Welcome to my Blog about Tourism In Northern Samar, My name is Steve Rice, I have lived in Samar for the past Two & A half years.
Northern Samar is growing at a constant rate for Tourism & Also Investments, It has gained A lot of publicity & Interest in the time I have been here, the tourism Industry is growing at about 13% per year, Investments are also growing at a rapid rate, with more business people seeking the opportunities available here, there are a variety of Investments on offer here, Resorts, Restaurants, Beach Bars, Water Sport Centers, Hotels, Vehicle Rentals, International Grocery Stores, Tour & Travel Agency's, Tourism Shops, Money Exchanges, Entertainment Facility's, with many people building second homes, there are so many different opportunities here on offer for so many ventures.
In 2007 Northern Samar & the Islands were Declared an Eco Tourism Zone by the Government of the Philippines, so this has helped in the ever growing tourism Industry here, we have also had many articles, TV coverage, and media write up's about the Unexplored, Paradise Within Paradise, Chris Bech is a Real Estate & Property Developer here, Chris & Theresa Bech have lived & worked here for the past eight years, they have developed many areas, also introduced many Investors into the areas, with there Eco Living a key factor to the success of the areas, and there long and hard efforts to let the rest of the world know that there is such a place left on the Earth....
You can view there offerings in, Beach Land, Islands for Sale,Property's, Land Developments, Resorts, Farm Land. At the link here, just click on the link to go to there web site.
Northern Samar Property's on Offer.
To view many Pictures of Northern Samar & The Islands, you can click on the link to view the pictures of Paradise Within Paradise.
Northern Samar Tourism Pictures, CLICK HERE
There have been a growing number of Investors, Retirees, with many people from different parts of the world, Australia, Europe, America, England, Canada, Denmark, Germany. We have a foreigner community of some 200+ people living here, some full time some part time, It has started to become a place where people want to explore our Unspoiled characteristics, with the Eco Living lifestyle, Non Polluted Air, Simple Life, Affordable Living, Fresh Sea Foods, Fresh Vegetables, An Abundance of Fresh Fish, Inexpensive Household Staff, Care Assistants, Affordable Medical & Dental Offerings.
Northern Samar is a great place for so many things, and it is an Island of Adventure, Culture & Mystic, with it's White Sandy Beaches, Clear Blue Ocean Waters, It makes a great place for Water Sports, the Islands have some great places for Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Fishing Trips, Island Hopping Boat Trips, Cave Exploration, Waterfalls, River Boat adventure, Backpacking, Excursion Tours, Camping, or just simply relaxing and letting the everyday stresses of life release form your mind. There is so much to do and explore, we are sure you will not get bored with the offerings here.
There are three main areas of Samar, Northern, Eastern & Western, all areas have a different offering, but hold true with the Filipino Culture and Lifestyle, the Filipinos are very happy warm hearted people, that will do there very best to make you feel comfortable and relaxed while you are here. The Filipinos have a wide variety of foods they offer, Each area is famous for it's offerings and unique recipes, all have a mouth watering Charm, and some have a recipe that is unique from generations of cultural hand downs, they thrive on putting the best food on the table for you, but be careful, they will keep the food flowing until you can not eat anymore.... MASARAP is there word for delicious, when you taste the foods you will see why.
Northern Samar has many Islands of the coast, all within a boat ride away, Each Island has its own unique adventure, many Islands, many happy explorations.
Biri Island: is World Famous for it's Rock Formations & Surfing, while there are many good Scuba Diving Reefs, fishing, Fresh Fish & Sea Foods on offer.
Click here to see more pictures of Biri Island.
Pearl Farm Island: Is surrounded by seven other Islands, this is a great place for privacy, Diving, Exploring, Island Hopping, Sun Sets, Fishing, Exploration.
Click here to see more Pictures of Pearl Farm Island.
San Antonio Island: There are several Resorts on San Antonio, with a fish sanctuary, Water Sports, Chartered Fishing Trips, Scuba Diving, there is also an airport being built on the Island, with a nature reserve near completion.
Click here to see more Pictures of San Antonio Island.
Capul Island: Famous for its Historical Light House, Church, Caves, Scuba Diving, Fishing, Sea Foods. This Island has a great deal to offer, with it's long history & sunken Spanish Galleon Ships in the surrounding Ocean for Dive exploration.
Click here for more Pictures of Capul Island:
All of the Island have Boat access, from ports in Allen, Lavisares, offering Island Hopping Trips, Passenger & Cargo Ferry's, only costing a few Peso for the trip. Each Island has a different travel time, the longest being 2 hours.
Bobon Town is just 8km from the town of Catarman where we have the local Airport which is serviced by Asia Spirit & PAL Express, with six flights per week from Manila, flight time is only 55 minuets, also an additional six flights per week to Calbayog, just a one hour drive from here, this is where Chris & Theresa Bech have set up Paradise Village, eco living community, host to many foreigners living here.
Paradise Village has many different homes built here, and is a true Eco Living area, with it's natural surroundings, Beaches, Fresh Fish, sea Foods, Reefs, Surfing, Scuba Diving, water Sports.
It is just a ten minuet drive to the local town of Catarman, which has a fresh meat, vegetables & Fruit Market, Many Restaurants, KTV Bars, Banks, Retail Stores, Travel Booking Office, Electronics Stores.
We are currently building an International College here for 1,200 students & Staff, with accommodation units, Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Retail Outlets & Supply Facility's. Bobon is also in the process of developing it's own Airport & Transportation Facility to accommodate the growing number of Tourists coming here, with many people coming for business & recreation, It also hosts many seminars amongst the Filipino community's, as it is a cultural central meeting point for many Barangays and Islands.
There are several ways for Foreigners to buy land here, for more information to set up a corporation, please email amballicud@yahoo.com Mr. Ballicud is a former Governor here & also a highly regarded Attorney, he will be happy to talk to you & give advice on these matters.
We have many annual celebrations here, featuring Cultural Fiestas, Historical Anniversaries, Religious Events, Celebrations & a host of get together's, with locals & Foreigners alike. This adds to the fun & excitement on offer here, as Filipinos take Pride in there country & Celebrations. There is always something to do here, so you will be able to have a variety of entertainment & Fun.
The Local Government takes pride in Samar & are working diligently to promote, upgrade & open their arms to the tourists who love this Paradise Within Paradise, the Government in Manila has awarded many structural, Tourism, Investment, Employment, Modernization Grants & Incentives to aid the growth we are expecting within the next year or two. Our Governor Raul Daza is very highly respected with local & International Politics, with his son Congressman Paul Daza, Both are working very hard to promote tourism & Investments here, they are the roll models for the future of Northern Samar's success. There family history stems back into many generations with politics, but they are now seen as the force behind the growth & Improvements of the Economy, Tourism, Commerce, Trade, and the continued efforts for world exposure for Northern Samar.
Northern Samar is the third largest Island in the 7,107 Islands that are in the Philippines, well known for it's coconut industry, fishing industry, hand crafted artifacts & furniture construction. It is a place with so many offerings, it is one of the worlds best kept secrets, with it's simple lifestyle & Eco non polluted clean ways, the culture is so pleasing and addictive to say the least. Many people describe it as the last frontier to the last hidden secret of mans biggest dreams, to have a comfortable simple life in Paradise, it is for sure an adventurous place, with so much undisturbed natural beauty and unique Infrastructure.
The History of Samar:
Northern Samar is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman and is located at the northern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar. To the northwest, across the San Bernardino Strait is Sorsogon; to the east is the Philippine Sea and to the west is Samar Sea.
People and culture:
Most people speak Norte Samarnon, a variation of Waray-Waray, though Cebuano is also widely understood, being spoken in the municipality of San Isidro and the island municipalities of San Antonio and San Vicente. A third language Inabaknon is spoken in the island of Capul.
Norte Samarnon usually is further subclassified into Balicuatro, Central and Pacific speakers.
Tourism:
Northern Samar has a lot of tourism potentials that are still undiscovered and unknown by many tourists. You can find famous old churches, beautiful falls, rivers, caves, virgin forests, beaches, and other secret places.
These “secret” places are the islands of Biri, Capul, San Antonio, Pearl Farm, Turtle Island, Chris Bech Island, Dalupiri, all off the coast of Northern Samar.
Paradise Village is a Creation of Chris & Wife Theresa Bech, from Bobon, Northern Samar, they moved here eight years ago, with a plan, to develop Paradise Eco Living community, for foreigners and Investors. They now have in access of 200 foreigners of different nationality's living here. They have developed many houses, resorts, Land, Islands, and offer you a piece of there Paradise Within Paradise, for more information, please visit http://samarislands.com/] where you can see a full listings of the investment opportunity's there, and also retirement opportunity's, Second Homes, Chris & Theresa have got many accreditations behind them from local & Central Government here in the Philippines.
They have helped reduce Poverty & Unemployment, they have funded many, Health Care programs, Clothing needs,Schools, Day Care Centers, medicines, Clothes, Vitamins & Supplements, Created Jobs, Food Drives. Chris Bech is the Ex president of the Rotary Club, Rotary International in Catarman.
There Joint efforts in the community's have been recognized world wide, with many news paper articles, TV. media shows, magazine publications, and tourism Industry advertising's. Chris is originally from Norway & Theresa is a Filipina from the Philippines, in eight years they have helped change the lives of so many people world wide, they are a credit to Northern Samar for there continued support & constant positive Drive. Mahubay to you both.
Chris & Theresa have hired world famous Steve Rice, Graphic Designer, Web Site Developer, with his expertise in Advertising & Marketing as Marketing Director, Steve is a world of information in regards to Northern Samar, Steve has over 15,000 stock Photographs of Northern Samar & The Islands, his efforts to Promote Northern Samar are very strong, he has also had a lot of recognition from the Philippines Government, Tour & Travel Agency's, world wide travel organizations, His efforts are a constant support to the ever growing Northern Samar, To contact Steve please Email tours4samar@gmail.com he will be very happy to help you with questions, pictures, or advertising opportunity's in Northern Samar, through his vast network of web sites, Blogs and Links.
Remote and desolate, and definitely off the normal tourist track, forgotten Northern Samar evokes powerful images, SIMPLY PARADISE WITHIN PARADISE. WOW Philippines top ten tourist destination...
Among the last frontiers in the country, its rugged coastline of limestone cliffs along the Pacific Ocean is a historical landmark. During the Spanish colonial era, Samar island was the first Philippine landfall seen by the Manila galleons as they approached the end of their long voyage from Acapulco.
Entering the waters of the Philippine archipelago, the galleons called at the fortified island of Capul off Samar, offered thanks for a safe crossing at the Jesuit church, and then negotiated the rough waters of narrow San Bernardino Strait toward Manila, their final destination.
Capul also became the last stop on Philippine soil of the departing galleons before the long, often treacherous Trans Pacific sail to Acapulco in Mexico.
Going to Northern Samar:
By air, Asian Spirit & PAL Express flies from Manila to the capital town of Catarman, with six flights per week, also six flights to Calbayog Airport, just an hours drive from here. The flight duration is approximately 55 minuets
By land, Philtranco, EagleStar, and other bus companies have daily trips to the province. Travel time is between 14 to 16 hours. Buses board ferry boats to cross San Bernandino Strait from Matnog (Sorsogon) to Allen (Northern Samar).
No passenger ships ply from Manila to the province.
There is a Ferry Boat to & From Cebu, traveling 3 times per week, the pier is in Calbayog, just an hour drive from here.
Geography:
Northern Samar is subdivided into two (2) congressional districts, 24 towns or municipalities, and 569 Barangays.
- Mapanas
- Mondragon
- Palapag
- Pambujan
- Rosario
- San Antonio
- San Isidro
- San Jose
- San Roque
- San Vicente
- Silvino Lobos
- Victoria
Northern Samar is bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Strait, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the Samar Sea, on the southwest by Western Samar and on the southeast by Eastern Samar. Its total land area is 3,498 km²
The province is composed largely of low and extremely rugged hills and small lowland areas. It also has small and discontinuous areas along the coasts and its rivers are usually accompanied by alluvial plains and valleys. The province is endowed with relatively rich and fertile soil that most crops can grow on it.
Northern Samar is where the Sumuroy Rebellion of 1649-1650 led by the Waray hero Juan Ponce Sumuroy first began. One of the trusted co conspirators of Sumuroy, David Dula y Goiti, sustained the Filipino quest for motherland in a greater vigor. He was however wounded in a battle, was captured and later was executed in Palapag, Northern Samar by the Spaniards together with his seven key lieutenants. They were accused of masterminding several attacks on Spanish detachments. The place where David came from was named later as Candawid (Kahn David) in Isla De Batag, Laoang, Northern Samar. Some of David's descendants changed their surnames to Dulay to avoid Spanish prosecutions. Some maintained their surname Dula, which up to these days is the source of minor internal frictions among some descendants of David Dula y Goiti in Laoang, Northern Samar accusing each side as "sigbinan", a native Waray folklore which originated in Isla de Batag, which connotes "a family secretly keeping bear-like creatures", which are being fed with all kinds of meat, sometimes, including flesh of dead Spanish Guardia Civil. Several famous Northern Samarenos are tracing their ancestry among the seven co conspirators executed with David Dula y Goiti in Palapag , Northern Samar.
During the Philippine-American War, the Siege of Catubig was fought in the town of Catubig.
For more information, Rules Regulations, Tips, Advice, community news, please visit the link bellow.
LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES, CLICK HERE.
There are many resorts in Northern Samar & on the Islands, here are just a few we feature.
Bobon Beach Resort: Dancalan, Bobon Northern Samar, Beach side resort with many tourist attractions, please Our Web Site Click Here
Waves Resort: San Antonio Island, Northern Samar. Water Sports, Fishing, diving, Wave runners, Kayaks, Beach Bar, Restaurant, Mini club with pool Table. Please Waves Pictures
Haven Of Fun: San Antonio Island, Northern Samar. Water Sports, Vacation Chalets, Vacation Cottages, Bar Restaurant, BBQ Areas, Function Room, KTV Bar, Beautiful garden surroundings, located on the beach. Resort Pictures
Chrystal Sands Beach Resort: San Antonio, Northern Samar. Beach Resort, Bar & Restaurant, Cabana Cottages, Beach BBQ, Water Sports, Very refreshing and relaxing Resort. Resort Pictures.
Octopussy Resort: San Antonio, Northern Samar.
Louisa Resort: San Antonio, Northern Samar.
Somaran Resort: San Antonio, Northern Samar.
d' Blue Water Lodge: Biri Island, Northern Samar
Sun Set Villa Resort: Biri Island, Northern Samar
Tabac Beach Resort: Capul Island, Northern Samar.
Binang Cadio Resort: Bobon, Northern Samar. Resort Pictures
Acapulco Island Beach Resort: Capul Island, Northern Samar.
Name and Location of Tourist Attractions:
HISTORICAL:
Capul Lighthouse, Capul
Batag Lighthouse, Laoang
Remains of Town’s Fortress, Palapag
Grand Canyon/Nogkahan, Laoang
Dor-ongan San Padi, Laoang
Pergola, Laoang
Bomb Made Lagoon, Biri
Spanish Filipino Battle Site, Lope de Vega
Lapinig Lighthouse, Lapinig
NATURAL:
Fish Sanctuary, San Jose
Torotangbo Beach, San Jose
White Beach Resort, San Jose
Rosario Hot Spring, Rosario
Busay Falls, Rosario
Gilbert Island, Rosario
Witch Island, Rosario
Binuga Point, Rosario
Bani Island Beaches, Lavezares
Barobaybay Beach, Lavezares
Cabacungan Cave, Allen
Gamma Beach Resort, Allen
Victoria Falls, Victoria
Viriato Falls, Victoria
Bangon Falls, Victoria
Veriato Falls, San Isidro
Busay and Kang Pongkol Falls, San Isidro
Happy Valley, San Isidro
Sohoton Cave (unexplored), San Isidro
Tugabungan and Hibabalayan Falls, Lope de Vega
Rock Island, San Antonio
Vinisitahan and Pongdol Beaches, San Antonio
Big Foot, Capul
Bato Resort, Capul
Freedom Beach, Capul
Bito Cave, Capul
Sila Island, San Vicente
Cabudo and Marasbaras Beaches, San Vicente
Beaches of Majaba and Panganoron Islets, San Vicente
Natural Rock Formations, Biri
Natural Lagoon and Swimming Pool, Biri
Punta Point, Biri
Sitio Cogon, Biri
Liyang Rock, Biri
San Bernardino Isles, Biri
Talisay Beach, Biri
White Beach, Catarman
Langtaran Beach, Catarman
Tamburusan Beach, Catarman
Pinipisakan Falls, Las Navas
Ginagastusan Cave, Las Navas
Onay Beach, Laoang
Manubay-luyang Caves, Laoang
Rock Formations, Palapag, Biri
Footprints/Rocketdakit, Palapag
May Sug-ang/Guinpandayan Cave, Palapag
Palihon Island, Palapag
Mapno Spring, Palapag
Tallalora Beach, Palapag
Payong-payong, Mapanas
Mapanas Beach, Mapanas
Tarsiers, Mapanas
Gomag Cave, Mapanas
Nabonglayan Rock, Gamay
Sila Point, Gamay
Kanawayon Island, Lapinig
Paninirongan, Pambujan
Pambujan Island, Pambujan
Rain Forest, Silvino Lobos
Alitutungawan Falls, Silvino Lobos
Giguemitan Lake, Silvino Lobos
Catawgan Beach, San Roque
Whitesand Beach, San Roque
Malobaroc Beach, Mondragon
Dancalan Beach Resort, Bobon
RELEGIOUS:
15th Century Church Ruins, Capul
15th Century Church Ruins, Palapag
17th Century Old Silver Bell, Palapag
16th Century Church, Catubig
16th Century Church, Laoang
17th Century Old Church, Pambujan
MAN-MADE:
Aqua rich Pearl Farm , San Vicente
Flying Dog Beach Resort , San Antonio
Scout City, Catarman
University of Eastern Philippines , Catarman
Freedom Park, Catarman
Pambujan Sports Center, Pambujan
EVENTS:
Embajada Festival, Catarman (January 22)
Embajada/Fluvial Festival, Catubig (second week of January)
Fluvial Festival, Las Navas (last week of January)
May Festival, Las Navas (month of May)
Sangyaw Sinulog, Laoang (last Sunday of January)
Mayflower Festival, Palapag (last day of May)
Ati atihan Festival, Bobon (first Sunday of January)
Sr. Sto. Niño Fiesta, Province-wide (January)
Santacruzan, Province-wide (month of May)
SPECIAL INTERESTS:
Bruno, the Mummy, Victoria
The Growing Stone, Allen
Panhagdanan, Palapag
Bebe Bivalve Collector/(Clam Divers), Catubig and Las Navas
Abaknon (a language spoken), Capul
Mat Weavers, Las Navas
Hat Weavers, Allen
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