Matukad — Local services in Caramoan

Matukad was the second island I visited during my first trip to Caramoan. Its beach has pristine shallow waters and ivory powdery sand. Trees line the shoreline, providing shade.

Matukad island will take your breath away—figuratively and literally. Behind a vast limestone wall hides a lagoon where the two so-called “Enchanted Bangus (milkfish)” are found. To reach the lagoon, visitors have to climb the limestone wall. There are no safety harnesses, ropes, pulleys provided. Once you start climbing, hold on; any misstep will not be pretty. It is about forty feet high.

The rock surface on the usual path taken by tourists are less jagged and less sharp, but will only be passable to one or two people. During my first visit there, there was only a handful of tourists; when I returned two months later, the place was packed and there was a queue of people climbing. More adventurous guests may try the sharper but less crowded parts of the wall to avoid the queue. At the top of the rock ledge is a stunning view of the islands. At the bottom of the other side of the rock ledge is the lagoon where the two milkfish are. Visitors can get close to the lagoon but rocks at this side of the rock ledge are sharper and looser. I do not recommend wearing rubber shoes for the climb as the bulky shoes may be difficult to fit in small crevices. Slippers would do fine. When I climbed the rock wall, I used aqua shoes and it worked great; it had good traction and the jagged edges of the rocks were not troublesome. The compactness of the aqua shoes enabled me to anchor my foot inside smaller holes and crevices.

The lake was clear and tranquil; despite numerous trees surrounding the area, the lagoon’s surface was unobstructed by fallen leaves, etc. My guide told me the story of how there were two milkfish that lived in the lake until a local caught one and fed it to his family; the enchanted milkfish allegedly cursed the fisherman causing his son to fall ill and die. Enchanted or not, the lagoon and the entire island deserves our respect. (It is sad to note that I had to pick up rubbish thrown along the rock ledge by previous guests; some of the rocks had...

Matukad is one of my favorites out of the multitude of islands that are available to tour within the area. This island features a large rock feature which can be climbed to give a beautiful view of the beach front and surrounding area. There is also plenty of shade on the island, for a picnic or to escape the scorching sun. The beach is very fine white sand with beautiful torqouise water. ...

October 29 2018 Matukad island is one of da islands we visited in caramoan group of islands. According to locals, there exists a pair of bangus aka milkfish located in da lagoon. You are required to climb a steep boulders of rock to reach da lagoon. Neverdaless, not all can climb da steep rock but matukad island is still a must visit island...