Biri Island, Northern Samar (April 2-7, 2011)

I and colleagues from the National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP Diliman) went to Allen and Biri Island, Northern Samar from April 2-7, 2011 to conduct mapping and sampling of a rarely-occurring rock that was "discovered" in April 2010. We spent 2 days in Allen (stayed in a hotel courtesy of Mayor Suan) and another 2 days in Biri Island before going to Catarman where we waited for our flight (Cebu Pacific) going back to Manila.

There are two options of going to Biri Island: plane or bus.

For those who want to take the plane, you can either take the plane to Calbayog or Catarman, which are just 1 to 1.5 hours away from the town of Lavezares, which is the jump-off point to Biri. The plane schedule, however, is limited so you have to plan your schedule well. Flights are also cancelled from time to time because of bad weather conditions, so be sure you are prepared to spend additional days in the island. One can also take the plane to Tacloban (Leyte), although this would be an additional 5 to 6 hours land travel to Catarman/Lavezares. One good thing about this option is being able to cross the San Juanico Bridge which is the longest bridge in the Philippines.

For those who seek the ultimate travel adventure, one can take the bus from Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon (~10 hours), take the roro boat to Allen, Northern Samar across the San Bernardino Strait (~1.5 hours) and take a tricycle to Lavezares. In choosing this option, one is rewarded (if you are lucky) majestic views of active volcanoes like Banahaw, Iriga, Mayon and Bulusan.

This trip to Biri Island is my 4th since I first visited the Island in January 2010. In fact, a 5th visit is already scheduled this coming July with friends from college.