Zambales Voyage Tips and guide

Zambales is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Central Luzon is also called Region III.

Named after the dark-skinned Zambal tribes, the province was mostly isolated from the developments in the rest of Luzon during the Spanish era by the Zambales Cordilleras. It was the Americans who began exploiting the province's potential, using Subic Bay as the headquarters of its largest naval base in the Far East and staying there until 1992, after which the facility was developed by Filipinos into an industrial hub and freeport amid the devastation caused by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo the previous year.

Map of Zambales

• 15.333333119.9833331 Iba - capital
• 15.2896120.02452 Botolan - Base for climbing Mount Pinatubo
• 15.133333120.153 Cabangan
• 15.633333119.9333334 Candelaria
• 14.933333120.25 Castillejos
• 15.533333119.956 Masinloc - A small town with a Spanish-era church
• 15.433611119.9083337 Palauig
• 14.948611120.0863898 San Antonio
• 15.061944120.079 San Antonio
• 14.97418120.1573310 Botolan - Base for climbing Mount Pinatubo
• 15.016667120.08333311 San Narciso
• 15.766667119.91666712 Santa Cruz
• 14.876944120.23277813 Subic
• 14.833333120.28333314 Olongapo City

• 15.495049119.8947751 Magalawa Island

• Tagalog is widely spoken and as with most parts of the Philippines, almost everyone can converse in English.
• Sambal language remains as a spoken language in homes, but has been superseded by Tagalog and Ilocano in other areas of life.
• Ilocano language is spoken by descendants of Ilocano settlers in south Zambales.

From Manila, one can take a bus operated by Victory Liner. They have five terminals that are located in different cities - Caloocan, Cubao, Kamias, Pasay and Sampaloc. With the exception of the Kamias terminal, only the four others have trips to Olongapo and Iba.

The nearest from the three international airports in Manila is the Pasay Terminal located along EDSA, Pasay City. From there, it’s a 5-hour bus ride, depending on the traffic, to Iba, the capital of Zambales. Available buses are aircon and non-aircon. A one-way fare from the Pasay terminal is ₱346. The first trip leaves at 5AM, but this is variable.

Another option is to hop on a bus to Olongapo from either Pasay, Cubao, Sampaloc or Caloocan, since the frequency of trips per day are more. Upon arrival at the terminal of Victory Liner Olongapo, you can transfer to one of the buses going to Iba or Sta. Cruz. Sta. Cruz is the last municipality that comes right before the province of Pangasinan where the famous Hundred Islands are located.

You can take a jeep to travel from one town to another. The standard rate is around ₱7 per 4 km. You can also take a tricycle if traveling within a barangay. Minimum fare is ₱10 per person.

• 15.495049119.8947751 Magalawa Island, Brgy. Magalawa, Palauig. With its creamy white sand beaches and pristine waters Magalawa Island is perfect for swimming, water and sand sports, boat riding, jetskiing, scuba diving, snorkelling or just relaxing on the beach amidst the crystal clear waters and white sand. Another attractions of Magalawa Island are coral reefs, mangroves and abundant water resources.  

• Trekking in Mt. Tapulao, Barangay Dampay Salaza, Palauig, Zambales.  
• Island hopping in San Antonio, Barangay Pundaquit, San Antonio.  
• Surfing at Crystal Beach Resort San Narciso, Barangay La Paz, San Narciso.  

• The Coffeeshop Restaurant and Rooftop Hotel, #2-3 Rizal Street, Barrio Barretto, corner Nat'l Highway, Olongapo City, ☏ +63 47 222 4530. The Coffeeshop Restaurant was built in April 1984 and remains one of the most popular restaurant in Barrio Barretto. It is well-known as the "Home of the Jumbo Tacos" and is located a few meters from several beach resorts. It serves local and international cuisines at affordable prices.