BEACHES AND CHURCHES: PANAY ISLAND TOUR OF BEACHES AND CHURCHES. Part Four: Mararison Island, Culasi

A trip not to be missed when one visits Antique is the Mararison Island (also called Malalison) in Culasi, Antique. It is an island which is just a fifteen minute boat ride from the town proper of Culasi. With a land area of 55 hectares, it is a fishing village, one of the 44 barangays of the town. What distinguishes it is its white sandy beach with a beautiful sandbar on the northeastern side of the island facing the town of Culasi called Kawit Sandbar. It is the nearest point from the mainland. It is near this place where the community resides. The southern part of the island has a pebbled beach with some rock formation and it is where one finds the rolling hills mostly of cogon grass and plenty of pitcher plants all over. It has a commanding view of the mainland and the Nablag islet.

Not to be missed too in the island is the performance of the Mararison Children’s choir. They perform for the tourists just by the shade near the beach. What lovely singing voice they have and they also had plenty of songs in their repertoire.

We left for Mararison Island at past 6 in the morning taking the boat of Anna Sophie Hostel. We were with a group of vacationers in going there. We bought a kilo of fish worth 180 pesos from the village which was cooked by one of the caretakers of the cottages. Also ordered a half kilo rice to be cooked. We rented one of the cottages there for 300 pesos. By seven in the morning, boat after boat of vacationers started to arrive and soon filled all the cottages near the sandbar. After breakfast we went snorkelling. We also hired a small engine boat which they charged for 100 per person in order to go to one snorkelling site. Then we had the boat dock at one end of the island where we went for a short hike to the top of the hill to look for the pitcher plants which were just lying by the grasses. There was a beautiful view from the top of the hill.