Driving from Manila to Daet, Camarines Norte...any advise/suggestions?

[swordsman]

Hi guys, will be driving from Manila to Daet this weekend for summer vacation. This is my first time to drive in this area, mostly up north kasi ako. Based lang directions ko sa Googlemaps, taking SLEX and Pan-Philippine Highway. Madaling araw ang alis namin para hindi abutan ng gabi sa daan. Any notes on road/traffic conditions to expects? Also, any suggestions on worthwhile stopovers along the way for picture-taking, lunch, meryenda, coffee, etc..? Probably will stay sa area ng Bagasbas Beach in Daet, any suggestions ano magandang tuluyan dito na medyo desente pero hindi ganun kamahal, at malapit sa beach? Don't mind to stay in a bahay-kubo type of accomodation at all.. Thanks!

[12vdc]

Its used to be the old pan-philippine hw/ maharlika hw part of asian hw AH26 before quirino/andaya hw was built. Instead of going to quirino hw, go straight ahead. First municipality is sta. elena then 2nd is labo, then vinzons, talisay, then daet.. The first two municipalities will consume most of your driving since its a very long stretch of winding road.. Just slow down with the hard bends and you should be fine.. I'd recommend catherine's at bagasbas. From there you could rent surf boards or learn kite boarding. Not really much to see aside from the fiber optic landing station of pldt/ntt docomo at bagasbas but its a nice place to relax. Id recommend also island hopping at 7islands or the calaguas island, lots of good beach in there..

[rangeles]

+1 in calaguas islands!

[machine.pistol]

If members of your party prefer eating at fast food joints like Jollibee, be sure to grab a bite at Jollibee in Gumaca. The next fast food place would be Daet already.

Take bitukang manok route in Quezon National Park. That's after Pagbilao town and before Atimonan. There's a picnic area at the top. They call that route "Eme" for the letter "M" for a reason. The bends are quite tight.

Don't take the diversion road since it's longer and used by buses and trucks.

[Lew_Alcindor]

Bagasbas Beach is very near the center of Daet so it will be a lot cheaper to just get a hotel/motel at the Daet and ride your vehicle to the beach. Just bring some chairs, big umbrellas, and maybe a table and a tent. The beach is so looong and wiiide and the best thing is that it is beside a paved road.

Kami nun nag park lang sa kalsada then yun na. I was with my friends and family. Sa gabi umuwi kami sa hotel. Pwede naman kayo kumain sa isang sosyal na resort sa tapat ng beach. Meron din karinderya. This was 2 years ago.

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Bagasbas Beach is very near the center of Daet so it will be a lot cheaper to just get a hotel/motel at the Daet and ride your vehicle to the beach. Just bring some chairs, big umbrellas, and maybe a table and a tent. The beach is so looong and wiiide and the best thing is that it is beside a paved road.

Kami nun nag park lang sa kalsada then yun na. I was with my friends and family. Sa gabi umuwi kami sa hotel. Pwede naman kayo kumain sa isang sosyal na resort sa tapat ng beach. Meron din karinderya. This was 2 years ago.

[swordsman]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, the other half of the plan is to go to Calaguas island. How steep and tight are the bends at the Bitukang Manok route compared to the Tagaytay-Talisay road, or Kennon Road in Baguio? And how much approximate time would be saved if taking this route instead of the Diversion Road?

[12vdc]

Not to confuse you with bitukang manok and emy, former AKA bicol national park(where you could find the largest and oldest tree in bicol called mother tree) is the stretch of winding road at Basud municipality wc is the next municipality after Daet if youre going further south like sipocot or naga..

Emy is also known as Quezon National park its the mountain in between pagbilao and atimonan if youre coming from manila. You could take 2routes, 1 is going up to the mountain wc is a shorter route and the longer route below the mountain..before the road fork(going up to emy), first exit is bondoc peninsula, dont take that route its longer and road is bad altho it would take you to the same intersection at Gumaca..

The winding road im referring wc is more notorious for accidents is from sta elena to bagong silang, labo town. Bends are not engineered to handle speeds so always attack the corners with great caution..

Calaguas islands is the fine white sand beach eastern of daet. You could take a boat ride either from Vinzons town or Paracale.

7 islands is part of san miguel bay, one island (canimog) is the one overlooking bagasbas beach(Mercedes town and part of Basud) further south are group of islands wc would take you to caramoan of cam sur. there are whale shark sightings in that area..

[jut703]

To get there:
SLEX until STAR, STAR until Sto. Tomas, then Maharlika Highway until Daet.

This is a very straightforward route. Just follow the general flow of traffic. Expect traffic in Sariaya if you get there by 7am or later. Once in Atimonan, take Eme. There's a sign saying Quezon National Park and it looks like a forest. Saves you about 15 min vs going aroud the long route. Not dangerous unless you try to take a corner too fast. There are locals that act as road marshals who direct traffic, in exchange for a few coins.

A few km out of Eme, you'll be greeted by the seaside to your left. This is a good stopover point as the restaurants have very fresh and tasty seafood. It's very carinderia-like though, so if you're choosy you can just stick with the usual Jollibee/McDo in Gumaca, which isn't too far ahead. Once in Gumaca, you'll surely be met with heavy traffic. Just carry on, and eventually you'll reach the junction in Sta. Elena. Go straight to head to Cam Norte (turning right leads you to Cam Sur). Curves here are tighter but not really as extreme as eme.

Total travel time is about 8 hours if the traffic is light, could take up to 12 if you catch the summer traffic.

I would suggest leaving at 10pm so you can avoid the traffic in the Quezon towns and you'll be in Daet by sunrise.

[Boy Torotot]

Thanks guys for the tips in this thread. It was an amazing driving experience lalo na sa Sta Elena to Labo town, with the winding road and steep climbs and descent. Just don't be cocky and in a rush and take time to enjoy the drive and you'll be fine. Bagasbas beach is a great place for surfing, and Calaguas has just become my favorite beach so far. Next trip naman sa South will be Camsur, Caramoan daw maganda rin.

[verargulla]

Hi guys, I'm driving for the first time from Manila to Quezon (Calauag). Just confused as to which road I'm going to take from Pagbilao to Atimonan.

I know the diversion road would be longer but would it be safer? Thanks.

[12vdc]

Both are safe if you drive safely. Going up to Quezon National Park isnt easy for first timers as the 360 degree bend is still under repair due to landslide/riprapping? Brakes tend to fade on downhill if you engage toomuch braking instead of slowing down or engine brake.

Taking the diversion is a longer route and would make you tackle the numerous crater holes plus the buses and crawling trailer trucks, id consider navigating with those as riskier than going up emi.

I will be also driving bicol later. I cnt remember when was the last time i took the diversion. Assess your driving skills/endurance, either route should be OK. Be reminded also of long one-way under construction roads at Pagbilao. Have a safe trip.

[verargulla]

Thanks for the advice. I'm just a bit worried about some chance of brake fade. I haven't driven very long steep downhill roads before, the longest and steepest ones are probably the ligaya drive from tagaytay to talisay. Any tips on how to prevent brake fade (for AT)?

[macsd]

. Any tips on how to prevent brake fade (for AT)?

Before starting your decent, engage to 2 only not D.

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. Any tips on how to prevent brake fade (for AT)?

Before starting your decent, engage to 2 only not D.

[chronicle]

Dont forget to give some coins on the persons guiding the traffic on the quezon national park. Malaking tulong din sila lalo na dun sa hairpin curve

[jut703]

Every 20m may nanghihingi ng coins. You only really need marshals on the 2 steep curves, everywhere else is just opportunism.

I've tried driving through eme without engine braking. No brake fade at all. It's such a short distance and you won't be traveling fast anyway so the brakes aren't too stressed. Of course, it's still better to know how to engine brake but you'll make it even if you don't.

[verargulla]

Thanks guys, appreciate your inputs.