Known for its bountiful harvest of fresh marine products, Estancia was referred to by some people as the "Alaska of the Philippines". This is already my second visit to Estancia when I decided to tag along for an overnight medical mission to different island communities in the town. My first visit was just a stopover to buy some dried fish at the public market during my visit to a friend. This time, I already had my camera with me so when I got a chance to explore the places weve visited, i took the opportunity to roam around coz I know it will take some time for to visit the town again.
Estancia is a 2nd class municipality in the 5th District Province of Iloilo located in the northern part of the province which is approximately 130 kilometers away from the province capital city. It is one of the most progressive town in the province due to its fishing industry. It has a modernized and clean fish port and pier where small and big pumboats or bangka and fishing vessels dock. But the port mainly caters to large fish dealers who are buying in wholesale so if you wanted to take home some fresh fish you have to buy from the market.
The fish port itself is a tourist attraction for me. It is a busy place where fishing boats dock frequently to unload basins of fresh marine harvest. It is set against a scenic background with colorful bangkas floating in a sparkling blue sea surrounded by small islands that are visible nearby. Standing at the port, the sparkling deep blue-green color of the sea gives you the impression that it is very clean and the islands nearby seems to be crying out to be explored.
For the food lover, Estancia is a seafood haven and an ideal place to buy fresh seafood at a very affordable price. Just a few minutes walk from the fish port is the public market which is a dried fish paradise. Their market day is every Tuesday but dried fish of all sorts are sold here everyday. Other tourist destination in the place is the Pa-on Beach Club which is just a tricycle ride from the port or bus station.
Archie's Notes:
Getting there: From Iloilo City at the Tagbak Terminal, you have two options to take a bus (Ceres liner, which I prefer to take the aircon bus for a more comfortable ride) or a van (which is more preferred if you wanted to arrive at the destination at a shorter period of time). The fare is around 170-180 pesos for aircon bus, cheaper for non-aircon and travel time is about 3-4 hours depending on how many stop it makes. Some Estancia bus have a stopover at Balasan to pick up additional passengers.
For additional information about the town: Municipality of Estancia
I hope you enjoyed your time here. Thank you for dropping by! Please feel free to share this, drop me a comment and share your thoughts about your experiences and travel in Estancia or just traveling in general. And if you like, please stop by my instagram @archieoffduty and find more travel ideas for your future travels. I would really appreciate it. Thanks! ;-)>
