Zambales Trip: Exploring Anawangin Cove

I woke up from an afternoon nap under pine trees in Anawangin cove when I decided to go to the beach. The white sand turned black with a simple sweep of its layer. It wasn’t actually white in the first place; more of greyish – its shade depended on the sun’s brightness.

Black or white, it didn’t matter. I’m just happy that my bare feet didn’t step on rocks in the process. In the water, I could easily walk without fear of sea urchins or sharp corals too.

Anawangin Cove, Zambales
February 19, 2011

anawangin
Anawangin Beach

I didn’t bother swimming farther as I was already contented staring through its clear waters. It wasn’t deep but I’ve read unfortunate stories of people who were caught by waves. But then, it’s always the case wherever we go when we become too complacent.

anawangin crowd
cottages and campers

Pine Trees in Anawangin Cove

We were surrounded by pine trees standing proud and tall as we passed through the lake. The growth of these pine trees in Anawangin were brought about by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo when seeds fell together with the ashes on the ground. How remarkable a tragedy can bring about something beautiful.

trees anawangin
tall trees

Anawangin can be trekked for about 6 hours from Pundaquit. We only used the outrigger boat as a faster route to getting to the cove which saved us a lot of time.

explore anawangin
We proceeded with our trek trying to explore parts of the cove.

A lot of campers were around and as stated in blogs, the place is getting crowded. The apparent number of travellers and tourists in the area show how popular this place is amongst the other areas in Zambales. This is after all, the nearest cove from Pundaquit.

anawangin forest
lake and trees

Going into the forest, we didn’t know where we were headed. Hence, we retraced our steps so we could go back to the beach and climb the mountain. I wanted to see the cove from the top. I remember Gael having a photo taken with the amazing view of the location.

leaves anawangin
fallen leaves

As it becomes more famous, I hope rules will be strictly implemented especially with the environment and keeping it clean. There’s no electricity but there was a small sari-sari store where you could buy coke and snacks. They even had halo-halo ingredients on their table; indicating that they could whip up this Filipino dessert in no time.

lake anawangin
Lake in Anawangin

Slid on a Mountain in Anawangin

We trekked to the mountain in order to get a bird’s perspective of the beach. Under the sweltering heat, I didn’t realize that the climb took some effort. We stood beside a small tree to hide under its shade, all the while we alternately took snapshots of ourselves to capture the scene.

tripod anawangin
With Doi and Anton
photo by Teresa

Still not satisfied, I headed to the topmost part of that mountain. Not only because I wanted to see the view, but ultimately because I wanted to know how far my legs could take me. I jumped and hopped along the way, thinking that the trail was a playground.

Beach on one side, lake on the other. Pine trees in between and mountain ranges at the back. Who wouldn’t want to witness such a sight?

anawangin island
Anawangin Cove

Anton followed suit, I heard him mention “arthritis” and an adult nutritional milk drink he should start taking as he caught his breath. He didn’t realize that I was also panting due to the sudden ascent. What seemed like short climb actually left me out of puff. But the panorama from the top was more spectacular. I wiped my sweat with my arm and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Anawangin Cove is photogenic.” This was how Anton described it; I couldn’t agree more.

anawangin water
view from the top

Tripped and Fell in Anawangin

After regaining composure, I went down a slope as quick as I could which was another big blunder. Carrying my tripod, I slid and fell to the ground. What made matters worse was that I tripped in front of a group of people who were on their way up the mountain.

It didn’t hurt as much; I was more embarrassed that I fell in front of a crowd. Only then did I realize my careless nature and the consequences I faced because of being too hasty with decisions.

anawangin trek
No video this time.
photo by doi

I managed to smile despite how many eyes stared at me. Funny how I never heard any boisterous laughter because of my mishap, not even a whisper at my back – very strange indeed.

I carried on with the walk towards my companions and showed them my battle scars (I wish). I managed to get a couple of scratches on my right leg; nothing a good dip in saltwater couldn’t cure.

fall anawangin
getting down and dirty

I didn’t mind it as much. I slipped and hit my head on a rock in Bomod-ok Falls which was truly worse. My feet also collected dust with the red soil but it was no biggie. I could simply wash them off at the beach.

But another word to the wise (YOU) from the foolish (ME): Walk slowly especially when trailing on jagged rocks.

jump shot anawangin
crazy on the loose, despite the fall – yes, I’m holding a tripod
photo by Anton

We spent the remaining minutes at the beach in order to hurriedly take a last dip. We needed to pack our things if we still wanted to catch the sunset in Nagsasa Cove.

Entrance Fees:
Day Use: 50 Php
Overnight: 150 Php

Note: There’s no electricity nor cellphone signal in Anawangin.

Check out articles about my Zambales adventure trip here:


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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18 thoughts on “Zambales Trip: Exploring Anawangin Cove”

  1. Naghahanap ka talaga ng sakit sa katawan noh? LOL kidding 😀 Buti hindi ka nag-roll dun sa mga paakyat when you tripped (at sila talaga inalala ko hehe)
    It's quite amusing nga how this place became beautiful after the eruption. Parang nacocompare ko siya sa mga ruins ng magagandang structures. Scenery nga lang this time. Wala lang 😀

    Reply
  2. Lagi ka na lang atang nadudulas. Hahaha.
    For some weird reason, I found the first paragraph a little poetic. 
    Anyhoo, can't wait to go here!

    Reply
  3. buti na lang walang ganyan nangyari sa yo sa Palaui, meron kasi akong bad habit na kapag meron nadudulas or nadadapa sa harapan ko natatawa ako ng malakas bago ko sila tulungan…which i can't control…dapat sundin mo ang isang rule ng byahero: pwede maging magulo pero bawal mamatay! lol ingat!

    Reply
  4. The growth of these pine trees in Anawangin were brought about by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo when seeds fell together with the ashes>>> just amazing how nature forms beautiful views like this. pag may mga hulog at tumba mas nagiging masaya ang byahe.

    Reply
  5. @micamyx: haha, onga naman. habang bata pa, kahit anong pasakit kakayanin. mahirap na kapag matanda na tayo naghahanap nun. lol. you should go to Anawangin Mica! 😀

    @renevic: haha, sure sure, sir! will be posting my Nagsasa Cove stories next! 😀

    @robbie: ewan ko ba kung at nadudulasan ako parati – madulas ba ako? — lol sagwa pakinggan. hehe. go go go. very picturesque ang lugar robbie, sama kayo ni mica 😀

    @supertikoy: haha, i would understand kapag may tatawa jerome. hehe. bawal talaga mamatay! *knocking on wood* inggit ako ngayon sa trip mo! 😀

    @mervz: haha, thanks mervz! 😀

    @dong ho: indeed, such is the beauty of life after all. haha, mas nagiging memorable nga at may maibablog pa kapag ganun nga. 😀

    Reply
  6. @lakwatsera de primera: haha, yep. I think this mantra is also applicable in life. 😀 thanks claire! 

    @bonzenti: haha, kahit nabalian pa rin siguro, tuloy pa rin! 😀 *knock on wood*

    Reply
  7. Naks, bilib ako sayo. Ang taas pa din ng energy level! I love the last pic 🙂  
    I haven't been in Anawangin Cove but the pics are really stunning. It was surprising to know that the pine trees were brought by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Ang galing 🙂 

    Reply
  8. @lovely: haha, dapat lang. hirap kapag maging abala sa ibang tao. thanks! you should check Anawangin! I'll be posting more about Nagsasa Cove next, which is bigger and more secluded (though medyo marami-rami na rin ang tao dun). yep, grabe ang nature noh? 

    Reply
  9. Such a beautiful place.  It's amazing that pine trees like that can come from an eruption.

    It looks like you hurt yourself pretty bad.  I'm glad it wasn't worse.  I remember a time that I was climbing down a hill and tripped, but stopped myself from falling over.  I looked down at how steep it was and realized that I needed to be so much more careful.  But I'm glad you're okay.

    Reply

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