Marinduque is an island province in the Southwestern Tagalog Region or MIMAROPA, formerly designated as Region IV-B. Its capital is the municipality of Boac. Marinduque lies between Tayabas Bay to the north and Sibuyan Sea to the south.
During my bikepacking adventure in Marinduque, I have discovered this island as a hidden treasure especially for bikers.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Option 1, RoRo Bus from Cubao to Marinduque:
> Ride a bus from JAC Liner Cubao terminal bound to Marinduque. Departure time is 3-4PM. Fare amount is Php 900 – 1000, this already includes the RoRo fare. Total travel time is around eight (8) hours.
> You can place your bike in the bus storage compartment, just remove your front wheel so it can fit.
Option 2, Bus to Dalahican port then RoRo to Marinduque
> Ride a bus from Cubao or Buendia (near LRT station) en route to Lucena Grand Terminal. Bus fare is around Php 269. (Fares and schedules)
> Bike Ride to Dalahican port in Lucena.
> Ride a RORO bound to Balanacan Port in the town of Mogpog, Marinduque. Trips start as early as 2 AM, last trip is at 11 PM. Fare is around Php 200 – 300.
> Travel time is approximately 6 hours for the bus and 3 hours for the RoRo.
Arrival in Balanacan Port
After 3 hours of scenic ferry ride, you will get to Balanacan Port. This is the major port in the island province of Marinduque. It is located at the north-western tip at the town of Mogpog.
The statue of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage will welcome you once you arrive at Balanacan Port.
Start of Bike Exploring
You have two options on how you will be doing the Marinduque loop. Either do it on a clockwise or counterclockwise loop. Most of the bikers who already did the loop say that the clockwise route is more difficult because of higher uphill gradient. Since it is already 4PM in the afternoon when I arrived at the Balanacan port, I decided to do the counter-clockwise loop. Before starting your loop, you can visit the Balanacan Viewdeck which offers bird’s eye view of Balanacan cove and islets floating the coastline, just be wary of the steep path going to the deck. For folding bikers, you can also drop by the TSP’s (Tiklop Society of the Philippines) banner located in the corner road of Mogpog-Balanacan Port Rd and Rizal Street.
Balanacan Viewdeck 
TSP banner
Boac Cathedral Church
The first destination in my loop was the municipality of Boac where the historical Boac Cathedral Church is located. Built in 1792, this 200 year-old structure is dedicated in honor of the blessed “Virgin of Biglang-Awa”. The church was once a fortress during the Spanish era, this is quite evident with the large stone walls that surrounds the church yard. The structure and ambiance of the church will surely take you back in time.
TLP Beach Camp
It is already getting dark and I need to search for a place where I can pitch my tent and luckily, I found TLP Beach Camp. This secluded place is located in Buliasnin, Boac. By just a small fee of 120 pesos (bring your own tent), you’ll get a clean, secure, and peaceful spot to set camp and spend the night. The only thing that you will hear is the relaxing sound of the waves crashing on the shore. The owners are very kind and accommodating, they even invited me to join them for dinner. A perfect place to rest for a long day ahead.
Exploring the roads of Marinduque
Waking up hearing the sound of the waves gives me the excitement of the adventure that lies ahead. My things were already packed, my bike was already set and I am ready to start exploring.
My next destination is the municipality of Torrijos. In order to get there I need to pedal across the 68 kilometers Boac-Gasan-Torrijos road. This road is mainly flat, no uphill on this path so you can enjoy the pristine scenes offered by Marinduque’s shorelines.
Poctoy White Beach, Torrijos
After pedalling for hours, I arrived at the municipality of Torrijos. Home to one of the best beach destinations in Marinduque, the Poctoy White Beach resort. Before entering you need to pay 50 pesos entrance fee, this already includes overnight camping. They provide tent rentals amounting to 300 to 500 pesos depending on its size.
Poctoy Beach Resort offers white sand shoreline and a clear beach which couples, families, and even solo travelers like me will surely enjoy. As a bonus, you can also get a view of Mt. Malindig in the background. Don’t worry about food supplies as there are stores that sells cooked food and basic needs inside the resort. Just a downside is that the resort gets a little crowded during summer and there is no strict regulation in terms of noise. Visitors who rent cottages are allowed to bring videoke machine and loud sound systems and seems the resort has no curfew hours on this. It is also observed that minors are not prohibited from drinking alcoholic drinks and some are even smoking cigarettes.
Santa Cruz, Marinduque
My next destination is the town of Santa Cruz. Located in the northen part of Marinduque, this 1st class municipality is around 25km away from Poctoy. The road going here some uphills so be sure that you took enough rest and bring sufficient water.
My first stop is the Santa Cruz Municipal Hall where a statue of a Roman soldier can be seen. Near the Municipal hall is the century old Holy Cross Parish church. Built in 1714, this church features a majestic altar and a very artistic ceiling.
Save the besthardest for last
The last destination in my Marinduque loop was the municipality of Mogpog. According to history, the Moriones first appeared in this municipality in 1807 as initiated by the Parish Priest, Father Dionisio Santiago. This is the reason why Mogpog is claimed to be the origin of Moriones.
To reach Mogpog from Santa Cruz, i need to pedal a distance of approximately 40 kilometers. As I leave the town proper of Santa Cruz, using Google Maps I saw two route options: (1) via the highway of Marinduque Circumferential road, and (2) a route north via an Unnamed road. Fueled by my hate of cycling on a highway alongside with motorized vehicles, I decided to take option 2. Not to think of the fact that Unnamed road also means “beware of this road”, and ignoring my future me trying to say: what the heck are you thinking, even Google doesn’t know the road’s name.
A large part of the route is wilderness and the first few kilometers are paved road. But as I go further, the road becomes rougher and steeper. My mobile phone’s battery was already empty and I have no other way of knowing my location. I just keep on pedalling and enjoying the sceneries hoping that I am still on the right path. Luckily, there are few houses along the way and everytime I see someone I always try to ask for directions. I just noticed that all the people I encountered have one thing in common when I look at them, shocked and wondering what is this crazy man doing here with a bike?
After 30 kilometers of jarring ride and gruesome uphills, I finally reached Mogpog. Before heading to Balanacan port, I dropped by the “Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish” to give praise and thanks for keeping me safe and giving me the strength to finish this epic ride. Also to my marias who gave their full support.
Time to head back home and as I leave the island and put a close to my Marinduque loop, I realized that you can achieve your goals no matter what path you choose to take as long as you work hard, have faith, and determination.
Places to visit in Marinduque:
- Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage statue
- Balanacan viewdeck
- Boac Cathedral Church
- Malbog Sulfuric hotspring
- Mount Malindig
- St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish
- Freedom park
- Poctoy white beach
- Holy Cross Parish Church
- Bagumbungan cave
- Maniwaya Island
- Luzon Datum of 1911
Bike Explorer 