Landmark· Luzon (Calatagan, Batangas)· Philippines
Cape Santiago Lighthouse (Calatagan)
13° 46.3′ N · 120° 39.2′ E
A red brick-and-lime Spanish lighthouse from the 1890s, built like a small medieval castle on the south-west tip of Luzon. It marks the turn from the South China Sea into the Verde Island Passage.
Practical
Position: OSM node 311481583, from the 2019 Philippine Coast Guard lighthouse list (ref STL-003, operated by PCG Batangas Station); OSM records the light as Fl(2) W 10s, 27 m, 15 NM. Wikipedia says it is about 16 m tall, is the oldest structure in Calatagan, and that its original light is missing and a JICA-donated replacement bulb is no longer in use for lack of funding, so do not rely on the light being lit. The cape is 91-116 m high and wooded, a drying reef extends about 0.16 km offshore, and depths drop from 7-9 m at the reef edge to more than 91 m about 0.8 km out. Minerva Rock, a dangerous coral rock, lies about 6.4 km south-east of the cape. Wikivoyage: reached by about 40 minutes of jeepney ride on a semi-rough road from Calatagan town (Barangay Bagong Silang). Sail The Philippines: strong ebb streams here run east to west and the flood west to east; in the NE monsoon the flood can raise a short stretch of rough, almost square waves, so round the cape with the tide. Calatagan, just north, has a good anchorage in an inlet at its southern end (Sail The Philippines; OSM Calatagan Port 13.82242N 120.62849E).
Best for
A landmark visit and the Verde Island Passage turning mark
Nearby
- Cape Santiago Drop-off (trolling ground)0.6 NM away
- Calatagan Port (Lubang Ferries)3.3 NM away
- Pagapas Bay Anchorage (Calatagan)3.6 NM away
- Calatagan Public Market3.7 NM away
- Lago de Oro Cable Ski Park (Calatagan)8.9 NM away
- Matabungkay Balsa Festival10.8 NM away
- Matabungkay Beach10.8 NM away
- Sombrero Island11.2 NM away