CABANGAN TRAVEL GUIDE | Budget + Itinerary + Map

Cabangan is one of the thirteen towns that make up the province of Zambales. It sits right in the middle of the province, bordered by the towns of Botolan on the north and San Felipe on the south. Its western side directly opens to the West Philippine Sea. It’s about two hundred kilometers from Manila, which would take around four to six hours travel time.

It was once a laid-back town with just a handful of resorts and tourists, with residents mostly farmers and fisher folks. Within the last couple of years, resorts have started to mushroom all over its beachfront and tourism started to pick up, due probably to the booming surfing scene at the neighboring town of Liwliwa.

Even with this, Cabangan is still pretty laid-back. If you’re looking for a beach getaway with not much tourists, Cabangan may just be the weekend getaway for you.

 

 

HOW TO GET TO CABANGAN

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A VICTORY LINER BUS PASSING THROUGH CABANGAN

Only Victory Liner ply the Manila-Cabangan route. From Manila, you can take buses with Iba and Sta. Cruz sign boards. These are available at Caloocan, Cubao, Sampaloc, and Pasay stations. Travel time is around five to six hours. Fare is at around ₱370.00, give or take.

Saulog Transit also passes by Cabangan, but its route is limited from Olongapo to Iba only.

Driving to Cabangan is easy enough. From Manila, take the NLEX (North Luzon Express Way), then connect to SCTEx (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) going to Subic. From there, take the Olongapo-Bugallon Highway until you reach Cabangan. Drive time is around four hours.

 

 

UNDERSTAND CABANGAN

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AN ANCESTRAL HOUSE IN CABANGAN

Geographically, Cabangan is mainly divided into two land areas by the Olongapo-Bugallon Highway. West side for the beach part, east side for the mountain and river areas. In the midst of these two is the town center where the Municipal Hall, the market, banks, ATMs, food places, churches, groceries, and convenience stores are.

MOUNTAIN LAYERS IN CABANGAN

Language-wise, the town is roughly divided into two parts via the Tangway River. The northern area speaks Zambal while the southern half, Ilocano. Nevertheless, everyone can understand and speak Filipino or Tagalog fluently. And like everywhere else in the Philippines, most can understand English—though not everyone can speak it fluently.

 

 

SAFETY IN CABANGAN

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A CARABAO IN CABANGAN

It is very safe in Cabangan. Being a small community, criminality is quite low and almost non-existent. The only thing to watch out for are the numerous stray dogs along the streets (and probably a few cows and carabaos, should you wander across farmlands, lol), which can get pretty worked up upon unfamiliar tourists.

 

 

STAYING CONNECTED IN CABANGAN

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CABANGAN’S MOUNTAINOUS EAST SIDE

Globe, Smart (also Sun), and DITO networks have very strong signals throughout Cabangan. Internet connectivity is also very good. Personally, I can say that the Internet speed in Cabangan even exceeds those in Manila—probably due to the low population of users in the area.

 

 

GETTING AROUND CABANGAN

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AN OLD TRUCK IN CABANGAN

There are three modes of public transportation in Cabangan; tricycles, jeeps, mini-buses, and regular buses.

To get from one barangay to the next using the main highway, locals use either the jeeps, mini-buses, and regular buses that ply the highway. And to get from the highway to the barangay interiors, they use tricycles—which have specific terminals per barangay. Minimum fare for tricycles is set at ₱20.00 per person.   
   
Note that it’s quite easy to get a tricycle when you’re along the town center, but once you need one while inside the interior barangays, you might find it difficult to find one. My tip, get the mobile number of the first tricycle driver you will ride on.

 

 

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN CABANGAN

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Cabangan Beaches

SURFER IN CABANGAN BEACH

The main reason people visit Cabangan is the sea. Cabangan Beach is divided into eight barangays and these are easily accessible via car or public transport. The waves here are really not for everyone, it is strong most times of the year. It does get calm during the summer months, especially during the early mornings. It’s actually due to these strong waves that surfers started to flock Cabangan.

 

Watersports & ATV

BANANA BOAT RIDE & ATV AND BUGGY RENTAL IN CABANGAN BEACH

Watersports activities like banana boat rides, dragon boats, and ATV rides has also recently invaded the once quiet beach of Cabangan. Banana boat ride prices start at ₱250.00.

 

Cabangan Rivers & Falls

TWO KIDS AT DAPYA RIVER IN CABANGAN

The other attractions in Cabangan can be found along its mountainous area along its eastern side. Here, you can visit Dapya River and Agbobotilya. These are actually specific areas of the Maporac River. The former is good for a laid-back picnic while the latter is better for the more adventurous visitors since it involves a bit of a hike and some cliff jumping activities.

Another river destination is the Namnel Watershed. Getting there involves passing through private roads marked with No Trespassing signs though, so I’m not sure if it’s really legal to go there.

For those wanting a bit of a hike, there’s also the Matag-Ay Lanum Falls in Barangay San Juan.

For these activities, I strongly advise that you contact the Cabangan Tourism Office: Facebook |(0929) 816-5103 | cabangan.mto@gmail.com

 

Bangan Pier

RIDING A BALSA DURING SUNSET AT CABANGAN’S BANGAN

Another picnic place we frequent is the Bangan Pier river cottages. Bangan literally translates to an estuary—a body of water where the river meets the sea. The water here is very warm, shallow, and brackish. Small rentable huts have sprouted along its banks and comes with unlimited balsa or raft rides.

Besides the beach, most of these tourist spots—which are picnic places—actually require a full day or, at the most, half day experience. These are especially enjoyable for big groups.

 

Cabangan Mountain Hikes

MT. MARIGLEM IN ZAMBALES ~ PHOTO BY JRICK0601

Cabangan has recently opened Mt. Mariglem Zambales for Cabangan tourists. The mountain is located on the western side of Cabangan, at Barangay New San Juan, just after Agbobotilya River. It has an elevation of 573 MASL (meters above mean sea level) and has a 4/9 difficulty level. The hike can be done as quick as two hours, but mostly take half a day. The latter part of the hike includes a pass through three rivers, Agbobotilya, Maligha, and Nilumabangan Rivers, where lunch can be bought.

A DIY hike at Mt. Mariglem can be arranged at the Cabangan Tourism Office. As of this writing, Mt. Mariglem is only open during Tuesdays to Sundays (3:00AM to 6:00PM, overnight camping not allowed on summit, allowed on the river area) with only 150 climbers allowed access per day. Should Mondays fall on a holiday, Mt. Mariglem is open and closure is moved the next working day. Walk-ins are allowed during Tuesdays to Fridays, with weekends strictly for reservation only.

Mt. Mariglem reservation can be made at the Cabangan Tourism Office: Facebook | Contact Number: (0929) 816-5103

Mt. Mariglem Zambales Climb Rates:
Entrance Fee: ₱50.00 per person
Local Guide: ₱700.00 (Good for up to 5pax)
Kolong-Kolong Tricycle Ride to Jump Off: ₱550.00 per ride (Up to 5pax)

 

Bird Watching In Cabangan

A YELLOW VENTED BULBUL IN CABANGAN

Cabangan is also a good place for birding enthusiasts. I’m no avian expert, but I do see a lot of bird varieties every time we stay there including kingfishers, crows, bulbuls, great egrets, Brahminy kite eagles, to name a few—or actually, those are the only ones I can identify.

 

Holy Week Activities

BANCATHON BOAT RACE IN CABANGAN DURING HOLY WEEK

Both tourists and locals flock the beaches of Cabangan during the Holy Week. Tourists go for the obvious reason that it’s a national holiday and work is suspended. Locals go due to the tradition of camping out at the beach from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday. There are also some activities hosted by LGUs during these times, like a carabao race, boat race—which they dub as bancathon—and a beach concert featuring local artists.

 

Annual Christmas Lights Display

CHRISTMAS AT THE CABANGAN MUNICIPAL HALL

If you visit during Christmas season, head over to the Cabangan Municipal Hall during the evenings to see the annual Cabangan Christmas lights display. The whole building is dressed in Christmas lights, with a thirty-foot Christmas tree punctuating the evening sky. It’s also a good place for a food trip as numerous street food carts are also parked right by the curb. People from all over Zambales flock the town for this.

 

 

WHERE TO EAT IN CABANGAN

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CRISPY PATA AT LC’S STOP & CHOW CABANGAN

Besides the usual carinderias and street food stalls found along the main road of Cabangan, there are a few notable restaurants you can visit in town. There are the classic go-to restaurants like LC’s Stop & Chow and TCT Emily’s which serves traditional Filipino and Western fares. Then there are the new ones like 21st Bean (a resto café serving fraps and pastas), 1st Streat (good for picnic take-outs), Casa Baraca (Filipino & Western), and Arya’s Chill & Grill (Middle Eastern dishes).

►WHERE TO EAT IN CABANGAN

LUGAW AND MAMI AT MAMI MADZ CABANGAN

Getting food while on the beach is a bit more challenging since there are hardly any places to eat in the area except for most of the resorts’ in-house restaurants. One place we frequent after going to San Isidro Beach is a simple mami and goto place, Mami Madz.

 

 

WHERE TO STAY IN CABANGAN

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CABANGAN BEACH

As of last count, there are at least 150 resorts dotting Cabangan Beach. These range from really expensive beach houses and resorts, to DIY pitch-your-tent kind of places. Price range from less than ₱1,000.00 per night to ₱10,000.00 plus per night.

For the most interesting lodgings, check out my Best Cabangan Beach Resorts article.

For affordable accommodations, I suggest checking out Google Maps, since most resorts in Cabangan don’t have Agoda listings.

 

 

WHAT TO BUY IN CABANGAN

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SUMAN AT CABANGAN’S PUBLIC MARKET

The only tourist related souvenir I bought in Cabangan is a San Isidro Beach shirt from Mami Madz, besides that, there’s about zero souvenir items in town.

Forget about your Cabangan keychains and ref magnets though, what you can bring home instead are local foodstuff you can score at the public market—panutsa (cannon-sized sweet sugar cane balls), pilipiting (dried anchovies), alimagmag (dried tiny shrimps), and rice cake treats like suman, patupat, and cascaron. And don’t forget the mangoes—Zambales is legendary for their sweet dinamulag mangoes that they even dedicate a whole festival for it, the Dinamulag Festival.

If you have a cooler with you, you can also bring home fresh barillete fishes, these are skipjack tunas which are like smaller versions of yellow-fin tunas.

The best time to visit the Cabangan Public Market is during Tuesdays and Fridays, the town’s market days.

 

 

CABANGAN TOURIST SPOTS MAP

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CABANGAN TOURIST SPOTS

 

 

CABANGAN SAMPLE ITINERARY

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Unlike other beach places in Zambales, visiting the town of Cabangan is not really fit for a two-day weekend. Well, you can definitely do it, if you just zip through the attractions and simply chill at the beach. Or you can remove the Day Three of the itinerary, but you’d have to sacrifice your time at the beach.

If you really want to maximize your time in town, three days should do it. Why that long? It’s because most destinations in Cabangan are picnic places, they require at least half a day for full enjoyment. Cabangan is a slow travel kinda place.

All tourist places in Cabangan are reachable via public transport, but it can be a challenge. Having a private vehicle is definitely an advantage. Be warned, some areas in Cabangan require rough-road driving, so make sure your vehicles are fit for some dirt road activities.

And again, contact the Cabangan Tourism Office for guidance and an actual physical guide if you want to go visit Mt. Mariglem, Matag-Ay Lanum Falls, Agbobotilya, and Dapya. If you’re availing of the Mt. Mariglem hike, it passes through Agbobotilya, Maligha, and Nilumabangan River after the ascent, so it’s a good way to visit these river areas without spending more for transportation. But if you’re not into hiking, I also added an alternate Day Two Cabangan itinerary that won’t involve a hike to Mt. Mariglem, but still include a visit to Agbobotilya River and Dapya River.

DAY ONE: ARRIVAL, BEACH, BANGAN | ₱1,933.00 PER PERSON BASED ON A GROUP OF TWO

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BANGAN PIER IN CABANGAN

• Early Morning Arrival
• Early Check-in At Resort (leave bags at the lobby if not allowed)
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO RESORT FROM BAYAN, PER PERSON
  ₱2,000.00 – AVERAGE RESORT RATE, GOOD FOR TWO PERSONS
• Swim At Cabangan Beach
• Picnic Lunch At Bangan Pier (bring take out food from Bayan)
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO BAYAN, PER PERSON
  ₱200.00 – TAKE OUT FOOD PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
  ₱100.00 – TRICYCLE FROM BAYAN TO BANGAN PIER, PER PERSON, (ROUNDTRIP, GET DRIVER’S MOBILE NO.), APPROXIMATE
  ₱500.00 – COTTAGE RENTAL
• Swim At Bangan Until Sunset
• Dinner at 21st Bean
  ₱250.00 – AVERAGE MEAL PRICE PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
  ₱13.00 – JEEP FROM 21ST BEAN TO BAYAN, PER PERSON
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO RESORT FROM BAYAN, PER PERSON

DAY TWO: MT. MARIGLEM, RIVERS, BEACH | ₱1,870.00 PER PERSON BASED ON A GROUP OF TWO

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MT. MARIGLEM IN CABANGAN ~ PHOTO BY ERIKA GARCIA

• Breakfast At Resort
  ₱2,000.00 – AVERAGE RESORT RATE, GOOD FOR TWO PERSONS
• Trek Mount Mariglem
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO TOURISM OFFICE, PER PERSON
  ₱550.00 – KOLONG KOLONG TRICYCLE RIDE TO MOUNT MARIGLEM JUMP OFF, GOOD FOR 5 PERSONS
  ₱50.00 – MT. MARIGLEM ENTRANCE FEE
  ₱700.00 – LOCAL GUIDE, GOOD FOR 5 PERSONS
• Visit Agbobotilya: Part Of Mariglem Hike  
• Hike Down To Maligha River: Part Of Mariglem Hike  
• Lunch At Nilumabangan River: Part Of Mariglem Hike
  ₱200.00 – FOOD PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
• Go Back To Resort For Beach Sunset
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO RESORT, PER PERSON
• Dinner At Casa Baraka or at the resort
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE FROM RESORT TO CASA BARAKA, PER PERSON
  ₱250.00 – AVERAGE MEAL PRICE PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE FROM CASA BARAKA TO RESORT, PER PERSON

 

DAY TWO ALTERNATIVE: RIVERS & BEACH | ₱1,913.00 PER PERSON BASED ON A GROUP OF TWO

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DAPYA RIVER IN CABANGAN

• Breakfast at resort
  ₱2,000.00 – AVERAGE RESORT RATE, GOOD FOR TWO PERSONS
• Visit and hike to Agbobotilya
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO BAYAN, PER PERSON
  ₱200.00 – TAKE OUT FOOD PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
  ₱100.00 – TRICYCLE TO AGBOBOTILYA JUMP OFF POINT
  ₱??.00 – GUIDE FEE
• Hike down to Dapya River
  ₱20.00 – ENTRANCE FEE
• Lunch at Dapya River (bring take out food from Bayan)
  ₱300.00 – COTTAGE RENTAL
• Early dinner at LC’s Stop & Chow or at the resort
  ₱100.00 – TRICYCLE FROM DAPYA RIVER TO LC’S STOP & CHOW, APPROXIMATE
  ₱250.00 – AVERAGE MEAL PRICE PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
• Sunset at the beach
  ₱13.00 – JEEP FROM LC’S STOP & CHOW TO BAYAN, PER PERSON
  ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE FROM BAYAN TO RESORT, PER PERSON

DAY THREE: BEACH | ₱330.00 PER PERSON BASED ON A GROUP OF TWO

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SAN ISIDRO BEACH IN CABANGAN

• Breakfast At Resort
• Chill At The beach
• Check-Out Of The Resort
   ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO PUBLIC MARKET, PER PERSON   
• Buy Pasalubong At The Public Market (Best On Market Days, Tuesdays and Fridays)
  ₱XX.00 – TOTALLY UP TO YOU
• Lunch / Dinner At LC’s Stop & Chow
   ₱40.00 – TRICYCLE TO LC’S STOP & CHOW, PER PERSON
  ₱250.00 – AVERAGE MEAL PRICE PER PERSON, APPROXIMATE
• Depart Cabangan

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► ₱4,133.00 to ₱4,176.00 ~ TOTAL BUDGET PER PERSON BASED ON A GROUP OF TWO

 

 

CABANGAN TRAVEL BLOG, GUIDE, EXPENSES, MAP, & ITINERARY
UPDATED AS OF APRIL 2024