situated in the town of Dasol which both can be reached in 2 hours from the city of Alaminos.

How to go to Burgos, Pangasinan?

Me and my friend rode an ordinary bus from Cubao bound to Sta. Cruz, Pangasinan via Alaminos City. We were supposed to ride an air-conditioned bus bound to Alaminos or Bolinao but we weren’t able to secure our seat in advance so we were left with no choice but to ride an ordinary Five Star bus to Sta. Cruz. The bus passes by the town of Burgos.

We arrived at the town early morning; we then looked for a tricycle that can take us to Cabongaoan and Tambobong. One-way tricycle ride costs PHP 500 while the tricycle ride back to Burgos from Tambobong costs PHP 300. The tricycle can fit up to three passengers.

The road to these beach sites are unpaved and uneven.

Cabongaoan Beach

We arrived at the beach at around 9:00 AM. Our tricycle driver helped us to ask the owner of the resort, where we had entered, not to charge us for a fee anymore since we’ll only be staying for a few hours. We then set up our tent so we can have a place to rest and put our bags.

It was such a nice feeling seeing the sea again. We couldn’t contain our excitement upon seeing how nice the beach is plus how sunny the weather is.

The sand is white and a little fine. The shore isn’t flat as what the usual beach looks like but that’s totally OK. The weather, the beach itself and the people I’m with too combined; such perfect for a great summer getaway.

The shoreline is quite long. I’d like to walk from end to end but we didn’t have time for that anymore so I just enjoyed the beach in front of me.

Tambobong Beach

The beach is a little less crowded compare to the first one that we had visited. The sand is white and a little fine. The water is clear but our group opted to take a dip at Tabang, a rocky part in Tambobong where cold stream meets directly with the sea water.

It felt so great to experience beaches that are equally and even more stunning than the famed ones yet uncongested. Knowing about these two beaches in Pangasinan just made me interested to search more of those unfrequented places in the country. These off the beaten places may be time consuming or hard to reach but I am certain all the hardships will be worth it; awesome discovery and unusually good travel experience. In fact, these places are even more beautiful yet cheap in the pocket compared to the famous sites that we know.

Junior
Burgos – Dasol Tricycle Driver
Phone: +639083137651