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Lobo, Batangas – a Place of Wonder and Simplicity

Simple life? In the beach or mountain side? Lobo is the place to be.

This Holy Week 2018, me, my wife, two of our friends, and their parents, visited Lobo in the province of Batangas.

There are three passages going here. One is thru the main town of Taysan, Batangas via barangay Dagatan. The other one is via Gov. Antonio Carpio Road, stretching from Batangas City to barangay Mapulo also in the town of Taysan. Both passages will merge into barangay Bacao in Taysan. The road from here are zigzag that the local people have called it “bitukang manok” (chicken intestine – like). Green mountains and narrow roads will make your travel more exciting in going here.



The third one is thru Batangas City entering barangay Libjo. This path is quite longer than the first two. Also a bit zigzag but as you are traversing roads mostly on the beachside, the driving experience would be full of wonders. Aside from the ocean view, there are landmarks here that will make you say to the driver to stop for a minute so you can take that memorable photos of them.

Map of Lobo, Batangas, Philippines

So what’s in Lobo, Batangas? A lot. And of course, things that will remind you that simple life is always beautiful. Choosing Lobo for your next summer vacation plan, you’ll not regret it for sure.

We started our trip to Lobo from Batangas City as early as 5 o’clock in the morning. At around 6:30am, we were in Lobo town proper or the poblacion. Have a look at the poblacion street and church to familiarize yourself with the place.


Church of Lobo, Batangas

BSU Lobo Campus
We just pass by the town and head directly to our first stop – the Batangas State University (BSU) Lobo Campus which is a state university located near the beach. After unloading our foods and bags, the next thing is swimming in the cold beach of Lobo. By the way, I am a graduate of Batangas State University and fortunately we were with one of the university’s professor, also the father of my friend, so we are most welcome to use the campus’ cottage for free. I will have another interesting post about my alma mater very soon. 



The Beaches of Lobo
Now, have a look on the beautiful and lovely wonders in the beaches of Lobo. We take a walk on the shoreline heading to a popular beach resort named “Gerthel”. Our encounter with people is worth remembering. Let me say something about the photos I captured on that walk.





Here, you will get to discover what “simple life” means to Filipinos. Family bonding is often observed during Holy Week here in the Philippines. When you hear the word “outing”, that means “let’s go to the beach”. And because Holy Week is vacation time, Filipinos find a way to be on the beach to enjoy the summer. Obviously, we were one of those.


"Outing" - the Filipino Way
All walks of life meet at the beach - poor, rich, young, old, kids, teens, solo, group, everybody. Well, if its about “outing”, expect overflowing foods and drinks. The typical Filipino way of doing this is that we used to hire a jeepney or van going to the beach destination of choice. With all the stuffs packed and ready, Filipinos start the trip even before the break of dawn. Drinking fresh buko juice under that nipa hut or cottage facing the deep blue sea, oh my, how relaxing!

At the beach, cottages good for ten to twenty pax are rented out with price typically ranging from 500 to 1000 pesos a day. This includes a few amenities for you to enjoy the whole day family get-together. Grilling pots on the side, shower rooms or spaces there, and if you’re lucky, resort owner will lend you cooking utensils. Of course, the loud videoke and sound systems will always be part of the Filipino gatherings. So all you have to do is bring out those marinated fishes, chicken, pork and beef and let the beach party begin.




And by the way, you can also rent out inflated tire-interiors we call here “salbabida”. Some offers other swimming stuffs that will make you enjoy more your swimming. There are Sari-Sari or variety stores selling beverages, alcoholic drinks, and junk foods as options. And that’s it – you’re all good to enjoy your “outing”.




These few more photos of Lobo beach life will tell you everything about the Filipinos’ way of spending their time together during Holy Week and even on the entire summer months of March to May.





Mangrove Forest at Lagadlarin
We depart at the BSU campus at midday and head towards another exciting Lobo wonder – the Mangrove Forest and Boardwalk. It is located at barangay Lagadlarin, just a few minutes drive from the poblacion. Well, going here is quite tricky if it is your first time. Though it is situated within a community, the roads are narrow and surrounded with trees and plants – probably why they are mangroves in the forest. But after that adventurous driving, we finally reach the Mangrove Forest. There is another 100 meter walk from the parking lot to the main entrance.

Have a look on the mangroves, the signages that are weird and informative, the fine sands, and the people on their vacation life. Pretty relaxing here, really.





Aside from beach resorts and mangrove forests, Lobo, Batangas still has a lot of great wonders to share. This tarpaulin showing those wonders is displayed near the Mangrove Forest entrance. I took a photo and share it here. Probably still not known to many (including me), Lobo has the following must-visit places:

  • Malabrigo Lighthouse 
  • Jaybanga Rice Terraces 
  • Nalayag, Lalayag Monolith



Here's a few more amazing photos of the Mangrove Forest. It is worth the visit.











At the Florindo Farm
At around 1 o’clock in the afternoon, we find ourselves in this farm full of coconut trees, atis and banana shrubs. This is the farm of my friend’s father, the professor I mentioned earlier. Having been to this farm somewhere near the foot of the mountains of Lobo is truly memorable. I’ve felt once again that atmosphere of being at home, somewhere simple and serene.



Lobo is in the southern-most province of Batangas and is separated to other towns with this mountain range one of which is Mount Banoy. If you’re traveling the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), this mountain is visible somewhere along the Lipa City to Batangas City stretch. Facing southwest of Lobo is the Mindoro island, another great place to visit in the Philippines.

I’ve been to Lobo for quite a few times when I was younger. This is where me and my father buy variety of fishes which we then resell in our town of Taysan. Lovely place and home to friendly people. Lobo is truly about simplicity. The rest is up to you to discover.





Before we left Lobo, we bought some native delicacies in the poblacion market. We have these breads called “Kababayan”, a delicious cup cake, and “Ookan”, a sweetened biscuit-like bread. Sadly, I have no photos of them.

And so that was it for Lobo, Batangas.

In my next post, I will discuss this religious landmark called “MonteMaria”. From Lobo, Batangas, we stopped-by on this Christian holy place to witness the huge statue of Mama Mary or Maria. Check it out on this blogsite soon.



You may also want to read:

Jesus Christ’s Hands – an Image of Ultimate Devotion




About this Blog
Project Pilipinas is Noriel Panganiban's advocacy to promote the Philippines. However, the promotion is not always delivered in a positive way. In each post, you will get to discover, in words or photos, the culture, way of life, and systems prevailing in the Philippine society in somehow truth-revealing manner. That is, this blog also exposes the bad side of the Filipinos here in the Philippines. But the agenda is not to harm or shame anyone. The goal is to introduce the reality in the Philippines and encourage people, Filipino or not, to re-build the nation into something better.

This blog about Lobo, Batangas aims to promote this hidden paradise in the Philippines. On the other hand, you will see in photos what the true Filipino life is when we commemorate Holy Week.

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