Paradise North of Manila

If you are not anywhere near Manila, you've probably never heard of Pundaquit a.k.a. Capones Island a.k.a. Anawangin Cove. Some people interchange the names but they are not one and the same. Pundaquit is a a fishing village (barangay) in the town of San Antonio which is in the province of Zambales. Capones Island is, well, an island across the town of San Antonio (please refer to the map below), while Anawangin Cove is a crescent-shaped cove accessible only by a half-hour boat ride from the town. Anawangin Cove is owned by one local family there.

I have never heard of Pundaquit until recently. It is surprising for me because I spent my all childhood and teenage summers at my grandmother's house in San Felipe, which is just two towns away or a 10-minute drive from San Antonio.

Now, everyone is buzzing about the place because of the very nice scenery and pristine water. What makes it very special is the presence of pine trees near the beach of Anawangin Cove. According to the caretakers, the white sand is from the lahar (mudflow) of the Mount Pinatubo eruption back in the 90s. I'm not sure what geological phenomenon happened since mudflow is dark and, well, muddy. For me, it is as white as the ashes spewed by the volcano. As for the pine trees, we were told that they just started growing there after the infamous volcanic eruption, too.

Now the only downside is that there are no resorts or inns by the beach. The nearest places of accommodation will be at the town proper. Some backpackers just set up a tent when spending the night there.

Getting there: (Please refer to the map)

Manila to San Antonio, Zambales is probably a 3 hour drive if it's by private transportation. Once you get to San Antonio, you can just ask one of the tricycle drivers to take you to Pundaquit on a convoy.

However, a Victory Liner bus going to Iba or Sta. Cruz can take you to the town of San Antonio. From the San Antonio municipal hall, you can take a tricycle going to Pundaquit which is just 10-15 minutes away. They charge PhP30 per passenger.

Thanks to my sister, B, for the photos.