Anawangin Cove Camping

Anawangin Cove is the jewel of Zambales, a crescent-shaped bay where, unusually for the tropics, tall agoho pine trees grow right down to a beach of mixed white sand and volcanic ash, a legacy of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption. There are no roads in, no resorts and no electricity beyond what generators provide, which is exactly what makes an overnight camp here so special.

The adventure starts at Barangay Pundaquit in San Antonio, the jump-off point, where you board a small outrigger boat for the roughly 20-minute ride along the rugged coast. Many trips add a side stop at Capones Island and its old Spanish lighthouse before reaching the cove. Once ashore, you pitch your tent under the pines, swim in the calm bay, and settle in for a night of campfire, stars and the sound of the surf, with basic public toilets and cold showers the only facilities.

This two-day trip is built for travellers who want a genuine back-to-nature escape within easy reach of Manila. Days are spent swimming, beachcombing and exploring; nights belong to the campfire and an unbelievable canopy of stars far from city lights.