Survivors @ Gota Village Resort, Caramoan

Gota beach

Caramoan Peninsula has always been a gem but it was pretty much unknown to the outside world before several international versions (France, Israel, Sweden, Bulgaria etc.) of the hit reality game show Survivor showcased it. Caramoan’s beauty and remoteness must have drawn the attention of the producers and it’s been instrumental in giving these islands the attention they deserved.

Gota village resort in barangay Ilawod, managed by the CamSur provincial government, is where the Survivor crew stays when they are filming and the set pieces used in previous installments of the show are also here.

gorgeous!

We just got to see it of course, so after our Sabitang Laya adventure, we decided to visit the resort and Gota beach. It was raining really hard again and the waves were just huge so our boatman advised that it would be better for us to go there via habal-habal (tricycle). So off we went, we even had to help push the habal-habal up a particularly steep section of road, which was strangely fun.

potholes galore

Be warned though, Caramoan roads alternate between nicely paved and not paved at all. There are stretches of dirt roads, so it can get rough when it’s raining, especially if the tricycle tires get stuck in a pothole. I hope with the sudden influx of tourist money into the provincial coffers, something might be done about these muddy, slippery roads.

the cabanas

Survivor Israel set

Survivor Sweden

the "tribal council"...
You’ll have to pay a ₱300 entrance fee to get into the resort, luckily our tour guide and cousin-in-law Davey works for the province so we got a discount and only paid ₱100 to get in. My sister Anne actually stayed at a cottage here a few days before for ₱3500/day, so it’s a lot pricier compared to the other accommodations in town

roll it!

the gang

Gota beach is charming with awesome hills and limestone rock formations. The set pieces used in several editions of Survivor are indeed here and the security guard on duty was nice enough to regale us with his stories about the show… apparently a contestant from Bulgaria died of a heart attack here, poor guy. We had a lot of fun pretending to take part in a tribal council and did some serious cam-whoring (again), rain and strong winds be darned. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Update: Survivor USA is filming in Caramoan

This notice from the Camarines Sur Provincial Government was posted at every major intersection in CamSur when I went home for Easter. The best islands are closed for Survivor filming until August 2012, so plan your trip accordingly. But if you really want to visit, at least you can still go to the Manlawi Sandbar in Lahuy Island, which in my opinion is worth the trip.