Motorbike Trip From Manila - Need Island Recommendations!

[Jake]

 

Personally if you have just a week available I would not advise leaving Luzon as it's going to be rushed. Plus the unknowns.

Ensure insurance is updated and always carry a small first aid kit, best to have it and not need it. From your post it would appear you have experience riding here so know what to expect.

 

Agreed that motorbike trips in traffic can be tiring, not so much in the countryside though. We did roughly 8 hours of driving a day in Cebu island, was great. 

 

Staying in Luzon is another idea of course, given that I already visited Puerto Galera and Boracay. 

But Albay is quite a distance too from Manila, almost 500km depending on the road you take (no highways), anything you could recommend in between, or a possible route you'd take? Manila - Calamba is quite the nightmare, so I'd try to venture East rather than South first. 

 

RBM has provided excellent advice regarding your road trips within an extreme time schedule.  The unknowns, especially after the monsoon/typhoon season, where road repairs will make a trip on a motorcycle extremely difficult and often times dangerous.  I would stick around the island of Luzon, perhaps through central northern Luzon and then down the west coast (facing South China Sea). 

 

From the wonderful description of the northern coastline of Luzon from our member Chris49, I would love to spend some time there.  Have a safe journey!  We would love to see some photos of your adventure.

 

Respectfully -- Jake

Edited October 10, 2015 by Jake

[earthdome]

I second the idea of a Northern Luzon trip but just one week on motor bike seems limiting leaving little time to actually do something at places to stop along the way.

[afathertobe]

I second the idea of a Northern Luzon trip but just one week on motor bike seems limiting leaving little time to actually do something at places to stop along the way.

 

That's my way of travelling. I don't like to lie on the beach, have only cursory interest in old churches and generally just stop at any place for a while. I like to be on the move, so it's really more of a motorbike trip than travelling to see stuff. Few people travel the same way, so I generally travel alone. 

[earthdome]

 

I second the idea of a Northern Luzon trip but just one week on motor bike seems limiting leaving little time to actually do something at places to stop along the way.

 

That's my way of travelling. I don't like to lie on the beach, have only cursory interest in old churches and generally just stop at any place for a while. I like to be on the move, so it's really more of a motorbike trip than travelling to see stuff. Few people travel the same way, so I generally travel alone. 

 

 

Ahh, ok. Then I would recommend some nice mountain roads IF it is not raining.

 

On the way to Baguio you can drive up Kennon Rd if it has reopened and it is not raining.

 

Baguio to Pan-Asian Highway on Ambuklao Rd. Beautiful 100km ride, middle third of it is like driving through a national forest with no development on the roadside.

 

You might also ride then from the Pan-Asian Highway up to the Banaue rice terraces. Beautiful view from the road. Then further on through Bontoc and on to Sagada. Then run south from Sagada back down to Baguio through the mountains. Those roads are great except during heavy rains. I have driven all of them except Kennon Rd.

[afathertobe]

You guys got some good ideas together, thanks! I might do the Bicol trip first and have your other ideas (North Luzon etc) as backup or inspiration for other trips. Will report back in January! 

[putidako]

One week is not even enough to get up to Baguio and Sagada and back. It's barely enough time to leave Luzon island and certainly not enough time to take a lengthy ferry journey and back. Your only realistic option is Batangas to Mindoro and boogie in the northern part of that island for a little while.

[ironmaiden]

I have to disagree with the last post, the Baguio - Sagada - Banaue trip will just fit in 1 week if you don't loose any time. I did the Mindoro trip  some 10 years ago and I found the west side of the island to be much more interesting than the east side, where everybody goes. From Sablayan you can go to Pandan island although you can't bring your bike there, but it is a beautiful place. I also liked Mamburao a lot. Puerto Galera of course is ok but the beaches are not that great and it is crowded everywhere. The drawback is that you can't go from Puerto Galera to Mamburao en Sablayan which is much shorter. You have to go all around the island or take the ferry from Batangas to I don't know the name of the place anymore but on the other side of the mountainrange... If you want to go to South Luzon there is not so much to see, unless you get to Legazpi but that is a far drive and especially if you have to go back all the way to Manilla in the same week. I went from Manila to Gumaca in Quezon province cause that is as far as my ass would let me that day. It is a gruelling trip with all the traffic and I think it took me like 7 or 8 hours to get there but that was in 1999 but I can't imagine traffic being any better now (unless you have a 400 cc so you can go on the highway). Near Legazpi is Donsol where you can see the whalesharks...

[afathertobe]

Thanks ironmaiden, some good info there. I may not be able to do the motorbike trip over NY as planned, though it's postponed and not canceled. I too found getting out of metro Manila to the North an incredible pain in the arse, slightly better if you travel at night though that too has its dangers. 

 

You said South Luzon doesn't have that much to offer, I heard conflicting opinions from others, saying that the roads to Legazpi can be really fun on a bike. 

 

Unfortunately I don't have a 400cc, might sell the current bike and get a bigger one just for that reason, trying to get out of Manila without access to the expressways is no fun. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

I too found getting out of metro Manila to the North an incredible pain in the arse, slightly better if you travel at night

 

Having recently come from Manila on a holiday weekend I found the traffic amazingly light on Sundays and holidays.  I would make an educated guess that a plan to leave Manila on a Sunday morning would be a good bet.

 

Sorry to hear you have to postpone your trip.

[ironmaiden]

 

 

You said South Luzon doesn't have that much to offer, I heard conflicting opinions from others, saying that the roads to Legazpi can be really fun on a bike. 

 

 

The road from Naga to Legazpi is nice but before Naga I found the trip to be not very exciting. And it's 400 km from Manila to Naga, that was my point...

A 400 cc is nice to have but pretty expensive. If you buy an old one reliability might be a problem... If you have the money no problem but if it's just to do the occasional trip every (few) year(s) it might not be worth it...