After the discovery of the whale sharks off the coast of Donsol in 1998, this sleepy fishing village had become one of the top tourist attractions of the Bicol Region. Local visitors and those from all over the world flock this once obscure town to interact with these amazing gentle giants. The area around Donsol is best known for one of the greatest concentrations of whale sharks in the world.
WHAT TO DO UPON ARRIVAL AT DONSOL
Your first stop in town should be the Donsol Visitors Center where you can complete all the formalities like filling up forms, watching a video presentation, being briefed by a Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) and hiring a boat for the whale shark – watching trip. The number of sightings varies depending on the season. The best time to visit is during the peak months of April and May.
a. From Donsol Poblacion (town proper) ride a tricycle to Barangay Dancalan
b. Pay the registration fee at the visitor center and attend the brief orientation
c. Pay the boat rental package and rent equipment if needed
d. Short briefing from the Butanding Interaction Officer (BOI)
e. Prepare to have the best time of life!
FEES AND EXPENSES
a. Whale Watching Interaction Package
Boat Rental Package – P3500 (maximum of 7 passengers)
Breakdown of Fees
Boat rental – P2,500
BIO fee – 650
Spotter/Guide fee - 350
Total – P3,500
b. Registration Fee
Local -P100
Foreigner – P300
c. Equipment Rental (optional)
Includes mask, snorkel and fins -P300
HOW TO GET TO DONSOL
There are two ways to get the Donsol, Sorsogon. One is via Legazpi City in Albay, an hour flight or a ten-hour bus ride from Manila. The other approach is via Sorsogon City about twelve hours by bus from Manila. Take jeep or van interaction, motorized boats for hire are available at the Tourism Visitors Center.
By Public Transport
Legazpi to Donsol
Vans to Donsol may be picked-up at Legaspi Bus Terminal near the Pacific Mall in Legazpi daily.
Private Van: P1,500 driver included, seats up to 12, one-way
Public Van: P60 (US$1) per seat.
Donsol to Legazpi:
Vans back to Legazpi may be picked-up at the Donsol Town center
Last return trip to Legazpi is 3pm daily
By Private Car
From Legaspi, drive towards Sorsogon via the town of Daraga. Then, turn right and head for Pilar and Donsol near Putiao about 20 kilometers south of Daraga. Drive for about 16 kilometers then turn off right at the entrance to Pilar. From here, it’s another 12 kilometers to Donsol.
WHERE TO STAY IN DONSOL
AMOR BEACH RESORT
With Restaurant/ offers diving/ nice cottages
Rates: Cottages Fan room – P 1,000
Cottages Ac room with Hot & Cold Shower – 1,600 & 2,000
Cottages Ac room without Hot & Cold Shower – 1,500
Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Contact No. +63 909 5181150
c/o Razyl Amor
CASABIANCA BEACH RESORT
furnished duplex cottages
Rates: fan/bath P800, AC/bath P1500 (maximum 4 people)
Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon
c/o Mr. Jun-Jun Belmonte
0906-309-9372; 0920-2739-984
vicejjb_58@yahoo.com
VITTON BEACH RESORT
With restaurant/Snorkeling Equipment for hire
nicely furnished/ all with terrace
Rates: AC P1500
Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Contact No. 0927-912-6313
c/o Nora Morales
WOODLAND BEACH RESORT
With restaurant/ offers diving/ big cottages
Rates: fan P800, AC P1500 (2 pax), AC 2700 (10p ax)
Pangpang, Donsol Sorsogon
Contact No. 0921-969-9544
c/o Maricho Bigayan
SHORELINE BEACH RESORT & RESTO
Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Contact No. 0919=420-8237
c/o Lizel Idjao
SANTIAGO TOURIST INN
Poso, Donsol, Sorsogon
HERNANDEZ GUEST & PENSION HOUSE
Poso, Donsol, Sorsogon
HOMESTAYS
LOLA ERNA’S HOMESTAY
furnished but very basic accommodation
Location: in front of the river bridge
Contact No. 0906-7625955
c/o Lola Erna
RABULAN’S HOMESTAY
Kitchen available/ 3 big rooms
Location: near the market
Rates: fan/bath P300/600
Contact No. 0927-5997944
BALAY NI INDAY
Rate: P150/head
Location: Barangay Boroan, Donsol
c/o Hilda Belmonte
HERNANDEZ’ GUEST HOUSE
Rate: 150/head
Location: Poso, Donsol
c/o Andrew Hernandez
SANTIAGO’S HOMESTAY
Rate: P150.
Location: Poso, Donsol, Sorsogon
c/o Ederlina Santiago
VISITOR’S INN
Contact No. Tel. No. (056) 491-1109/421-3180
Rates: AC – P1,200.00 (good for 4 pax); P1,850.00 (good for 7 pax)
c/o Hilda Belmonte
DOT-V Accredited Homestay Sites
Owner: Luisito Magdamit
Address: Bororan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Owner: Minerva P. Manlangit
Address: Boang, Rawis, Donsol Sorsogon
Mobile No.: +639182120457
Owner: Tessie P. Polo
Address: Bororan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Owner: Elsa M. Macandog
Address: Dancalan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Mobile No.: +639193450327
Owner: Dominador M. Jimenez
Address: Bororan, Donsol, Sorsogon
Owner: Nigel Smith
Address: Small Batangas, Santa Cruz, Donsol, Sorsogon
Mobile No.: +639196246544
Owner: Felino N. Melitante
Address: Sta. Cruz, Donsol, Sorsogon
Mobile No.: +639068239891
Owner: Elena C. Bongon
Address: Boang St., Donsol, Sorsogon
Mobile No.: +639207215157
Owner: Maricho C. Bigayan
Address: Poso, Donsol, Sorsogon
Mobile No.: +639219699544
Contact DOT-accredited HOME-STAYS
Inn-Keepers Association (DIKA)
Contact No. 0921-9699544
c/o Maricho Bigayan
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT IN DONSOL
Firefly Watching
See the numerous male fireflies flashing lights to attract female. Local fishermen will paddle you along the wide Donsol River to witness the dazzling display lights made by thousands of fireflies.
The Grotto
The Grotto stands on top of a hill and is a pilgrimage site of the devotees of the Blessed Mother Mary. It was built in 1976 by Mrs. Lydia Apuyan-Tagle as the fruit of her strong devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. It could be reached by land fifteen (15) minutes ride from Donsol town proper. The feast day is celebrated every February 11th of the year.
Location: Barangay San Antonio, Donsol, Sorsogon
Catundolan
Catundolan is Donsol’s landmark where pinnacle of rocks and vast coral formations are found. The water in this area is the deepest part of Donsol coastline where numerous whale sharks could be seen.
Source: DOT Legaspi City, www.wowbicol.com
gusto ko maexperience yung whale watching.. medyo pricey pero sa tingin ko worth it naman.. ^_^ thanks for the infos..
Share the boat rental with other tourists to offset the expenses and stay at cheap lodges to make it cheaper
very informative post! useful talaga… ganito ang gusto kong mga posts! hehehe!!! thanks for sharing…
Thanks Mervs, kelan na ang punta nyo?
thanks for this info claire! i should have had this info when i went to legaspi hehehe
Excited na akong gawin to uli!
Nice, babalik ka ulit
give my regard to the butandings 
great information claire! very useful, punta ako by June! solo. hehe. ewan kung maututuloy pero thanks talaga!
hmmm rainy season na ang June, pero go, habang andun pa ang mga Butanding
Ang sarap sana nito, kung di lang ako mabilis mapulikat…
Carry yan, you won’t be swimming that long with the whale sharks because they only surface for a short while and then you have to wait again for another sighting
waaaahhhh this post is bookmarked already! i love reading your posts Claire, never fails to inspire me to discover more of the Philippines!!!
Thank you Jerik, I also enjoy following your Japan series
thanks for sharing Claire, Its been my dream to visit this place hopefully if time permits makarating din ako sa mga places na tulad nito . Have a safe travel..
chinchan
nice very informative! Im planning to go there on May. Do we still need to reserve rooms and the whale watching or can we just go there, like, walk-in guests na lang. Are the resorts close to each other para makapamili kung san mura? many thanks!
I usually don’t reserve rooms because I always check out the place first but since it’s peak season, it won’t hurt if you reserve ahead. There are resorts along the beach and near the registration office. For whale watching, I think it’s ok to be a walk-in guest.
Enjoy your adventure Marianne, Cheers!
My friend bicolana mentioned about this place and i got soo exited about it. Around midJune ang punta namin. May place ba for fishing as well? We may stay for 5 days if we find more things to see/do. Coming from Laguna, how many hrs drive kaya?Please send me more suggestions….! thank you.
Hi Noreen, wow 5 days is quite long, unless you will do whale shark interaction everyday. Maybe you can try to visit other places in Sorsogon, like Bulusan Lake, Mateo Hot Spring, island hopping at Matnog, the old church of Barcelona etc. Are you going to commute? Travel time from Laguna to Donson is around 11-13 hours or you may drop by in Albay on your last day to check out Mayon Volcano and other attractions there. It’s just an hour or two away.
Hi Ms. Claire,
Thanks for sharing these information here. Please visit Amor Farm Beac Resort facebook page to get see promotions and get updates…
salamat po…
Thanks for the info Rasyl.
Hi Ms Claire, was wondering if the tourism office would arrange other tourists to go with you in a group, say if you go alone. Thanks!
Hi Lloyd, If you let them know that you are looking for other tourists, I think they will assist you since they have a list of those who will rent the boat. But it’s better if you ask around. The first time I went there with my mom and two sisters, we were approached by 2 Dutch tourists. They have been waiting for 2 hours beside the tourism office looking for other tourists to split the expenses.
very hlepful ito Claire! nakakahiya, ako yung taga Sorsogon d ko pa to nagagawa. I wanna do this w/ my family kase. Nakaulion na naman lugod ako sa Bicol. hays!
Mas ok nga meron ka kasama, mas enjoy yung experience.
Thanks for sharing your adventures. Have you spotted an ideal location to set up a tent for an overnight camping? (away from residential areas). Is it prohibited to whale watch without their authorized spotters? Planning for my own DIY whale watching with the help of my own kayak.
I’m not sure about DIY whale shark interaction but the first time I went to Donsol 3 years ago, there were private boats with loads of passenger cruising around the area to watch the whales. But I guess they were not allowed to dive or swim with the sharks.
Hello Claire,
We will be visiting this place but not sure about Butanding whaleshark watching since it will be mid June we’re planning to visit Sorsogon. In addition to that, we love to snorkel, swim with the fish and do some fishing if it’s available. We’ll visit Juag’s fish sanctuary and will get hold of Kuya Alex. You have recommended different areas to visit but since we’ll have only 2 nights/3 days, can you pls help me what is the best way to see much of Sorsogon has to offer? I am jotting down our itineraries just by reading ur blog. Very helpful indeed! My daughter would love to visit these places u posted and she can’t wait to “feel” what u wrote on your blog.
I think you can start at Donsol for whale shark interaction, the chance of seeing Butanding may not be as good as during summer but you can always try, after all it’s the main attraction in Sorsogon. It’s best to do it in the morning and perhaps in the afternoon you can already drop by at Bulusan lake and do walks and kayaking there. You may check-in that night at Mateo Hot and Cold Springs so at the same time you can try its pools (it’s the adjacent town to Bulusan). On your second day, you may leave Irosin and head straight to Matnog. You can visit Juag Lagoon, Subic Beach and Tikling Island all in one day. You’ll probably be back at the port by 4 or 5pm if you start early. You can either stay at a resort near Matnog or ride a jeepney back to Sorsogon City. If you do stay in Sorsogon City, you may want to check out the beach at Bacon District or Paguriran Island or the Eco Park the next day before you head home. There are still other points of interest there like the Barcelona Church, the old houses in Juban, etc. But just choose which ones you would like to see the most.
Thank you Claire! Copy and Paste and ready to go. Thank you so much! I’m so excited already. I will definitely update you of our travel!
Like ko yung Whale Watching… kayalag mahal… mag ipon muna ako.. hahaha…
May 150 lang po yung room? galing naman non…
Can you please provide a phone number for the Donsol information center?
Hi claire, I really appreciate your post here abt.Butanding interaction in Donsol. We’ve been really wanting to see the butandings but have no time during summer. Finally got a leave approval from work in time for my kids sembreak, so I’m bringing my them to Legazpi this coming Oc.25-28, will we be able 2 see butandings by then? kht not many of them? or if not butandings, will there be like manta rays around?
please give me advise if it’s still worth going there without seeing the butandings or not. tnx very much in advance! God bless.
Hi Florizel, i’m not sure if you will see any butanding/manta rays at this time of the year. Your best bet is to come back on summer months if you want to be 99.9% sure of seeing one.
Hello ms. Claire! Thank you for your informative posts. Your site is always a good reference for me whenever I’m planning a trip and you inspire me to travel more and explore what our beautiful country has to offer. I’d just like to ask about the cost of this package because I’m planning to do this w/ my friends next year. Is it 3500/person or it’s already the whole price of the package and we can split it amongst ourselves? I’m really eager to try this so I’m planning like crazy. I really hope you’ll be able to reply. Thanks very much in advance.
Hi Patty, P3500 is the total rental of the boat with Spotter and Butanding insteraction officer (BIO) for a maximum of 6- 7 persons. So you if there are only 4 pax, the group will still pay the same amount for the whole trip. You can split it among your friends. That’s what we did before. My mom, 2sisters and I waited for other tourists to join us so we could split the cost with them. Two guys from Netherlands approached us and asked if they could join us during the trip. By the way you also need to pay 100 pesos each for the registration and extra if you’re renting snorkelling equipment.
Yay! Thank you very much for clarifying that ms. Claire.
pangarap ko makakita at makasamang lumangoy ang mga butanding! and it will come true soon! i’m preparing our itinerary for our legaspi-donsol trip. what will be your recommended hotel/homestay in donsol? what time open ang Donsol Visitors Center? thanks much!
I really depends on how much you want to spend on your accommodation. It’s better if you look around first and see which one suits your taste and budget. Some lodgings are located along the beach and near the visitor center. (I’m not sure about the exact time but it’s probably open around 8am.)
Hi Claire,
Again thanks for the mention re Amor Farm Beach Resort..Please can u do me a huge favor? just need to change few things with regards to our contact details, as follow:
AMOR FARM BEACH RESORT
Rates: Cottages Fan room – P 1,000
Cottages Ac room with Hot & Cold Shower – 1,600 & 2,000
Cottages Ac room without Hot & Cold Shower – 1,500
Contact No. 0063 909 5181150
Email Add: info_amorbeachresort@yahoo.com / rasyl_r_amor@yahoo.com
Contact Person: Rasyl Amor
and would be grateful for your help…
All the best and wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Bountiful New Year!
I was in Donsol last year and I wish I had read this before. It’s the most comprehensive guide I’ve seen. Great post.
Thanks for this very informative post. Would you know what is the earliest time of departure of the van from Legaspi to Donsol? And how much is the tricycle fare from Donsol town proper to the Interaction Center? Thanks Claire!
HI Ricky, I’m not sure what’s the new schedule now but they do have schedule as early as 7am. We paid around P20 each during our visit.
Salamat Claire! So it would be too late for us to catch the morning whale-watching if we stay in Legaspi and go to Donsol by public transpo that leaves at 7am since we would arrive in Donsol by mid-morning already.
It’s not too late if it’s Butanding season. The first time we visited Donsol, we arrived around 11am and around 1pm during our second visit. We were able to spot the whale sharks on both occasions because it was around summer time. There’s really no guarantee.
Hi Claire! Just got back from our trip to Bicol. We were rained out in Donsol but still managed to interact twice with the butandings! It was an awesome experience. Thanks for this blog entry (and your answers to my questions). BTW, the van fare from Legaspi to Donsol is now P75.
Thanks for the update Ricky
Hi Claire, awesome post! We are looking to go to Donsol this April. How many days is enough to make sure we do get to see some whale sharks? 2 days or shall we go for 3? Have you heard of Giddy’s Place? Is it pretty decent?
Can’t really tell coz it’s quite unpredictable. Better go during the peak season for better chances of spotting whale sharks. Sorry I’m not familiar with Giddy’s though.
Hey thanks! Hopefully this April is a good season for spotting them. Will just have to wing it, I guess.
Hello Claire,
I am planning to go to CARAMOAN-LEGASPI-DONSOL by 3rd week of December. Is it possible to see butandings by that time? I wanna make sure so I can finalize my itinerary. If not, i might not consider going to Donsol without butanding watching.
Thanks. Mabuhay ka.
No one can really guarantee that you will see one even during the peak season. I guess you can only hope for the best.
Hi Claire, Am planning to bring bicycles, are there nice places to do mountain biking aside from seeing the butandings?
I’m not sure about mountain biking but it’s nice to go biking around the countryside.
Hi Claire, I like your blog man! Galing! Thanks for sharing your unselfish infos…More power and more travel to you! God bless!
Whale shark encounter:
Me and my wife booked whale shark sight seeing thru http://www.bicolaventura.com/contact-us/.. we were told the cost of the tour would be 1100 php per person for the entire tour since we would not require transportation to Donsol since we had our own car. On arrival we were told that since we were only two people we would need to put a deposit down for the entire capacity of the which is six tourist. Our tour guide told us that this would reserve us a spot that day since the government limits how many boats and people go out in one days time. The guide said that 6000 php would reserve us a boat and once other tourist arrived and we had four other tourist to join us we would recieve all but our 2200 php back. We were eventually joined by four other tourist and set out to see the whale shark. Upon returning to land and finding our tour guide to recieve our deposit back ee were only given 2600 php. When we asked for the rest we were told that was all there was. We then showed the TXT message we had recieved from the number on the website to the tour guide that stated 1100 php per person, he called his agent who told us that the 1100 php did not include the rental of the snorkel equipment and the enviromental fee and tourist fee. My wife explained to the lady on the phone that this was notbwhat we were told at which point the lady replied to my wife “tuff shit you did not understand” and hung up the phone. In short not only were we not given the rest of our money, now I alsohad to deal with a very angry wife on Valentines day. Best advice never use this agency and do not let any agency talk you into giving a deposit just wait till there is a group of six people. Also be forwarned that it is not guaranted you will see a whale shark, your tour will last for a maximium of 3 hous and there is no refund or raincheck.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us US guy. We have been to Donsol twice and have never used any tour agents even on peak season. We just turned up and waited for other tourists to join us to reach the maximum capacity of the boat.
Hello friends !!
The season is ON for the best animal encounter in Asia.
I would like to invite guests to come and visit Donsol for our Butanding..
I am Joel Briones the President of the BIO.
If you have queries about donsol Butanding tour.
Email me at presbio@yahoo.com or call or text me in my number 63+929-817-5654
Hello sir, pwede pong malaman ang updated packages niyo?
Hi Claire! The pieces of info you have here seem so useful & helpful for me since I’m really planning to do whale watching alone this mid-May. This will also be my first time in the Bicol region. I just would like to ask a little favor. Can u help me plan out a 3-day itinerary for this tour. Thanks a lot. Your suggestions would really be a huge help. Thanks again
God bless!
Hi Ace, in 3 days you can easily explore Albay with a side trip to Donsol. It will all depend on your budget and the numbers of tourist spots you want to visit.