Paracale, Camarines Norte, Philippines

Paracale, known to the Bicol area as the land of the GOLD is about 8-9 hours travel by land from Manila. Fare by bus would range from 300++ pesos to 550 ++ pesos. If you are travelling by plane, you can fly to Naga (Airlines: Air Philippines - utilizing B737; Cebu Pacific - utilizing ATR), travel about 30 minutes to Naga City proper then start heading for Camarines Norte. You can find a paid shuttle at Naga Central Terminal. Fare from Naga to Daet (capital of Camarines Norte) is 145 pesos per head and it would take you about 2 hours travel. The shuttle will bring you to Daet Central Terminal. Then from Daet Central Terminal, travel going north to Paracale for about 1 more hour. Fare from Daet to Paracale is 50 pesos per head.

The town Paracale is small but it is beautiful small town. The Town Hall is situated in front of the town park also fronting the town church. This is typical of Spanish influenced towns in the Philippines.



Town Church. This is one old church. You can see that the doors are made of wood, typical of old churches built during the Spanish occupation. The altar is huge and is exquisitely designed, housing images of saints.

Transportation. Mode of transportation with-in the area is tricycle. For 8 pesos per head, you will be transported to your destination within the town. But we prefer walking. You can easily go around walking a few meters to get to your destination, it’s also a good exercise.
As, we mentioned, this town is called the Land of Gold, obviously because Gold is prominent in this area. There is a mining company at the east side of the island. However this has been closed down for several years. Today, only small-scale miners are found on the mountain sides. A few months back, there were miners who got rocks from below the sea and found small gold deposits on the rocks. This area is really a “gold mine” area.

Anyway, there are small establishments and small businesses thriving in this area which are sufficient to provide the basic needs. There are no hotels in this area as this is not [yet] a tourist destination. This is a reason we are sharing this with you, so you can see the beauty of Paracale and maybe you'll have a chance to see it one day.

The seaside. When we visit Paracale, we always take it a point to see the sea side every afternoon. This is one of the few places in the Philippines where your still find a light house on the [edge] of the ocean. The sand is not white as every one wants it, the scenery is also nice and calm. On low-tide, you could have fun walking on the beach side. On a high tide, you just have to content yourself watching from the”breakwater” side.

“Pulandaga” (RED SOIL). Pulandaga is about 15-30 minutes away from the Town proper. This could be one of the best beach areas we have visited. Sand is white and closely powedery as Boracay. Sadly this beach is only known to the local residents of the area and neighboring towns. Many locals visit this beach like their own “Boracay”. Hopefully this will be a known tourist destination in the future.

Until our next travel.....