Corregidor Island Day Tour

It was my first time to go to Corregidor Island for a historical tour.  It was a bit of a disappointment as it did not meet my expectations given that we were charge for PhP 2,000 for the day tour.

The trip started in the booking office of Sun Cruises (8346857-58) at 7am at Roxas Boulevard.  From the office, an air-conditioned tourist jeepney took us to the ferry terminal at the back of Folk Arts Theater. The ride took an hour and 15 minutes.

Upon arrival in the island, we rode a tranvia-like vehicle for the tour. Rowena, who served as our tour guide, did a great job in imparting the place’s history while interjecting humour in her storytelling.

The tour reminded me of the island’s significant role to our history as a nation. It also corrected my misconception regarding its political boundary. All the while, I thought the island was part of Bataan given its geographical location but I have learned that it is actually under the jurisdiction of Cavite .

In the tour, we were only given 10 minutes to visit each historical site and to take pictures. We even had no time to read the markers because of the very limited time. Take for instance, we were expected to finish visiting the lighthouse and buying souvenirs from the shop within 10 minutes.

Our buffet lunch was uneventful and nothing special although it was served near the beach. The area was very hot and the washroom can only accommodate one person at a time despite the fact that it is regularly visited by a lot of tourists. One would also have to queue up for a long time before getting the chance to use the washroom. The drinks were very expensive costing Php79 a piece. The soda being sold by the drivers were a lot cheaper and comparable to the actual price in the main island.

Towards the end of the trip, we had a tour to the museum.  As usual, the time allotted for it was very inadequate. We then left the island at 2:30pm.

Despite the disappointment on how the tour was organized, I still encourage people to visit the island to learn more about our history as a nation.

Visited last May 23, 2010