Exploring the Beautiful Island of Camiguin

During our trip to Cagayan de Oro, we couldn't pass up the chance to visit Camiguin. It is a small island found just north of Mindanao. Our guides during our white water rafting trip told us that there was a great mix of natural attractions that would interest us on the island. True to form, we were able to visit a breathtaking waterfall, a relaxing hot spring and a gorgeous white sand beach.

To get to Camiguin, we woke up at 3:00 AM (not an easy feat considering we were dead-tired after Day 1) and rode a motorela to the CDO Bus Terminal. From there, we took an hour and a half bus ride to the Balingoan port and then rode a ferry for another two hours. The total price for the one way travel was around 300 pesos. Alternatively, you can take a Sea Cat ferry from the CDO port to Camiguin for around 600 pesos one way but I do not recommend this since the ride was uncomfortable (unlike the Super Cat ferry ride from Cebu to Bohol).

Once we got there, we rented a multi-cab that would take us around the island for only 1,700 pesos for the whole day.

Our first stop is the Katibawasan Falls. I think this is the first time I've ever been up close and personal with a waterfall and it was just amazing. The 15 minutes or so we had there was well-spent frolicking in the cool waters in the pool below the falls.

Next, we decided to head on to one of the many springs on the island, Ardent Hot Springs. It was the perfect hot spring for me since I'm not a big fan of really, really hot water, especially in the summer-y March weather. Why? The hot water is mixed with cool water from the mountain in some of the pools so it wasn't too hot. They do keep another two pools with really hot water for those who prefer it. We had our lunch in the restaurant and the food was pretty decent. Just don't believe them when they say the serving is good for one to two people when I'm pretty sure it's good for at most four.

After swimming for about an hour or two, we took a 15-minute drive to the jump off point for boats heading to White Island. For another 15 minutes (via boat this time), we were taken to picturesque sand bar with a fantastic view of the Camiguin island, fine white sand and sparkling blue waters. It is easily a lot like the famous island of Boracay without the heavy commercialization dotting the shore. The boat we hired left us there for a fun-filled two hours of laying down on the sand underneath the beach umbrella and taking a dip in the cool and clean Bohol Sea.

We were almost too sad to go but we had to head to the port to catch the Sea Cat ferry back to the CDO port (again not recommended). I certainly wish we could have stayed overnight on the island so we could see the other treasures that it holds for its tourists, particularly the creepy yet interesting Sunken Cemetery and the unique Bura Natural Soda Water Swimming Pool.