Cam on over!

WITH its pristine beaches and world-class wakeboarding facilities, Camarines Sur, now dubbed as Cam Sur by wakeboarding enthusiasts, is now gaining attention as the newest tourist hotspot.

As proved by a recent trip by MTV Asia Awesome Holiday’s VJ Teppei at Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC), one of the country’s premiere destinations for watersports such as wakeboarding, wakeskating, and wakeskiing, Cam Sur has definitely caught on many watersport enthusiasts.

Home to the smallest fish in the world and famous for its Mt. Isarog, lots of beaches, and old churches, Camarines Sur lies across the middle of the peninsula at the southern tip of Luzon, and is bounded on the north by the provinces of Quezon and Camarines Norte, San Miguel Bay, and the Pacific Ocean; on the south by the province of Albay; Lagonoy Gulf on the east; and on the west by Ragay Gulf.

Camarines Sur is composed of 35 municipalities and two cities--Naga City, classified as an independent component city; and Iriga City, a component city. Pili is the capital town. There are 1,065 barangays and four congressional districts.

Aside from its watersports parks, island-hopping in the region is a must. One of the municipalities which has gained tourism popularity is Caramoan, especially after being featured in several European versions of the American reality television series Survivor. It is now considered as one of the National Parks of the Philippines. Popular tourist destinations are the Caramoan National Park, the Centro, and Gota Beach.

Gota Beach even became the choice of island of Survivor’s French edition, Koh-lanta. The show’s director, Corinne Vaillant, says that “the powdery sand, the coconuts on Gota beach, and the neighboring islets are a ‘dream’ for the French people. We chose Caramoan because it’s really wild. It’s necessary that contestants don’t see anything other than nature for them to believe that they’re really lost in the wilds.” Gota Beach has two caves, Big Gota and Little Gota, and is open to the public.

            Aside from Gota Beach, there are other unspoiled beaches like on Lahos and Matukad Island, where Survivor Bulgaria edition was recently shot.

How to get there

By Air

The province may be reached by plane within a flying time of 45 minutes. Flights are serviced by Air Philippines on a daily basis, from Monday to Sunday.

By Land

Air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses ply daily through the Quirino Highway from Manila and vice-versa in an eight-hour trip.

By Railway

Camarines Sur is served by the Philippine National Railways (PNR) which operates rail service from Manila, passing through woodlands of the Southern Luzon, to its destination in Tabuco, Naga City, in a 10-hour trip.

By Sea

Boats sail offshore to islands and coastal communities. Cargo ships from Cebu sail directly to Pasacao Port and Nato Port in Sagñay  town.

Schedules are subject to change without prior notice. Log on to www.camarinessur.gov.ph, www.camsurwatersportscomplex.com, or www.awesomephilippines.com.

Je’taime: Corinne Vaillant, director of France’s Survivor Koh-lanta, describes Gota Beach a ‘French dream’ after shooting the reality TV series there.