Biri Island Travel Guide (Northern Samar)

Blog Updated on December 30, 2025 by Aldrick ‘chiki’ Agpaoa

Biri Island Overview

Located on the Northwestern part of Northern Samar Province, the municipality of Biri Island is one of the up-and-coming tourist destinations in the area. With GPS Coordinates at 12.6681° N, 124.3769° E, Biri Island was first known as “Tingiao” in Spanish maps as a landmark in preparation for their voyage to Manila.

Biri Island is now slowly being known because of its idyllic rock formations cascading one after the other and the laidback atmosphere of the way of living here. As a traveler, Biri is a “pretty hard to miss” tourist destination in Northern Samar – simply because the one hour ride from Lavezares is worth it and the views are just relaxing.

The locals are very friendly (and funny to be with – especially my guide, kuya JR Galvez). The place is serene and almost untouched as you can enjoy some of the rock formations from a distance, giving a panoramic view of the popular rock formations.

Read also: Turista Boy’s Best of 2025

Best time to go to Biri Island

The Philippines has two major weather systems – the wet and dry seasons. Visiting Biri Island would be best during the months of March to May where you can see a clear, 360-degree view of the Pacific and the whole island of Biri. The Temperature Range in Biri island is from 22 to 32 °C (71.6 to 89.6 °F). The warmest months when visiting Biri Island are from March-April (DRY), and the coolest months are from June to February (WET).

How to get to Biri Island

Getting to Biri Island is easy, there are major transportation hubs from the nearby towns of Lavezares, Catarman, and Allen. Here are the travel options:

By Land

Biri Island can easily be reached via the town of Lavezares. If you are coming from the town of Allen, you can simply ride a modern jeepney from the Allen Transport Terminal. The jeepney fare is only ₱ 23 (as of December 2025).  The ride is only 15 to 20 minutes and alight from the Lavezares Municipal Hall. From there, walk your way to the Lavezares Public Market and the Lavezares Port is just behind it.

By Air

The nearest airport from Biri Island is the Catarman Airport (IATA: CRM) in the capital municipality of Catarman, Northern Samar. The airport services the Manila and Cebu routes. Only Philippine Airlines operates in this airport. The airport is approximately 1 hour away from the town of Lavezares, the jump-off point going to Biri. 

Alternatively, you can opt to land in Bicol International Airport (IATA: DRP) in Daraga, Albay or in Calbayog Airport (IATA: CYP) in Calbayog City, Samar. Bicol Airport involves a 1 hour water crossing from Matnog, Sorsogon to Allen, Northern Samar. The Calbayog Airport is approximately 2 to 3 hours away from Lavezares and only flies via Cebu (operated by CebGo of Cebu Pacific).

By Water

The only way to reach Biri Island is via boat from the town of Lavezares. The boat ride takes around 1 hour to 1.5 hours (depending on weather conditions) and the fare is around ₱ 150 to ₱ 200 (depending on passenger count and boat size). For bigger boats, you will alight directly from the Biri Port in the town center, for smaller motor bancas, you will alight at the Palhugan Pump Boat Port (10-15 minutes away from the Biri Town Center).

Things to know about when visiting Biri Island

Land Area	24.62 km² (9.51 mi²) *⅓ of the size of US’ District of Columbia
Languages / Dialects spoken	Waray, Filipino, English
Cellular Signal (Globe, Smart, Dito)	Globe: Fair to Poor Smart: Fair  Dito: N/A
Socket Standard, voltage (V), frequency (Hz)	Type A: Two Parallel Pins Type B: Two Parallel Pins and 1 Grounding Pin Type C: Two Round Pins Voltage: 220 V Frequency: 60 Hz
Modes of Payment	Cash is King in Biri Island though some establishments accept Digital Wallet Transfers (i.e. GCash). You cannot use your credit cards on Biri Island.
Currency used	Philippine Peso (PH₱)

Basic Waray Sentences / Phrase you might need to know

– Hi / Hello = Hi / Hello

– Goodbye = Makadi na ako

– Thank you (very much) = Damo nga Salamat!

– Please = Alayon

– How Much = Pira / Tagpira

– Good morning = Maupay nga Adlaw

– Good afternoon = Maupay nga Hapon

– Good evening = Maupay nga Gabi

– How are you? = Kumusta?

– Delicious = Marasa!

Exploring in and out of Biri Island

Since Biri is an island municipality off the coast of Northern Samar, the main modes of transportation are boats (going to and from the mainland), and habal-habal that can seat 3 to 4 people. Minimum fare of boats (to and from mainland) is from ₱ 150 per way. The habal-habal drivers, on the other hand, charge a minimum of ₱ 30 to 50, depending on the distance of your destination. There is literally no traffic within the island municipality as it is sparsely populated. It can get busy during peak hours (school days, town events). The road conditions are about 90% paved. Some portions are land roads. Overall, Biri Island is very navigable and you can enjoy its sights in one whole day!

*Note that the places, prices, and information written as of publication date and time are true and are given best during my visit. Changes may occur without prior notice. If you notice any changes to the information given above, you can e-mail me here so we can dish things up!*

We’re born to travel!