The Untold Places of Higatangan Island

The breathtaking towering cliffs of Hagdan beach.

I’ve been dreaming for this place since 2015 when two of my childhood friends who are now married and have lived on the island for almost two decades told me how stunning and remarkable their Higatangan island is. That dream came into reality when my Treasury Family decided to spend our summer getaway to this beautiful, unspoiled destination of Naval, Biliran.

We gathered Saturday morning at Villaba park and departed at six traveling through the Tabango-Leyte route. The ride was really hard for me, especially when riding a closed and air-conditioned van because it would usually trigger my kinetosis condition.

I felt so woozy at that time and my stomach was so upset and I’m about to regurgitate when we arrived at the Naval bus terminal. Luckily our van parked at the right spot where mangoes are displayed by sidewalk vendors. So I quickly ordered a kilo of mangoes for only 55 pesos and wolfed down one to lessen the sickness. For those who didn’t know, mango can be a good remedy for those who suffered kinetosis during rides.

We arrived at Naval port at exactly 7:30 and took a 45-minute boat ride to Higatangan (but if you’d prefer a lesser sea trip, try to take another course and head directly to Barangay Caruyucan in Calubian, Leyte where you can hire a boat to hitch you straight to the island which is only a 15 minutes away).

The shifting sandbar of Higatangan island at a tide level of 1.80m.

FF: Like the Kalanggaman island of Palompon, Higatangan island has a shifting sandbar too, measuring about 200 meters, it extends beautifully out to the Visayan Sea added with a vast backdrop of the neighboring island of Leyte. The adventure didn’t end on its sandbar alone, as I was told that there are other hidden sites waiting around the island. So I let my wandering feet roamed around the entire island and took me to something differently endearing. Invited the team to come and these are what we’d discovered:

The Akin-akin point, home of a dozen white egrets.

First the Akin-akin point. This cliff diving site is located east near their fish sanctuary of barangay Libertad. It has a clear water lagoon which is perfect for a thrill-seeker like me. You can leap 30ft down to the water and enjoy the view under stunning rock formations while dozens of egret birds are flying and chirping delightfully above you.

Strolling along the coast of Hagdan beach.

Second, the Hagdan Cliffs. Situated in the west in barangay Mabini, this place got its name ‘Hagdan’ because the only way to sneak into the beach is through the steepest stairway residents have built along the 50ft cliff. They’ve also installed a rope strong enough for us to grip tightly while maneuvering up and down. After letting ourselves engulfed by a towering rock, beautiful scenery hits us as a surprising reward that even our very own mount can’t contain every good word in describing how marvelous the place was.
There were other coves and hidden caves on the island, but due to limited time, we ended our tour with a promise that we will be back to continue our ‘funtastic’ adventure.

This ruined cottage adds a bit of picturesque effect here in Akin-akin point.