REOPENING. The Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga, Samar surge into tiers of pools that connect to the Calbiga River. The provincial government of Samar is set to open four of its major tourist destinations after months of community quarantine status. (Photo courtesy of Spark Samar)
TACLOBAN CITY – The provincial government of Samar is set to open four of its major tourist destinations after months of community quarantine status.
Department of Tourism regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes said Wednesday these tourist destinations are Ulot Extreme Torpedo Boat Ride and the Paranas Eco-trail in Paranas town, Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga town, Sohoton Cave Natural Bridge and National Park in Basey town, and the San Juan by the Bay in Sta Rita town.
The provincial government is planning to open these sites to tourists from within the region in the second week of November, Tiopes said.
These four tourist destinations in Samar province were temporarily closed to the public in March after quarantine measures were enforced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Some provinces and regions in the country had reopened their tourist destinations to their neighboring provinces and regions.
But in Eastern Visayas, local tourist destinations are only open for residents in the respective provinces.
“We are not forcing local government units (LGU) to open but we always say responsible tourism restart. We have to balance taking care of our economy, taking care of our people, our community, our industry workers, and of our guests,” Tiopes told the Philippine News Agency.
“Samar is preparing their select tourism site to open for residents for the entire region. Nonetheless, we are really working together with our LGU and private sector, because the thing that we want to happen is for them to follow protocol, and have a unified interpretation,” she added.
Tiopes said they will have a meeting with the provincial government next week to examine their pre-opening activities.
Ulot Torpedo extreme boat ride is a thrilling river cruise adventure along a 10-kilometer stretch, a portion of the more than 100-kilometer Ulot River in Paranas town. The destination is managed by residents formerly engaged in illegal logging.
This thrilling river cruise that takes about an hour from the jump-off point in Tenani village, ends at the Deni’s Point where tourists can swim, have a picnic, and make a jump-off with the water rapids.
The Paranas Eco-trail, on the other hand, is a trekking that starts at the entrance of the Samar Island Natural Park Headquarters.
This is a new destination which opened in August 2019 and managed by local women’s organization Tenani Association for Women and Development.
The Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga town is 50 meters in width, making it one of the widest waterfalls in the country with its highest drop of about 30 meters.
This site is located in Literon village where water that flows at the falls starts at Lake Kalidongan that has over 100 waterfall cascades on its 14 kilometers rapids before it reaches Lulugayan and drains in Calbiga River.
The Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Park in Basey town is a protected natural area of about 841 hectares, and a tourist attraction within the Samar Island Natural Park that features caves, subterranean rivers, waterfalls, limestone formations, thick forest, and a natural stone bridge.
Tourists who will be visiting this famous cave in Samar Island will be welcomed by its new feature, the lighting inside the cave that brings tourists to a new and more exciting visit as they can enjoy more of the scenery inside.
Meanwhile, the San Juan by Bay is a floating restaurant in Sta. Rita town run by a people’s organization from the village. The site gives tourists a panoramic view of San Juanico Strait and the famous San Juanico Bridge. (PNA)
