Sorsogon – Bicol
The mellow city of Sorsogon is at the end of a shallow muddy bay at the southern end of the Bicol province in southern Luzon.
It could be a staging point to get to Donsol, the popular whaleshark watching town about 2 hours away by local transport.
There are a few expensive places to stay for around 1,500 pesos but I found the Dona Mercedes Country Lodge to be the best value with single rooms going for 250 pesos.
Whaleshark watching in Donsol – youtube video
Internet cafes charge 15 pesos an hour and there are a few local fast food places that have excellent pancit. I don’t remember seeing any Jolibees or Dunkin’ Donuts type places but might have overlooked them.
To catch the bus to Donsol stand in front of the government building pictured above and a north bound bus will come by every 15 minutes or so heading to Daraga or Legazpi.
You can get on any of them and take it to the junction at Putioa where you can get off and take a jeepney the rest of the way to Donsol.
The fare to Putiao will be around 30 pesos. From that junction to Donsol on the jeepney the fare will be around 35 pesos.
If going to Donsol from Legazpi there is direct local transport the whole way.
Sorsogon
Climbing Mount Apo
General Santos
Growing Orchids
Judy's Resto Bar
Logging with Motorcycles
Mount Mayon
Balabac Island
Biri Island
Calbiga Cave
Capul Island
Mangrove Swamp Palawan
Mikes's Resort
I was a couple of times in Sorsogon with my bike late last year. Took the trans asia from Cebu to masbate and pump boat to Pilar in Bicol.
Yes there is definately a Jollibee as ate breakfast there many times. Found Sorsogon to be a very busy hetic little place, made driving interesting. Found a lovely litle pension house off the main road down a drive, sorry cannot remember the name but is the only one set well off from the main road and has a sign.
From Sorsogon is an easy trip to the beautiful Bulusan lake and volcano. Fablulous walk around the lake. Close by the town of Irosin is a delightful hot springs where we spent many hours.
Less than 2 hours from Sorsogon is the beautiful city of legaspi which features the majestic Mount mayon. I ended up climbing this beautiful mountain (with guides) which was quite a challenge but worth it.
Enjoy this lovely area of philippines
Hello Bruce,
Thanks for the helpful information!
I have never been to Bulusan Lake and will have to take a look some day. Were you able to climb to the top of Mayon? Sounds really cool.
dp
ps sorry my late reply – I am in the middle of moving from Samar to Ormoc and then I got side tracked for a three days looking for whale sharks in Sogod Bay.
i’m from pilar,sorsogon but living now in United States for 29 yrs since 1980. when i left pilar it wasn’t yet a progressive town like it is today. yet i wish that someday i can visit my town and my place in putiao. my last visit to poutiao was in dec.1999 but only for 2 days. hopefully i will see also sorsogon which is now a city. the beaty of sorsogon is not so much appreciated before but we have the resort in irosin, the bulusan lake and the volcano, rizal beach in gubat and now the butanding in donsol. we must invite friends and tourist to this destinations everytime. i heard pilar already have some resorts and the pier that you can ride the RORO going to visayas. keep the good work pilarinos. mabuhay kamo.
Hello august,
Yes the eco-tourism in the Donsol Bay area has really gotten developed over the past 5 years, (whale shark spotting).
The Cagsawa Ruins brings in a lot of people too.
Poutiao has not changed a lot but the road has been greatly improved!
Sorsogon is really growing and there is a highway bypass to help keep the traffic from being too congested downtown.
Feel free to ad any information or links to your resort in Irosin.
cheers
dp
this column should put more pictures like the legazpi and samar then the sorsoganons from diff. placws can make their comments on the bottom of the pictures. theres a lot of tourist spots in sorsogon that should be put here and introduced to the people of our country and to the tourist from around the world. hopefully the dept of tourism in sorsogon can provides the pictures of our towns with a tourist spots.
Hello august,
Good idea – I will try to expand the site with more info about Sorsogen and Legaspi.
I have largely overlooked that part of the country. What sites are of particular interest to you?
Thanks
dp
i’m interested to the province of sorsogon only. all tourist spots in every localities and maybe you can include pilar since there is already a pier and bancas that travels from pilar and around visayan islands. i also heard that there’s already a radio station in pilar.
Hello August,
I hope to spend more time in Sorsogon next February during the whale shark season and will try to get around a bit more at that time.
There are a lot of hidden gems around Sorsogon.
Pilar is closer to the mouth of Sorsogon Bayay and there are regular pumpboat runs from the city pier to Masbate passing between Ticao and San Miguel Islands.
Tricycles and jeepneys leave to Donsol Bay from Pilar.
Sorsogon Bay itself is shallow and muddy and not set up for the tourist but there are some nice sand beaches on the Pacific side of the province.
cheers
dp
i’m from sta. magdalena ahmm 1 of the municipality of Sorsogon, i’m not so sure about it cuz its been a decade since i’ve been there. i grew up at sta. magdalena & study there until 2nd grader. and now i am already 18 yrs old. but since i entered highschool and remeber about sta. magdalena, i’m starting missing it & i promised myself 1 day that i’d be back there and settled there for the rest of my life. cuz Bicol is always my number 1 favorite place in the world compare to those places i have been, sure their beautiful but bicol is the most beautiful for me.
i remember back in 1995 or 96 whn i was 5 yrs old theres a jollibee there in sorsogon on the middle of the river something though a brigde. dnt knw, just reminiscning. and there restaurant also who has a their especial PANCIT PALABOK, muahh the best…
girlie i’m from there too. i just wonder where you are now. do u still have relatives in magdalena? yeah it’s the perfect place to settle down, i’m glad to hear someone having thoughts like me (of settling down there for the rest of my life)..