Mindoro Occidental - The Quaint Town of Sta. Cruz

I never heard of this quaint town not until "Promding Lagalag" invited me for a trip to Occidental Mindoro last month. My life is kinda messed up during that time, so when he asked me to accompany him, I quickly said "yes!". It is somehow my way to "escape" from the metropolis even just for a while.

Municipal Building
The town of Sta. Cruz is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro. Composed of 11 barangays, it has a population of 26,887 people in 5,407 households (2000 census). Approximately 170 km south of Manila, it would take you around 6 hours to reach this town via a RORO ship from Batangas City.


The main reason why we're here is for my friend to do some errands in the municipal hall. So, while we're waiting for the offices to open, we took some time to rest in the nipa huts located in the municipal grounds. I even slept in here while waiting him to finish the documents he needs to process.

Here are some of our "killing time" moments.









There is nothing much to see in this town, so we decided to just go to Sablayan after, the tourism capital of the province.

How to get there
1. From Manila, take a bus bound for Batangas City pier, Travel time is around 2.5 hours, fare is about 170 pesos.

2. Take a RORO boat going to Abra de Ilog. Montenegro Shipping Lines regularly ply the Batangas City - Abra de Ilog route. Fare is 208 pesos, travel time is around 3 hours. Check out their website www.montenegrolines.com.ph for the trip schedules.

3. From Abra de Ilog, take a bus bound for San Jose, it will pass by the municipal hall of Sta. Cruz. Fare is 120 pesos, travel time is about an hour.

This 3-day escape to the land of Tamaraws and Mangyans happened last January 14-16, 2011. Here is a series of posts on our trip to one of the most underrated tourist destinations in our country, Occidental Mindoro. Discover the places we've been to, the people we met, the food we tasted and the experience we gained in this remarkable escapade. "A 3-day Escape to the Land of Mangyans and Tamaraws" | The Quaint Town of Sta. Cruz | Amazing Sablayan! | Pandan Island, a Simple yet Comfortable Hideaway | The Capital Municipality of Mamburao

FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES ON YOUTUBE @PinoyAdventurista

Thank You For Sharing!