Batan Island Travel Guide
Batan Island is located in the Philippines and is the main island in the province of the same name. The capital city is called Basco and it is the famous home of Mount Iraya.
The island archipelago is protected under the National Integrated Protected Area System in the Protected Seascapes and Landscapes category. The region is isolated and has the bare minimum of communication facilities and is the smallest province in the country. Batan Island is one of the largest islands in the collection and is one of only three that are inhabited.
The rainy season is from June to February with the most sun in May through to September but rain is common even in the sunnier months. Due to its inaccessibility, Batan Island is home to a very close community and they live with little of the home comforts that many other areas in the Philippines take for granted.
Electricity on the island is only on for 12 hours, midday to midnight, and is provided by a generator. The majority of the local people have never been to the mainland. The local people are mainly Ivatan and the island is home to a now dormant volcano that stands at 1,517 metres high and is normally shrouded in a mysterious cloud at its peak.
The landscape is made up of rolling mountains and hills carpeted in lush green grass thanks to the year-round rainfall. The sea is not easily accessible as the island boasts sharp and steep cliffs that jut their way down into the crashing waves below. Swimming is possible in some areas and there are a few choices of accommodation to choose from.
Getting There & Away
Batan Island is over 150 miles north of Luzon and 100 miles from neighboring Taiwan. Manila is more than 400 miles to the south and is home to the nearest international airport. The flight from there takes 2 hours and in high tourist season there are up to five flights a week to and from the capital to Basco, Batan Island. A bus from Manila takes 10 hours and is followed by a 12-hour boat journey.