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Exploring Isabela’s BLUE LAGOON: Palanan’s Mysterious Natural Wonder

Posted by Karl Olivier Jamandra on

Have you ever been to a place where you were really stunned by its beauty even though you’ve already seen a lot of natural wonders before? I can say without apprehensions that I actually felt this when me and my travel barkada, the Shembot Squad, visited the mysterious lagoon in the coastal town of Palanan in the province of Isabela.

The Stunning Blue Lagoon of Palanan, Isabela!

There’s something enchanting about this place in Bgy. Villa Robles that we couldn’t quite understand. Its bright blue waters lured my mind to wonder, and led me to savor it in ways I could, which I obediently followed. I took lots of pictures and videos of this mysterious lagoon, making me ponder about lots of things about it. What makes it so blue? How deep can it be? Questions like these piqued my curiosity.

GORGEOUS RED DRAGON FLY. This beautiful creature is only one of the many dragonflies in the area. It kind of looks mysterious, too, ‘no?

In this blog, I would try to answer some of these questions and more. Let me take you to a tour of the place, which not all visitors of Palanan are lucky enough to visit.

CRYSTAL CLEAR. Look at how clear and blue its water is!

IS THE BLUE LAGOON REALLY A LAGOON?

By definition, a lagoon means an area of salt water separated from the sea or ocean by a reef. As the Blue Lagoon in Palanan is far from any body of sea water, this definition immediately dismisses the assumption that it is a lagoon. Based on what I have observed, I consider the “Blue Lagoon” as a lake, which is defined as an area filled with water surrounded by land. But for the purpose of helping promote this wonderful body of water through this travel blog, we’re going to call it by its name – Blue Lagoon.

Its bluish waters is really enchanting, don’t you agree?

WHERE IS THE BLUE LAGOON?

The Blue Lagoon is located in Bgy. Villa Robles (as mentioned at the start), which is about 4 to 5 kilometers away from the town proper of Palanan. It is not that far if you’re going to consider the distance per se, but because the roads connecting these two places are rough, the travel going here via tricycle can take you about 30 minutes or more.

PATHWAY. You’d have to walk through mud going to the Blue Lagoon especially if it has rained the night before or early in the morning.

After reaching the jump-off point, you’d have to walk for about 10 to 15 minutes to reach the lagoon. Even from a distance, I was immediately awed by its standout color and unexplainable allure. When I finally reached it, I could honestly say that the Blue Lagoon is one of the most beautiful bodies of water that I’ve ever seen!

HOW CAN I GO TO THE BLUE LAGOON?

From the town proper, you can ask drivers of tricycles if they can accompany you to the Blue Lagoon back and forth from town. You have to pay P500, which is already good for 3 pax, two-way.

PARANAN FARMER. The people of Palanan are called Paranan, which is also the name they call their language. I asked “manong” if I could take a picture of him and his carabao and he agreed. This was taken along the pathway leading to the lagoon.

WHAT CAN I DO IN THE BLUE LAGOON?

This is a good question. One can say you should definitely swim here so you can enjoy its cold, refreshing waters. What held most of us back to swim, though, was its depth – nobody really knows how deep it is! But if you’re confident enough to swim along its clear waters, then go ahead. Just be extra cautious.

ENJOYING THE COOL WATERS. Here are some of the local kids enjoying the lagoon when we went there!

Because most of us didn’t swim, we just enjoyed the place taking pictures and videos with our cellphones, cameras and drone. Speaking of drone, one such fascinating thing that happened here in Blue Lagoon is that when our friend, Flip, was about to use his drone while we were on the raft in the middle of the lagoon, it only flew for a few feet! The reason as it appeared on his device was that it already reached the distance limit, which somehow gave us an idea of how deep the lagoon is.

THE SHEMBOT SQUAD! Here are the members of our travel group who were able to visit the Blue Lagoon: Flip, Denmark, Brye, Ardee, Gerard, Andrew and myself.
ANOTHER ANGLE. This is basically us in the same raft as before but in a different angle in the lagoon. Haha! The color of the lagoon here is kind of different from the others in this blog, and it has something to do with the grading done in the picture.

Did I mention raft? Yes, you can enjoy better in the lagoon by renting a raft that can transport you from one of its sides to another. You can pass the time here, feeling the cool breeze as you ponder about the place. In our case, we were listening to some old songs courtesy of Mayor Den, the monicker of our Shembot brother, Denmark) while we were chatting with each other.

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS. I love this picture I took of the kids who were just swimming here in the Blue Lagoon. I did not know what they were talking about, but just by basing on their smiles, I knew they were having a great time.

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I hope I get to inspire you to travel to Palanan and visit this stunning place, guys! Before ending this blog post, what do you think, is the Blue Lagoon really a lagoon or not? Why is it so blue? How deep do you think it is? Tell me your thoughts below!

A MUST VISIT. Don’t forget to visit the Blue Lagoon when you go to Palanan, okay?

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