Mararison Island: Exploring the rolling hills and sandy beach of Antique's humble idyll

Hello, Hive!

Facebook memory reminded me of my first (unsuccessful) attempt at climbing Mt. Madja-as. I've already shared with you our aches and heartaches from that climb, on how we reached our limit at the mystical bonsai forest, and how we reclaimed our pride on our second try.

Antique, in a just year, has been a cauldron of the most traumatic and most memorable and experiences for me. Well, more of the latter.

But as I was going over my photo gallery, I realize that I have not written about our Mararison Island trip yet. Which then leads us to this post.

Exploring Antique's humble paradise

If Mararison Island was a consolation for @ybanezkim26, to Junji, James and I, it was a reward. After successfully summiting the mighty Mt. Madja-as, we headed straight to this nearby island to treat ourselves to a well-deserved dip in the beach.

Mararison Island is a small island barangay just 15 minutes away off the coast of Culasi. In 2019, it was identified as one of the five tourist destinations in the province of Antique, along with Siraan Hot Spring in Anini-y, The Highland Strawberry Garden in Aningalan, Kawa Hot Bath in Tibiao, and Malumpati Cold Spring in Pandan. With only 55 hectares of land area, who would have thought this humble island could offer visitors an adequate sea to summit adventure?

It was already 3 PM when we arrived on the island. We then headed straight to our homestay, Casa Prante, which was located just a few steps away from the Kawit sandbar. Talk about perfect, huh?

After finally settling in our shared room, we unpacked our things and went out to look for a local who will guide us on our next adventure.

Chasing sunset at Mararison's rolling hills

Some would say we're crazy to go on another hike after just finishing a major climb a few hours ago. But we were not born quitters and we would not miss the chance to see the beauty of Mararison Island from its rolling hills.

The hike along the Mararison Trail only takes 15 to 30 minutes depending on your pace. But since our group of four consists of three limping hikers and one recuperating from fever, it took us longer than others. Thankfully, our guide was patient with our snail pace and we were able to enjoy the walk without much pressure.

The island's elementary school served as the jump off point. The hike started on a series of cemented stairs which was quite challenging for me since everything from the waist down hurts with every move. While slowly walking our way up, the boys engaged our guide in conversation. Through her stories, ate guide gave us a glimpse of life in Mararison — before and after the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) which devastated island.

You see, Mararison Island has remained under the radar for many years. Save for the climbing community who frequent Antique's mountains, majority of local and foreign tourists were not aware of its promising beauty. It was only after the media reports on the destruction caused by Yolanda that Mararison Island's seemingly tiny dot on the Philippine map became clearer.

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As we hiked further, my friends and I can't help but imagine how bad the living condition for the locals was back in 2013. Our guide pointed us to the distant solar panels which play a vital role in lives of the residents. The availability of electricity did help in attracting visitors, paving way to more homestay offers on the island. But according to ate, they cannot rely solely on tourism yet.

Still, looking at the surrounding now, it's a relief to see that the island continues to thrive and heal. We spent a lot of time taking pictures of the grassy hills and the beautiful panoramic view of Antique's mountain peaks.

We continued the hike to the other side of the island and passed by the Enrique de Mararison resort. This beachfront resort is ideally nestled in a peaceful cove and faces the uninhabited Nablag islet. It was low tide when we reached the shore but we decided not to cross the other side since it was already getting dark.

By 5:30 PM, we were back in Casa Prante and just in time for the colorful display of the sunset sky. The sky was split in half that day — half was saturated with hues of orange and yellow and the other of pale blue.

We sat contently on the sandbar, talking about our experiences, failures and successes. There was also another group who was having a team building, but we find their activity too confrontational which does not promote camaraderie. Haha. Anyhow, that's their business and weren't there to eavesdrop. They were just an earshot away.

After having enough of the sunset, my friends and I then continued the talk in our cottage and capped the day with a sumptuous dinner.

Kawit Sandbar fun and some morning dip

Mararison Island is not only known for its stunning hills but also for its white sand beaches. As a person who loves sunrises, the first thing I did upon waking up was to go outside. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy the next day and the sun was not in full view. I did have a quick glimpse so I'm solve.

After eating our breakfast and hanging our tents/clothes to dry, we changed into our swimming attires and headed straight to the sea. Since it was still early in the morning, we had the sandbar to ourselves.

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The surrounding waters on the island was clean and clear as well. I bet if it was a fine day, the waters would gleam as the sun shines. Still, the weather did not stop us from having fun.

Mararison's sand was not as powdery as Boracay's, but we still enjoyed soaking our bodies in salty sea. There were a few jellyfish too but nothing that vinegar can't fix. Hehe.

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By 11 AM, we decided to go back to mainland Culasi. We stopped by the tourism office to claim my hiking shoes which I carelessly left at the jump off and was kindly brought by our guide's daughter. We then looked for a local restaurant to eat lunch before finally heading to the airport.

I guess that's it for our Mararison Island trip. I hope you get to see its beauty up close too. Until next time! 😁

_{Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlight nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives her life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.}

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