Anilao

J

ust south of Manila is Batangas
Province with some of the best
underwater diversity in the
Philippines. This place is very
popular on the weekends as it is
only a couple of hours drive from
Manila. Traffic can be forgiving and
you can make the trip quickly on a
mostly good tollway road. Be
warned, on the way back, if you’re
heading into Manila, traffic can be
heavy to gridlocked, so give
yourself plenty of time and leave
Anilao very early, especially if flying
out of Manila the same day.
At the Balayan Bay area, the port
village of Anilao appears and the
road meanders through hilly and
lush terrain dotted with weekend
retreats, dive centers and resorts.
This is considered the birthplace of

Philippine diving and there are well

over 60 sites in the area from Janao

Bay, around Bagalangit Point, in the

Maricaban Island area and spilling

into Batangas Bay. There are some

showcase marine preserves full of

fish, sea turtles and big jack

schools. And Anilao is famous for its

rare small creatures seen while

doing macro and muck diving.

The hillside and beach locations

are open to nice sea breezes and

most face the western sunset but

there isn’t really a central tourist

area, so pick a nice place to stay

with good food and entertainment.

While the weekends are big here,

during the week it can be quiet.

Check for midweek deals. The water

gets cooler in January and February,

around 25C/77F. The best months

are November thru May. Visibility is

consistently fairly good. There are a

number of marine sanctuaries and

Seahorse that trend is growing.

(^65)
7
8
9, 10
11
12
13, 14
15
16, 17 Anilao
Mabini
Maricaban
Batangas
Bay