Exploring Batan Island from north to south

Batan Island – gateway to Batanes – is one of three main islands of the province (the other two – Sabtang and Itbayat). It is also site of four of the province’s six municipalities, including Basco, the provincial capital.  

Visitors can circumnavigate the island in less than a day but touring the island should be done at leisure, the north in one day and the south in the other.  Both feature historical sites, Spanish-era structures, traditional Ivatan houses, magnificent lighthouses and the surreal beauty of gorgeous hills and seascapes from a number of view decks. 

The northern tour starts with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Chapel (also known as Tukon Chapel), a favorite wedding venue which opened in May 3, 2008. Further up is the PAGASA Radar Station (also known as Radar Tukon).  

Both have breathtaking 360-degree views of Batan Island, the West Philippine Sea, boulder-lined cliffs, Mount Iraya, rolling hills and the magnificent pastoral beauty of labyrinth-like hedgerows (liveng) and fields, on one side, and the Pacific Ocean on the other side.  

A short drive away is the Dipnaysuhuan Japanese Tunnel, an abandoned 250-meter-long interconnected network of six bat-filled tunnels which served as shelter and lookout for Japanese soldiers during World War II.

The three-kilometer long, scenic Valugan Boulder Beach is made up of medium to big multi-colored boulders that create an incredible landscape framed by almost vertical cliffs and rolling hills. 

In Basco town proper is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  Built in 1812, this church is the oldest in the province.

The Vayang Rolling Hills, one of the most picturesque sights in the province, has seemingly endless wave of undulating hills, covered in verdant grass and patches of green trees.

Naidi Hills, another good leisurely warm-up for a Batanes trek, has a unique panoramic view of Baluarte Bay, Basco, Mount Iraya, the sunset and the rolling hills.  Also, there is a magnificent, 66-foot high lighthouse, built in 2003.  

For the southern tour, tourists can start with Chawa View Deckwhich has a panoramic view of the West Philippine Sea, pounding waves, rolling green hills and rugged western cliffs.  Just before entering the town of Mahatao, one can pass by the Mahatao Boat Shelter Port, a man-made cove where falowas, tatayas and other small inter-island vessels seek shelter from typhoons that hit Batanes.

At Mahatao’s outskirts is Racuh-a-Payaman, more popularly called the “Marlboro Country of Batanes.” One of the most visited tourist attractions in the island, this huge track of communal pastureland, preserved by the villagers, have rolling hills of limitless, velvety grazing grassland where cattle, carabao and horses are aplenty. 

From Mahatao, next is the town of Uyugan where visitors can explore the rich cultural tapestry of the Batanes islands by dropping by the National Museum of the Philippines – Batanes housed in the 3.5-hectare site of the former LORAN Station of the US Coast Guard. 

Nearby is the iconic Alapad Rock Formation which was cut in the middle to accommodate Batan’s circumferential road. Adding to its charm are the unique, yellow-painted and iconic “Blow Your Horn” signs also associated with Batanes. On your way to Barangay Songsong, you can also make a stopover at the Mutchong Viewpoint also known for its breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding landscapes.

From Uyugan, next is the town of Ivana where tourists can buy souvenirs and snacks at the small, quaint and unmanned Honesty Coffee Shop, an icon of the province’s ingrained values.  Perhaps the only one of its kind in the country (and probably the world), it tests the honesty of its customers. 

Nearby is the Church of St. Joseph the Worker, the only church in the province not built in the espadaña style which features round arches, on the upper portion of the façade, for its bells. Instead, it has a separate fortress-like bell tower, also the only one in the province. 

Also nearby is Radiwan Port and its lighthouse (built in 2022). Other Spanish-era structures within Ivana are the House of Dakay (built in 1877, it is the province’s oldest traditional house) and Tuhel Bridge, built from 1802 to 1807.

On the way back to Mahatao is Maydangeb White Beach and Huhmurun Blue Lagoon, both ideal swimming sites.  At Mahatao town proper is the Spanish-era Church of St. Charles Borromeo, declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines, and two lamp posts, built in 1879, to guide fishermen and early mariners, using lighted oil lamps, safely to the anchorage just beyond the town’s seaport.