Camiguin Island, also known as the “The Island of Fire” is one of the most well known tourist destination in the Philippines. A small island but does not fall short of offering various fun and exciting adventures.
Camiguin is just near my hometown Cagayan de Oro City (CDO). I have been to the island a few times already (my mom grew up there) and I still feel excited everytime I visit. So if it’s your first time and intends to travel DIY, let me help you with some tips and guidelines on how to get there and make the most out of your visit without spending tons. 😉
HOW TO GET THERE:
CDO AGORA TERMINAL-BALINGOAN PORT
From Cagayan de Oro City, you will ride a bus from AGORA TERMINAL. The bus should be bound to Butuan City but advise the conductor beforehand that you will only be dropping by BALINGOAN TERMINAL. It is just approximately more or less 2 hours travel time from Agora to Balingoan. The bus fare is Php 148.00.
From Balingoan terminal, just take a short walk going to BALINGOAN PORT (You may ask locals for directions).
BALINGOAN PORT-BENONI PORT
At Balingoan Port, you will now be riding a ferry boat bound to BENONI, Camiguin Island. Ferry ride will only take an hour. As for us, we traveled from CDO as early as 3am so we can catch the earliest 5am ferry trip. Ticket fare cost Php 170.00 (my boyfriend said it is expensive for an hour of ferry ride, hehe..) and a terminal fee of Php 15.oo.
Upon arriving to Benoni Port of Camiguin, do expect that there will be persistent “habal-habal” drivers who would offer you transportation around the island. “Habal-habal”is a local term for single motorcycles that you can use to tour around. If you have your driving license with you, and you want to explore the island on your own, you may want to rent this one. They usually offer it for Php 500.00 for a whole day rental excluding gas. Or if you can’t drive, you may also hire the driver for a whole day tour for Php 800-1,000.00 (may also depend on your haggling skills). But if you are into a much more budgeted transpo like us, you can ride a tricycle “motorela” for just Php 8.00 or jeepney for Php 25.00. And well, we chose the tricycle since it is much more affordable, plus our first stop is just a few distance away.
1ST DAY:
MANTIGUE ISLAND
Our first stop, Mantigue Island. The island is known for its fine white sand beach, and snorkeling and diving activities. From Benoni Port, we rode a tricycle straight to Mantigue Island Port. From there, we rented a pump boat for Php 550.00 (back and forth) good for 6 persons. You can wait for others to share your boat ride and expenses with, but you’ll also have to settle the same time of leaving the island, since you’ll be riding the same boat altogether. But you can also rent the boat all on your own if you like.
There are also other minor fees such as an Environmental fee of Php 20.00.
HOTEL/RESORT
We stayed at Mantigue Island the whole morning and decided to head now to our hotel. There are several resorts and hotels in Camiguin to choose from but since we visited during a very peak season (Holy Week), resorts seem quite pricey for us. We rode a jeepney to GV Hotel where we stayed (you may also search for other hotels/resorts). It is quite the cheapest among all the other hotels but decent enough for a night stay. Perfect for backpackers like us. It is located at the heart of Mambajao, the capital of Camiguin.
Standard Single Room= Php 475.00; Standard Double Room= Php 580.00; Family Room (3pax)= Php 860.00.
KATIBAWASAN FALLS
After a few hours of rest in the hotel, we headed to our next stop. Katibawasan Falls. The falls in known for its tall height and cool water, perfect for beating the summer heat. The falls closes at 5pm, so better be there earlier. From our hotel, we rented “habal-habal” this time since tricycles could not make it to the falls due to the uphill road. The “habal-habal” cost Php 50.00 per person per destination. You may also rent multicabs or jeepneys if you are travelling in group. A Php 30.00 entrance fee will be collected at the gate.
ARDENT HOT SPRING
The same “habal-habal” driver (since he insisted to wait for us) took us to our last stop for the day, Ardent Hot Spring. It is one of the most popular hot spring in the island. Perfect to end the cool summer night. The entrance fee is Php 30.00. You can also bring your food with you inside the premises just make sure to dispose your garbage properly.
We headed back to our hotel and still the same “habal-habal” driver took us. We were charged Php 150.00 each for our trip from Hotel-Katibawasan Falls-Ardent Hot Spring- Hotel. He seems very friendly and nice though, so we did not insist with our haggling, hehe.. 😀
2ND DAY:
WHITE ISLAND
The next day, we headed as early as 6am to our destination. The famous, White Island. It is an uninhabited white sandbar. There are no trees, vegetation, or shelter of any kind, so better get ready to get sunkissed all the way! From our hotel, we rode a colored green tricycle going to the market, and rode another colored orange tricycle going to Yumbing where the port of White Island is located. At the port, we rented a pump boat for Php 450.00. You can rent the boat on your own or wait for other group to share it with. Another Php 20.00 for environmental fee will be collected as well.
At the island, big umbrellas are for rent which will serve as your shade at a price of Php 150.00 or less (do haggling skills here) , and vendors selling food and beverages at reasonable prices. There are also tables for rent. And do make sure to never ever forget your sunblock guys! The heat is real here!
The island is really dazzling and beautiful. The water is very clean, sparkling clear, and absolutely inviting. We stayed for a few hours but since the heat is now getting really high, we decided to head back to our hotel to get ready for check out.
TAGUINES LAGOON
After checking out from the hotel, we now headed back to Benoni. We rode a tricycle going to the market, and rode a jeepney bound to Benoni Port. But before we got our tickets for CDO, we first took our lunch at Taguines Lagoon. At the port, we rode “habal-habal” to the lagoon for a fare of only Php 10.00 each since the place is just quite near from the port.
The restaurant offers a variety of filipino dishes and seafood freshly fished from their fishpen. The view of the lagoon is also nice. Aside from the restaurant, the place also offers recreational activities such as Zipline.
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BENONI PORT- BALINGOAN PORT- CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY
After our lunch, we now headed back to Benoni Port, got our ferry tickets, traveled back to Balingoan and then Cagayan de Oro City. The fare prices and terminal fees are the same.
TIPS:
- Since we only have a limited weekend off, this trip is done only for a day and a half visiting our favorite sites. You can opt to stay for longer and enjoy the rest of the day with a complete tour around the island. You can visit other historical and tourist sites such as the: Sunken Cemetery, Sto. Nino Cold Spring, Tuasan Falls, Old Church Ruins, Bura Soda Water Park, Giant Clam Sanctuary, and Camiguin Zipline. They are all located at the other half side of Camiguin.
- There will be available food stalls around the island, so you need not worry about it.
- If you will travel during a peak season, make sure to call the hotel/resort prior for reservation.
- Be as early as possible (5am-6am) when going to White Island or Mantigue Island. It really gets super hot in there super fast. Never forget your sunscreen..
- You can pay the “habal-habal” (single motorcycle) driver at the end of the whole day tour. You wanna make sure he’ll come back or wait for you, right? 😀 Please offer lunch or snacks by the way.
- If you plan to buy souvenirs, souvenir shops are available around the spots.
- This trip involves a lot of swimming, so you might wanna bring a little more extra clothing.
Hope you enjoy your Camiguin Island experience! Please feel free to like or leave a comment. See you around ❤
simplyeleanor 
Thanks! 🙂
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nice! =)
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