9 Things To Do In Calatagan, Philippines

How to reach Calatagan

Summer is here! Slip on shoes, feel the sand between your toes, and don a colorful summer hat while sipping lemonade and listening to the sound of waves lapping on the shore. What a wonderful scenario for relaxation on a hot summer day. Imagine yourself in a place with all these options!

Calatagan is a municipality in Batangas, which used to be known as the Forbes Park of the south because of the wealthy families who acquired estates in this area. There are several things that you need to know about Calatagan, but let us first view the sites where we can get fresh air to re-energize us after a school year and having to deal with the jam-packed streets under the heat of the sun or the pouring rain.

Calatagan is accessible via public transportation, one just needs to take the bus from EDSA, Taft in Pasay where the first trip is at 4 am and the last trip at 4:30 pm. You can take these buses to Ali Mall, Cubao in Alabang, and in Lawton too, depending on where you leave from. Via a private car, you can also drive to Tagaytay along the Aguinaldo highway in Cavite or Santa Rosa, Laguna. Following the directions to Nasugbu, Batangas, straight ahead you will reach the Palico junction, then pass by Lian, before entering Calatagan. It will take about three hours to travel to Calatanga if the traffic is normal.

1. Aquaria Water Park

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Located in Calatagan South Beach, Aquaria Water Park offers visitors a fun, water-filled adventure alongside 525 m (1,722 ft) of fine white sand. It boasts a three-story-high pool slide where visitors are challenged to face their fears as they slide down to the pool below.

There are also resort-like pools where guests can relax and swim to their heart’s content. The kiddie pools are available for the kids to enjoy. There are also bathhouses where guests can shower and change into their swimwear.

Aquaria Water Park

Address: QJWR+825, Calatagan, Batangas

Website: Aquaria Water Park

Opening hours: Wed - Mon: 8am - 6pm (closed on Tue)

2. K3's Floating Cottage

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Feel the ocean breeze and the ocean waves from inside K3’s Floating Cottage. The name says it all. Visitors will be placed inside a floating cottage that is towed by a boat. Bring some food, have some drinks, and watch your step as this attraction brings you and your group around the waters.

Of course, it’s not just fresh ocean breezes and boating through the ocean; visitors will also go island hopping around the area and that also includes swimming at the beaches of these islands if the time allows it.

K3's Floating Cottage

Address: RJP9+MRQ, Calatagan, Batangas

Website: K3’s Floating Cottage

3. Starfish Sandbar

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

From the name itself, Starfish Sandbar is a beach near Little Boracay. It boasts clear and clean saltwater that is pleasant to swim in and, true to its name, there are numerous starfishes to see around the sandbar and beach.

A literal hidden gem, Starfish Sandbar is hard to find on the map. However, if you ask a local guide, especially the boat tour guides, to bring you there or point to where it is, they will definitely know the way.

Starfish Sandbar

Address: RJ89+G6V, Calatagan, Batangas

Opening hours: 6am - 5pm (daily)

4. EZ Museum

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Also known as Museo Enrique Zobel, EZ Museum is a history museum that is built in honor of its namesake and houses a collection of Zobel family memorabilia and artifacts from Calatagan. The museum is officially recognized by the Calatagan local government and is featured on its website.

Learn about Calatagan and its history through the various exhibits and displays that showcase the town’s rich history and culture. These artifacts and Zobel family memorabilia tell a combined tale of how Calatagan came to be what it is today.

EZ Museum

Address: National Highway, Calatagan, Batangas

Opening hours: Wed - Sun: 9am - 4pm (closed from Mon & Tue)

5. Calatagan Golf Club

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Calatagan Golf Club is a 64-hectare (158-acre) golf course that is built on the headlands of Calatagan and features wonderful views of the bay. Described as a Par 72 championship course, this golf course features a variety of challenges that are sure to entice golfers to test their skills. The clubhouse itself has air-conditioned locker rooms, a dining area, and a conference room.

Although the golf club is only open to members and their guests, it has started allowing the general public to use its courses.

Calatagan Golf Club

Address: Brgy.Balitoc, Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

Website: Calatagan Golf Club

Opening hours: Sat - Mon: 6am - 5pm; Tue - Wed: 6am - 6pm; Thu: 6am - 5pm; Fri: 6am - 6pm

6. Fun in the sand and water: Calatagan Beaches

As it is a place loaded with beaches, the Calatagan shores are the top choice of most travelers. And like everybody else, when we say, beaches, swimming is the usual activity. But for people like me, who loves contrast and modification, I always look for one thing that sets the place apart.

If you too are looking for something that really stands out, try Stilts. It’s a shore where you can “live by the sun and love by the moon,” as they say. It’s a wonderful place to just keep your arms around someone you want to be with for your entire life. Although its ambiance may give you that, on the other hand, my attention got hooked on that long cylindrical yellow structure on the sea that was ridden on by numerous people at the same time. A banana boat’s on the way! If you’re a bit more aggressive, a jet ski is also available for you to whiz through the cool waters. And if you just want it cool and comfy, take a kayak and spend some time with a loved one close to sunset!

If you’re with a group, enjoy the heat and the sand with volleyball or soccer on the beach. Although, sometimes the scorching heat can be too much, even with a sunscreen on. If you get tired from all the activities, one can just take it slow and stay on the sandy beaches under the trees and get a massage! If you want rest coupled with a little bit of a challenge, get tattooed! If not, you can just hide the night away in your tent at Burot Beach as well. Wouldn’t a crazy summer like this be enjoyable?

Burot Beach

Address:Calatagan, Batangas

Price: free

Stilts Calatagan Beach Resort

Address: Barangay Sta Ana, Calatagan

Contact: (02) 511 8120

Book Now

7. Something's different: Underwater Pyramid

Calatagan can’t be classified as a diving site. But who cares? Filipinos with their wit and ingenuity, have made a diving site out of the seas here! I thought that the water escapade ended with the exciting things that were mentioned above, but there is even more! The Underwater Pyramid can be seen from underneath the water’s surface. If you are someone who really loves to explore the seas without diving gear, because, by the way, diving gear cannot be rented here, take a deep breath and observe what organizations can do to save the seas. The underwater pyramid is a project that addresses issues on the destroyed reefs in the area in the hopes that normal fishing activities can resume so people can provide for their families.

Both the government and non-government organizations joined hands in installing the artificial reefs to create a place for marine life to flourish and thrive once more in Calatagan. Try to take a look at what power there is in communal efforts in saving Mother Earth from under the seas.

Underwater Pyramid

Address: Calatagan, Batangas

Website: Artificial Reef

8. A beacon: Cape Santiago Lighthouse

Seafarers were always guided home by that little hint of light, and lighthouses have acted to warn them of dangerous areas when they approach the land. Lighthouses are said to be an equivalent to traffic lights on the streets.

Calatagan is home to the Cape Santiago Lighthouse. Cape Santiago is a 51-foot (15.5 m) tall structure made with rustic red and white brick walls. The lighthouse was built in December 1890. This was the seafarer’s guide when they passed through Verde Island, the San Bernardino Strait, and Manila Bay. The 65 steps of the spiral staircase will provide you with breathtaking views of Calatagan’s shores, the South China Sea, and nearby coastlines.

Cape Santiago Lighthouse

Address: Calatagan, Batangas

Website: Cape Santiago

9. "One Town, One Product:" seaweed and candles

This phrase was created by the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, promoting the intitution of a special product distinctive to each town. While Batangas is known for its “kapeng barako,” Calatagan is specifically known for its seaweed and candles. Carretonan Multipurpose Cooperative (CMPC) in Batac, Calatagan is an agrarian reform community. The cooperative is now one of the most progressive agrarian cooperatives in the country, successfully accumulating an asset of ten million PHP in just five years according to Medel Mercado.

CMPC’s biggest income earners are the agrarian beneficiaries, women candle makers. From the ordinary to the most intricate candle designs, from the plain scents to the most aromatic ones, the locally made candles create a soothing ambiance in your home. While you are in Batangas, take note that as you pass by each town of the One Town, One Product policy. Grab a kapeng barako, butterfly knives, tapang taal, lambanog or coconut vodka, bagoong balayan (a fermented anchovy sauce), tamarind wine, panutsa (Batangas’ version of peanut brittle), atchara (pickled green papaya with carrots, onions, red bell pepper, and raisins).

Calatagan Candles

Address: Barangay Carretonan, Calatagan, Batangas

Website: Candles

Exciting shores

Truly, Calatagan’s beautiful shores, exciting adventures, and fun water activities create both a fun and relaxing atmosphere. Don’t forget to marvel at the great views from the lighthouse!