There are several attractions Camiguin can boast of. We however, only have a day and a half to see all of them so we chose what seems to be the best for our preference from the seemingly interesting list. Besides snorkeling in Mantigue Island and Sunken Cemetery, we were also able to visit the famous White Island and the relaxing Ardent Hotspring.
As its name implies, White Island has a pearly white sand in a crescent shape but is extended with curving sandbar that is possible to walk on during low tide. The sand is mainly powdery yet on some parts of the sandbar are shell bits that might be a bit uncomfortable to the naked feet. This is a very small island devoid of any trees so it is advisable to go here early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid too much sun. Sunblock and hats are also helpful. We arrived there 3PM and the sun greatly turned my skin darker, nevertheless it didn't stop me from having a blast.
The water in the island is so clear that you can see your feet clearly while standing in a shoulder deep water. I'm about 5'3". The island has a lovely backdrop of the the surrounding volcanoes located in the main land - Mt. Hibok-hibok, Old Volcano and Mt. Mambajao.
The current is kind of strong that day we visited and several times I found myself being dragged to a different direction than where I was supposed to head to. That is something tourists should be careful about. We planned on waiting for the sunset to witness how it would look like in the island. Unfortunately, waves started to be rough and were advised to leave before it gets even rougher. So we did.
Reaching White Island is a breeze. We took a motorella that would take us to Brgy. Yumbing. It is about a 15 minute ride and we paid Php60 for all 5 of us. We were dropped near Paras Resort and just walked to the table at the end of the street where we paid for our boat ride. Tourism in Camiguin is admiringly well organized. We paid Php400 for the boat (for maximum of 8 pax) and Php20 each for the environmental fee.
There were a number of stalls near the boat area selling souvenirs. After an hour of checking out some, we rode another motorella going to Ardent Hotspring. We have an agreement with the driver to take us back to our hotel in Mambajao. That is advisable since Ardent is not very accessible and would take about a 35-40 minute drive to/from Mambajao. Transportation may not be readily available especially at night. We paid Php160. For those who want to stay in Ardent for a night, they offer accommodation.
Upon arriving in Ardent, we paid Php30 entrance before being able to enter the gate that would lead to the different pools. Excitedly, I checked out the different temperatures of the pool. It was my first time to dip in a natural heated water. The water is coming from the natural spring of Mt. Hibok-hibok, one of the active volcanoes in the country. The highest they got is 39 degrees, a result of combining the hotspring water with cold water yet I found it too hot so it took me a few minutes soaking up in the less hot pools first before finally dipping here. It was uncomfortable in the first few minutes but felt truly relaxing afterwards.
It was a perfect treat for my sore muscles after a tiring day of swimming and snorkeling in two of Camiguin's islands. I wanted to have stayed here longer if only it didn't rain so hard and we don't have a place to leave our things. Not wanting to get them wet, we decided it's time to leave. The time I spent in the hot pool, meeting new faces and sharing stories with them is one of the highlights for our Camiguin trip for me. :)
As its name implies, White Island has a pearly white sand in a crescent shape but is extended with curving sandbar that is possible to walk on during low tide. The sand is mainly powdery yet on some parts of the sandbar are shell bits that might be a bit uncomfortable to the naked feet. This is a very small island devoid of any trees so it is advisable to go here early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid too much sun. Sunblock and hats are also helpful. We arrived there 3PM and the sun greatly turned my skin darker, nevertheless it didn't stop me from having a blast.
The water in the island is so clear that you can see your feet clearly while standing in a shoulder deep water. I'm about 5'3". The island has a lovely backdrop of the the surrounding volcanoes located in the main land - Mt. Hibok-hibok, Old Volcano and Mt. Mambajao.
The current is kind of strong that day we visited and several times I found myself being dragged to a different direction than where I was supposed to head to. That is something tourists should be careful about. We planned on waiting for the sunset to witness how it would look like in the island. Unfortunately, waves started to be rough and were advised to leave before it gets even rougher. So we did.
Reaching White Island is a breeze. We took a motorella that would take us to Brgy. Yumbing. It is about a 15 minute ride and we paid Php60 for all 5 of us. We were dropped near Paras Resort and just walked to the table at the end of the street where we paid for our boat ride. Tourism in Camiguin is admiringly well organized. We paid Php400 for the boat (for maximum of 8 pax) and Php20 each for the environmental fee.
There were a number of stalls near the boat area selling souvenirs. After an hour of checking out some, we rode another motorella going to Ardent Hotspring. We have an agreement with the driver to take us back to our hotel in Mambajao. That is advisable since Ardent is not very accessible and would take about a 35-40 minute drive to/from Mambajao. Transportation may not be readily available especially at night. We paid Php160. For those who want to stay in Ardent for a night, they offer accommodation.
Upon arriving in Ardent, we paid Php30 entrance before being able to enter the gate that would lead to the different pools. Excitedly, I checked out the different temperatures of the pool. It was my first time to dip in a natural heated water. The water is coming from the natural spring of Mt. Hibok-hibok, one of the active volcanoes in the country. The highest they got is 39 degrees, a result of combining the hotspring water with cold water yet I found it too hot so it took me a few minutes soaking up in the less hot pools first before finally dipping here. It was uncomfortable in the first few minutes but felt truly relaxing afterwards.
It was a perfect treat for my sore muscles after a tiring day of swimming and snorkeling in two of Camiguin's islands. I wanted to have stayed here longer if only it didn't rain so hard and we don't have a place to leave our things. Not wanting to get them wet, we decided it's time to leave. The time I spent in the hot pool, meeting new faces and sharing stories with them is one of the highlights for our Camiguin trip for me. :)
Nice blog. Which resort did you stay? Last august we stayed at Pabua's Cottages also near Paras. Very cheap and affordable cottages.
ReplyDeleteWould love to go back some day...
Thanks Remko. We stayed in Cabua-an Beach Resort near the town center. Here's my review of their accommodation.
ReplyDeletehttp://mybackpackdiaries.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-review-of-cabuan-beach-resort.html