Camiguin, or the Island Born of Fire, is a tiny island located in the Bohol Sea. It was a 30 minute flight from Cebu (although scheduled as a 45 minute flight.) Approaching the island by air, you can’t help but notice the lush bold green of the island and large volcano peaks. You also can’t miss the white awkwardly shaped landmass in the middle of the ocean. Turns out this is White Island, an uninhabited white sand bar that’s viewable from the resort we were staying at.

Unlike the other places we’ve been staying at in the Philippines, Camiguin does not have any major cities and it is not primarily known for its beaches. It’s a tiny island where everyone knows everyone. You can drive around the entire island via a circumferential road that’s merely 64km (40 miles) long. Don’t let the size fool you though! It’s teenie tiny, but this place is packed with things to do because of its varying geographic features.

During our first full day on the island, we rented a van with a driver who doubled as our tour guide. From what I remember, it was roughly 3000 pesos (not including entrance fees to attractions.) The plan was to drive around the island and stop at any attractions we found interesting.

Our first stop was the Walkway to the Old Volcano. I’ve been itching to hike something, and we thought this would be a great way to get some views of the island. The hike up was fairly easy. The path started out with paved steps and then gave way to a dirt path. As we hiked, there were 14 life-sized Stations of the Cross starting from when “Jesus is condemned to death” until when “Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.” (bestspotsph.com) Although Corey and I are not religious, we can respect that this is a famous pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics and still found it interesting to have Alan explain what was being depicted at each station. The only downside was that we were expecting to be able to hike to the peak, but the trail ended about halfway up.

We were still able to catch some great scenery including seeing the cross of the Sunken Cemetery. The volcano we were hiking, Mt. Vulcan, erupted in 1871 and destroyed the town in its path. The next two attractions would’ve been the ruins at the Old Church Ruins and the Sunken Cemetery, but we opted to skip those and make our way to the Bura Soda Springs to cool off instead. I’d imagine the Sunken Cemetery to be worthwhile for divers if they weren’t freaked out diving over graves!

The Bura Soda Spring was timed perfectly! We were all drenched in sweat after our hike and found cooling off in some fresh water to be completely rejuvenating! A nice change that Alan noticed since his last visit to Camiguin was the number of locals at the soda springs. I think we were actually the only tourists there! After practicing some flips into the water and trying soda spring water for the first time, we were on our way to Tuscan Falls!

On our way to Tuscan Falls the road was partially blocked by a rock fall that just occurred. It was so recent that you can still see the dust lingering in the air. Totally worsens my fear of getting knocked over a cliff by a rolling boulder in California! Our driver asked if we wanted to continue, and we did. I opted out of swimming under the waterfalls, but Corey and Alan had a blast getting pounded by tons of falling water. They described it as getting “getting punched repeatedly” but stated, “It’s so awesome!”

The next stop was supposed to be Sto Nino Cold Springs, but upon entering we saw how ridiculously crowded the entryway was. We decided to turn around and head to the Giant Clam Sanctuary instead.

We went in without knowing what to expect. The road to the sanctuary was a winding dirt path that didn’t resemble a road at all. I only saw one plaque with the words “Giant Clam Sanctuary” and a directional arrow. Eventually we made it to an almost deserted parking area… shocking for one of the main attractions on the island. I’m already thinking that this place must be a dud. We approached the entrance area where a hut was manned by a group of children and 1 adult. There was a lengthy sign of various charges to our left- admission charges, charges to snorkel, renting the gear, renting the life vest, etc. Now I’m thinking this place is a scam. We didn’t have the slightest clue where we’d be snorkeling, but we already made it across the island so we decided to go for it anyways.

After we paid and were ready for our tour/snorkeling adventure, Alan turned around and excitedly announced that we get guides through this tour! It’s getting a little more legit now! I began walking forward on the path expecting to bump into our guide. Sadly, I didn’t see anyone… Just when I was about to ask a little girl for directions, she introduced herself to us as our tour guide! She was like 7 years old max! I’m not really sure what to think now, but couldn’t help but smile as she walked us around reciting her lines about the goldfish and guinea pigs they were caring for.

We made our way through the sanctuary and got to giant tanks with huge clams inside. These weren’t the “giant” ones, but they were wayyyyyyy bigger than I imagined a clam to be. Overlooking these pools of clams, various local kids began reciting info about the species of clams and general facts like how it takes 20 years to produce a pearl. Some online reviews complained about how unenthusiastic and monotone the kids were, but they were all trying their best and did an amazing job passing on useful info to us.

The next part of the tour was the snorkeling portion. We got suited up and began walking down the length of the beach. This was a huge relief for me, because I had a quick thought that we may end up snorkeling in tanks similar to the ones we saw earlier. Kent, our 16-year-old guide, told us that he’s been working at the sanctuary since 7! He seemed pretty excited to grab a buoy and fins and bring us into the sea.

This next part blew my mind! We were all told to grab onto a portion of the buoy while Kent swam deeper into the ocean to show us some real giant clams. We were first brought into a shallow area where rows of clams were rehabilitated. They had been moved into this area due to damage from typhoons but remained in their natural ocean environment. We got to get really close views and saw a tons of them moving! It was breathtaking!

I thought this would be the end of tour. We snorkeled. We saw rows of giant clams in the ocean. What else was there to do?

Well, Kent then brought us out further! I got freaked out initially knowing that I was swimming in open water with no vest at all, but I kept my cool, kept breathing, and calmed upon seeing everything that was underneath me. The deep sea was so zen. There were a ton of fish, coral, and clams that were 2 meters wide! Kent did a great job guiding us around the area taking time to explain the things we were about to see. In total, we spent 45 minutes snorkeling in the ocean. I still can’t believe what I saw that day! It’s safe to say that the sanctuary became the highlight of the day for all of us!

The sanctuary was such a nice surprise! It promoted respect for nature and was run by a group of youth who seemed to truly take pride in their work. The sanctuary didn’t ask for donations, but it had signs that showed where donations had been allocated to. We ended up donating to their water fund and tipped our guides. From what Alan said, their faces lit up with gratitude.

Since it was getting late, a lot of the other attractions began closing. We were hoping to zip line and go to an ostrich farm that day but ended up going straight to a hot spring to relax instead.

The next day, we went back to a restaurant that doubled as a zip lining place. It was the first time for Corey and I. We both went superman style and were hoping for an adrenaline rush, but surprisingly zip lining didn’t do it for us. It was still an awesome experience though! Plus we ate some great food in a hut on the water!

Next, we took a ferry to Mantigue Island. I was really excited for this island because I read blogs about a forest trail and also a possibility of finding turtles while snorkeling. We snorkeled for a while and saw various marine life! … no turtles though =(

imgplay_20160522023226

When we arrived on the island, we found out that our location was off for seeing turtles! If facing the island, you need to be to the far right of the dock in the middle of the ocean. Maybe next time 😉 We went to the beach and then walked through the forest trail which was a quick stroll.

The next morning, my right leg, right hip, right shoulder blade and upper abdomen broke out in hives. I have no idea what caused it. I suspect brushing up against the boat ladder while trying to put on snorkel gear. Who knows… I’m pretty sure it was some sort of hydroid sting after doing more research.

A few doses of Benadryl that knocked me out for the rest of our Camiguin stay. And then ongoing loratadine, hydrocortisone and diphenhydramine ointment up until about a week later did the trick. It was horrible though. The itching felt like it was going through my nerves at times! And I felt weird zaps/stinging superficially on my skin. So thankful that it’s over!

MUST DO NEXT TIME AROUND:
HIKE HIBOK HIBOK!!!!!! (required to hire a guide for the day)
White Island
Ostrich farm
More waterfalls
Trekking