Sorsogon offers a lot of other destinations aside from Donsol for visiting tourists. Since we don’t have a car, we just went to the places near Rizal Beach Resort that can be toured in half a day so we could spend the afternoon swimming at the beach.
I took the liberty of taking a picture of this guide map from the resort
Other places that we wished we could’ve visited includes the picturesque Paguriran Island in Bacon and the fine white sand of the secluded Subic Island. Of course there are lots of hot and cold springs, caves and falls around Sorsogon that you can also visit.
FIRST STOP: BARCELONA
We woke up early and ate a heavy breakfast (quite expensive for such servings in Rizal Beach Resort) and left before 9 AM. Outside the resort we took a jeep going to Barcelona which is only a 10-minute ride.
Prepare to do a lot of waiting since there are only few jeeps around and try not to be picky. Don’t be surprised to see jeeps with people sitting on the roof.
Barcelona Church, the oldest church in Bicol
Barcelona boasts of having the oldest church in the region built on the 19th century by the Spaniards. They call the town Barcelona because its topography reminds the Spanish colonizers of their hometown in Spain.
In front of the church facing the sea are the ruins of a fort
After spending about 10 minutes taking pictures, we spent around 20 minutes waiting for a jeep to take us to our next stop which is Bulusan. Going to Bulusan from Barcelona takes roughly 1 hour by jeep because of the usual picking up and dropping off of people. The unpaved road after Barcelona didn’t help either.
BULUSAN NATURAL PARK AND LAKE
Upon arriving at Bulusan, we asked how long it would take for a tricycle to take us to Bulusan Lake. Since it would take around 30 minutes, we would be pressed for time and might not make it back to Rizal Beach for an afternoon swim. The 10-minute picture taking that we plan around the lake is not worth the Php150 round-trip tricycle fare that they’re asking either. Hehehe.
Took this photo of Bulusan Lake from Worldlakes.org
Anyway, the lake is right at the entrance of Mount Bulusan where mountaineers often scale to see its crater. The lake has a concrete walkway around it where tourists can stroll leisurely enjoying the view and feeling one with nature. The ecosystem in that area is very well preserved and it boasts of rare flora and fauna.
You really have to spend a lot of time at Bulusan Lake to enjoy the place. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time so we had to skip it and proceed to our next stop which is Irosin.
IROSIN SPRINGS
Irosin has many water springs surrounding it and the best known is the Mateo Hot and Cold Springs Resort which is our next destination. So from the town of Bulusan, we boarded a jeep going to the next town which is Irosin. It is another 45-minute bumpy ride going there.
We arrived at Irosin at around 11:30 AM but decided to have lunch at the Mateo Spring Resort which is another 20-minute tricycle ride. I was excited to take a dip on the springs after accumulating a lot of sweat from the hot morning but was in for a disappointment.
One of the two natural hot springs in San Mateo Spring Resort
The resort is a huge place but not really tourist-worthy. It’s more of “for the locals” only and there are plenty of them at that time. There are two big pools with natural hot spring water for swimming. I didn’t bother asking where the cold spring was since I really don’t want to explore the rest of the place. For all I know, the cold spring may have turned into a hot one.
The public shower/changing rooms are not well-maintained. We didn’t bother going farther up the place to which I think would be where the air-conditioned rooms are. We just ordered our lunch and brought it to a rented cottage.
We ordered a serving of pork adobo which was a lot for two persons. Sad to say, we didn’t enjoy their cooking. The meat was too tough and the plastic utensils provided weren’t any help at all. I suggest you bring your own food or have lunch at Irosin.
It’s really hot the first time
After a quick lunch, I took a dip in the hot springs. It’s therapeutically hot but after a short while you’ll get used to it. I didn’t ask my wife to join me anymore since there were a lot of local boys swimming and I don’t want to give them something to gawk at. 
The place is far from the main road so it is only accessible via tricycle and private vehicles. Tell the one manning the gates the time you are leaving so he could ask a tricycle driver who chance upon that area to wait for you.
GOING BACK TO RIZAL BEACH
We didn’t stay long at the place since it was too crowded and just decided to head back to Rizal Beach for a swim. We took a tricycle to the highway and waited for a jeep bounded for Sorsogon City. We didn’t go back the way we came for since it is much faster taking the highway, although less scenic.
After about 45 minutes, we got off at Juban where the road will fork going to Sorsogon and Gubat. From there, we boarded another jeep going to Gubat which took us around 15 minutes. Then from the terminal at Gubat, we got into another jeep for a 10-minute ride back to Rizal Beach Resort. Oh yeah! This province is powered by jeepneys. Hehehe.
Peaceful Rizal Beach
So we just spent the remaining afternoon swimming in the warm waters of the not-so-crowded Rizal Beach. Afterwards, we just packed our things to get ready for our trip back to Legaspi the following morning which I will be writing about on the next part.
FARE BREAKDOWN
- Jeep to Barcelona - Php9 per head
- Jeep from Barcelona to Bulusan - Php19 per head
- Tricycle going to Bulusan Lake - Php150 round trip
- Jeep from Bulusan to Irosin - Php18 per head
- Tricycle from Irosin to Mateo Spring Resort - Php70
- Tricycle from Mateo Spring Resort to highway - Php20
- Jeep to Juban - Php35 per head
- Jeep from Juban to Gubat - Php10 per head
- Jeep from Gubat to Rizal Beach Resort - Php10 per head (whew!)
Note: Fare price will have most likely increase due to the constant increase of fuel cost.
Part 2: From Legaspi to Donsol and the Fireflies
Part 3: Butanding Interaction Time
Part 4: From Donsol to Rizal Beach Resort in Gubat
Part 5: Destinations in Sorsogon
Part 6: Back to Legaspi City
If you have any questions/suggestions/corrections, please feel free to leave a comment. Thanks!
