Caramoan Travels

Caramoan is said to combine the beauty of the white sand beaches of Boracay and the
massive limestone formations of Palawan. Before, only backpackers and the locals knew of the remote peninsulass pristine beaches. Very little is known about Caramoan. Isolated from the rest of Camarines Sur, it is no surprise why Philippine's Secret Paradise remains unexploited from
commercial tourism. But everything has changed since then.

Caramoan is one of the 35 municipalities of CamSur and occupies the lower eastern portion of the province. It is situated at the heart of the peninsula at the southernmost edge of Luzon. It is approximately 501 kilometers away from Metro Manila; 95 kilometers from the municipality of Pili,where the seat of the provincial government and the Pili Domestic Airport are located; and 110
kilometers away from Naga City, the heart of Bicol.

Consisting of 4,000-hectare limestone forest and 45 islands and islets, Caramoan boasts of many sugar-fine white sand beaches with crystal blue waters, skyscraping limestone formations, tranquil hiden lakes, caves and breathtaking sunsets. You can go island hopping and enjoy many different
activities such as snorkeling, rock climbing, kayaking, scuba diving, trekking, caving or just star gazing in the open sky and be mismerrized by persied meteor showers in August nights.

The name Caramoan has been officially adapted since 1619, the year it was founded by a zealous missionary, the venerable Spanish friar Francisco de la Cruz Y Oropesa. This 60-year old priest penetrated the thick virgin forest of the Caramoan Peninsula and found a small settlement in a place
called Baluarte. Later on, this settlement was turned over to the administration of the Holy Bishopric
in 1696.

The small town of Caramoan was then located at the tip of Caramoan Peninsula, a rugged place of land extending into the waters of the Maqueda Channel on the North and East and Lagonoy Gulf on the South. It was determined that the first name given to this place was Guta de Leche by the Dutch traders who operated a gold mine in Lahuy Island and frequented the area to trade with the natives,prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. The name was perhaps derived from the milkdrop stalagmites found among the rocks of Guta Port. But upon the arrival of the Spaniards, the place came to be called "Carahan" for the sea turtle, which was at that time to be found in great number along the shores of the Peninsula.

In 2007, the islands of Lahuy, Cotivas, Guinahuan, Luksuhin, Malibagon and Masag, located off the northern coast of Caramoan town were declared national tourism zones by virtue of Republic Act (RA) No. 9445.

The 8th season of “Koh-Lanta” (French edition of “Survivor),” was shot entirely in Caramoan. TV director Corinne Vaillant, stated that "the powdery sand, the coconuts on Gota beach and the
neighboring islets are a 'dream' for the French people. We chose Caramoan because it’s really wild. It’s necessary that contestants don’t see anything other than nature for them to believe that they’re
really lost in the wilds.

Now, Caramoan is on the tourism map of the world. Thanks to the development effort of the Provicial Government.