The town of Concepcion is blessed with one of the most scenic seascapes in the whole Province of Iloilo. Forming a safe natural harbor for Concepcion Bay are 16 islands connected by azure waters and rich marine life.
On the way to Pan de Azucar Island
The islands of Concepcion are highland masses except Baliguian. They appear as half-drowned mountains jutting out from the sea and manifested by sedimentary rocks. The mountains and hill systems are so close to the sea that only very narrow strips of level land are available for farming. It is in these narrow strips of land bordering shores where the islanders build their clustered homes.
Most of the island in Concepcion are bordered by scenic white sand beaches
Nearest to the mainland is Tago Island whose southern promontory is not more than 200 meters away from the mainland. Northeast of Tago Island is Pan de Azucar, the biggest and most popular among them because of the enchantingly tall and steep mountain, called Mt. Manaphag, standing like a sentinel in its lands. It is in Pan de Azucar Island where the annual Tampisaw Festival is held every third week of April.
Mt. Pan de Azucar, also called as Mt. Manaphag, is one of the tallest peaks in Panay and the steepest mountains in the Philippines.
Northeast Pan de Azucar is Bag-o Isi Island, which has a shifting snake-like sandbar that points towards Pan de Azucar. During hightide, it seems that you can cross from island to island because of the newly formed sand bridge. The smallest (not considering the islets, some of which are submerged during high tide) is Bocot Island located northeast of Bag-o Isi. The northernmost frontier of Concepcion is Colebra or Bago-alas Island at 10.7 nautical miles from the Poblacion (mainland).
Snake-like sandbars in Bag-o Isi Island seemingly forming bridges during high tide
Meanwhile, Southeast of Pan de Azucar is Sombrero Island, which appears like a natural citadel of high rise, rocky, protective outreach of Pan de Azucar. Further east from here are 2 uninhabited islands namely: Bag-o Sipol or Chico Island, measuring 4 hectares and Agho Island, a 8 hectare island with extensive white sand beach area, a sprawling coral garden, and a magnificent view of the sunrise and sunset.
Agho Island with the mountains of Concepcion as its backdrop
White sand beach at the Sandbar of Agho Island
Nearby is the Malangabang Island, the most poulated island in Concepcion and Igbon Island, known for the beautiful diving sites in its vicinity.
Beautiful sunset in Malangabang Island
In the waters between Igbon and Pan de Azucar is Botlog Island, which has the whimsical shape of an egg sliced in half, or an “eggnog”. Southwest of Igbon Island is a 2.8 hectare islet perfect for people who love the underwater world called Bag-o Abo Island.
Egg-shaped botlog island in the distace
The islands of Bulubadiangan and Danao-Danao also located south of Igbon Island are frequently visited by tourist. Bulubadiangan, is known for its shifting white sandbar while Danao-danao is known for its interesting natural stone formations like tables and other figures.
Sandbar Island Beach Resort located in Bulubadiangan Island
At the mainland’s southeastern coast crossing the Apitong Pass is Tagubanhan Island, which shares the border with the adjacent town of Ajuy and is the most populous island. The farthest island, with a distance of 25 kilometers from the poblacion is Baliguian Island – the only coral atol in Concepcion.
Concepcion’s mountain-islands viewed from a distance
From a distance, the islands of Concepcion appear as gigantic natural protective outreach of the mainland with the tallest Mt. Manaphag (Pan de Azucar) commanding the view rising 573 feet above sea level making it the landmark of the municipality.
I’ve been at these islands when I was a little girl! I LOVE IT! The swimming and diving are awesome! I have family who live in Concepcion! Can’t wait to go back for vacation!!
darn! we were supposed to visit the islands last holy week. it’s very unfortunate that it didn’t push through. pila ka adlaw makakadto gid ko da ah. :-)
Tani makakita-ay man kita didto sa amon lugar ba! Pwede man gani nga upod ta saka sa bukid a! Gapuli man ako to every end-of-the-month. Ka relaxing sang lugar so i have to go home every month just to unwind..
See you there!
Im proud i’ve kasimanwa that organize such beautiful website for our beloved iloilo. Its really owesome, it could help in the promotion of iloilo. Madamu guid nga salamat sa mga latest happenings dyan in iloilo. I’ll try my best to recommend your site sa mga kilala ko everywhere i go. God Bless Iloilo
wow thanks for posting the dif island of concepcion I am a native of concepcion and i am here in San fernando Pampanga right now.. Miss my home town so much
concepcion has so many beautiful islands. so annoying ‘coz the island of polopina was not revealed. joke.. hope you’ll have the time to reveal all the beautiful islands of concepcion. i’m proud to live in that place.
Well, Im proud to say that concepcion has a potential to be one of the best place for tourist, A people in concepcion are very friendly & peaceful, Concepcion was visited by presedent PGMA several times, meaning, the only place in panay island is the most safest place to go. I am hoping in the future that this place will be more develope especially for tourism. Mabuhay ang taga concepcion!!
correction president hehe!
hi. just wanted to know if it’s possible to go island hopping because I really want to see the islands of concepcion. they are so beautiful.
How do i go about it? do i hire one of those pumpboats and how much would it cost? please help me.
very informative site btw.
To Shayne,
Hi! yup you could travel in that some Island through a passenger pumpboat or a rent bout. The cost depends on how far the Island you want to go. On a passenger bout cost P30.00 up, in a renting boat minimal cost P1,500.00 back in forth.
Beautiful shots of the Islands. Panay Island has so much to offer. Check Boracay Island, it has plenty of biggie hotel owners now. I think the rests of the islands need the same thing. Boracay is not the only place in Panay that has a “potential”. Like for example Guimaras, Sicogon, Agho, Culebra, Phaidon, Hamtic, Villa Beach and the rests. These beaches has lots to offer, each island needs to be recontructed and organized. What is the duty of the Urban Planners all over Panay Island? They need to work together instead of reporting to their own office 15/30 of the month. All the city and provincial engineers. Instead of yapping without any action is useless. In american way “JUST DO IT”. That’s all I can say for now. Marc, thanks for sharing me the space. See you there this summer. *wink*
Jo/USA
yes!truly it is.. how great Iloilo is, especially my hometown, Concepcion..
Concepcion at its best!! visit there and enjoy..
_bhe mj_
The road reconstruction is a MUST. All the roads in Panay must be constructed four lanes. We have billion of pesos budget for the roads and sidewalks, right?! OKIE, ang bulsa ipaiway anay, unahon ang proyekto sang banwa. Ang mga tourista naga-panong pakadto sa aton nga lugar. Gani instead mag pungko kag magtinikal, indi guid ina ma-improbar. “HULAG” ang mga Urban Planners kag Engineers all over Panay. Thank You!
ang mount manaphag bala ang pinakamataas sa iloilo? how about the mount napulak in igbaras? i think ang napulak ang pinakamataas..
sorry, i got confused with barug’s and t2′s comments. Kay T2 gali ang statement nga gin hulam ko.
PEACE ABYAN NGA MAAYO KAG MABOOT NGA PUMOLOYO SNG ILOILO KAG SA BILOG NGA KALIBOTAN.
I have some photos of the islands going to Concepcion,,and i shared it to my friends and they were amazed with the beauty of the islands there in Concepcion,,and they can’t wait to experience living and explore.And they call the islands paradise,,and i knew it !!and espicially if our town has something that can attract tourist,wow!!that place will be more popular just like those other places in the Philippines…and i can’t wait …
Big thanks for your features and attractive photos of Bulubadiangan, I am inclined to hold our team building there on Jan. 25 to 28. Is there a passenger pumpboat from Concepcion to Sandbar. If there is, could you give me an idea how much per pax or how much a boat that could bring a party of 36 to sandbar?
chy, kraimer ni. email ko b kon mga pila gid magasto mga 2 nights nga stay sa concepcion? mangayo ko b number mo liwat send lang sa email. nag inquire ka gid sa tourism office? plano ko 2 nights: 1st night sa junbee and 2nd night sa sandbar. mga pila magasto ko tanan and other activities perhaps (e.g boating, island hopping, etc.)?
I really can’t say how much exactly you’ll be spending but for a 2 night stay, I think for 2 nights, you can spend less than P2500 (this is a safe estimate, so you can spend much less if you also travel on a budget and kung damo kamo). If you want to inquire the prices of Junbee Resort, you can visit this page: http://www.exploreiloilo.com/hotel-junbee.html (prices are almost the same as the pension houses in the city or the economy hotels).
Sa sandbar island, tag P1,000 / hut. You can also just bring a tent and pay a lower price :) You must bring your own food, you can cook you own food (bring cooking stuff) or have the caretakers cook the food for you.
It would be best to contact the tourism office so that they can help you arrange the transportation to the islands, take note of the contact number just in case. It would also be best to be at Concepcion on a thursday (Market Day) and arrive there in the early morning.
May i know how many hours travel from Iloilo airport to Concepcion?
it really is a paradise there!! I go there every summer.My grandmother lives in Igbon island.Actually she lives at front part of that island,its called pulopina.. =))
it is sooo amazing there!
It’s nice to hear all the posts about Concepcion and there islands. I am a native of Concepcion and I have only been back once in my life. From all the posts I have read, It seems that Tourism is a really good way to start up the local economy. I am actually planning to have 2 pump boats built just for this exact reason. Anybody wish to join in an idea like this is welcome.
My father comes from Igbon and front of igbon is Agho island which owned with our grandfather..I miss a lot all the islands of concepcion.
Claudia villarias
living now in Norway
Another Boracay in the making kon matabu. I wish nga masugudan ang construction. Cheers for ILOILO Province! :)
Its amazing, I hope we can visit the place soon, very soon while it is still starting up, inlike Boracay, now very congested…Concepcion island is still considered as untouched paradise for me…
correction “unlike Boracay” sorry
I love Concepcion… It is where my mother’s side grew up. My granpa as former local principal, may grandma as former local teacher, my aunt as former local doctor… even proud the Edu Manzano came from that drug-free province. nice beaches also.
Love..love…love Concepcion,born and raised,,my family’s are still there..but im living here now in usa,,but i missed my home town,dinala ko ang husband and my son sa concepcion twice and they just feel in love to it,,the peolpe,the isda and shrimp,,,ohhhh.but we’re planning to baskasyon there in 2011.
I love You Concepcion MwaAh!!!!!
iloilo polopinia concepcion wait us there! we missed you so much! Muuaahh!
I will be visiting Panay Island on the 25th to 30th. I will arrive in Iloilo and will be leaving for Manila from Roxas City. How far is Concepcion from Iloilo city? Also, I might be travelling alone or with just one more person. Would that cost me more or can I hitch in with other groups when going to the Islands? thanks
To Jen,
It takes two and a half hours from Iloilo to Concepcion. U ca ride in a passenger bout or rent. You can inform me if you can a travel guide.
yehey….come back home to my beloved town concepcion this coming december….kitakits mga friendzzzzssssss…..
aahm, im proud to announce that i grew up in the amazing white sand island of Malangabang….. I brought friends and my family in that beautiful island.. I have a lot of good memories in that island.. again, in one of my schedules to visit the island owned by Ciriaco family.
I really love concepcion…most especially tambaliza, a place where i always enjoy my summer vacation…agho island, i have a lot of good memories there…malangabang island, a place were sir joel ciriaco grew up…igbon island, hayyy…so much to say, never mind…
I LOVE CONCEPCION & PROUD to be a native of Tambaliza….
Hi there guys! Concepcion Festa is nearer! this December 08, 2010. Come and see there beautiful lights, eat delicious sea foods at there food court and enjoy travel in there white sand beaches.
Hi there guys! Concepcion Fiesta is nearer! this December 08, 2010. Come and see there beautiful lights, eat delicious sea foods at there food court and enjoy travel in there white sand beaches.
Indeed as read all your comments about Concepcion and those scenic beautiful islands I really missed my younger days traversing to & fro all of those islands with my father with “de-layag baladra nga baruto”. One of these days will stay down there for good as a full pledge retiree. See you all there guys one day. . .
im indian , i visit on 6 jan 2011 , i love concepcions beauty
wow!thanks for posting dif.island of concepcion.im a nitive of concepcion..miss my home town so much…
Hi, I really love the lands of my grandparents and they look nice and loving. will one day live there. lives in Ghana
I been with some of these islands danao ,polopina,bulubadiangan such a lovely places to spent summer vacation, walking along the beach is enjoyable, going to tambaliza people there are so friendly , i ate lots of fresh seafoods, and gathered lots of shells , what a memeorable experience next time i will be visiting pa de azucar and when i told my officemates about this place they want to go with me next visit.
I dived on the Island of Boracay in July 2008 and I would be interested to learn if there are any dive sites supported by dive shops in this area of Iloilo
Best regards
if u wnt 2 go there jst contact us and we will serve u da best,.,.,. contact lester mark service boat.,.,.,. at accomodation,.,.,.
ur just txt us 09303950838 n diz #,.,.,. so dat u cn tour n concepcion island wer u cn see da beauty of da ilo2 concepcion.,.,., da pande azucar view and many more.,.,., tnx,,.,.
I’ve been to Agho Island with friends last sunday May 22, 2011. Its really a breathtaking view…kahit takot ako sa pagbabyahe sa dagat ng matagal I managed to conquer my fears just to see and visit the island…aside from Agho marami pa kaming madadaanang isla.Hopefully to visit again and the other island in Concepcion.
Hi! Which islands offer an accommodation for overnight stay? And also, what time does the pump-boat leave from the mainland going to a specific island? How much does an island hopping day tour cost? I’ll be coming from Cebu. Salamat!
@Paulo Neri try to contact our Toursim Officer Mr. Jim Pendon hr is his mobile no. 09997710086. Ty
may lupa kmi dyan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ nette napaka humble mo naman. i thought 8s only on the ader side dat ppol boast pati rin pla d2.
@nette_caberoy … i heard that … It’s amazing Island… and I always passed that place everytime… its enchanting…. :) hahahaha
i spent half of my life there. tell u, one of the best place on earth, a combination of simple countryside living with a touch of genuine ilonggo hospitality. plus the beauty, the feeling, and the experience. bring your children there. let them enjoy what i’ve experienced. you’ll see… i really want to sneak there. soon…