Calvin’s Hub

Like what I said in my previous post, Camiguin is not known for its beaches (you have to ride a boat to get to a good one) but more for its history, falls, hot and cold springs, lanzones and its seven volcanoes. The only remaining active volcano is Mt. Hibok Hibok with its last eruption in 1953 and is also popular among mountaineers.

How to tour Camiguin

If you don’t have a private transportation, the only way for you to tour the island is via multicab (small jeepney) or habal habal (motorcycle). Motorelas can’t traverse some steep areas that you need to get to.

You can rent motorcycles for a day for Php300 or hire a multicab for Php1500. Since I’m not confident in using a motorcycle, our only option was a multicab. This is quite pricey for two people but we couldn’t find others to split the cost with.

We haggled the price of our multicab down to Php1000 since we didn’t require our driver to go to the other side of the island for the other tourist spots. Ruby of Paguia Inn arranged our purple transportation and we set off after a quick lunch.

There are fruit vendors along the road selling cheap lanzones (Php35 a kilo) which you can munch throughout your trip.

Station of the Cross

Our first stop was the Station of the Cross. This is a popular place during Holy Week where devotees make their way up the walkway which the natives call “the hundred steps of the history of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.”

The uphill walkway has 14 stations depicting Christ’s crucifixion. It was hot and we didn’t feel like completing all 14 stations. We stopped at number 5. Hehehe.

Sunken Cemetery

The story of the Sunken Cemetery is quite interesting. In 1871, one of the island’s volcano, Mt. Vulcan, erupted with the people fleeing to the sea but hundreds still perished. In 1875, it erupted again but this time, it buried the whole capital including the cemetery in lava sinking it to the sea.

Obviously, the cross is not part of  the original cemetery. It was built in 1982 to mark the site that became the graves of the ancestors of the Camiguin people.

High tide was just starting and we were still able to see the sunken gravestones around the cross. You can rent a row boat if you want to visit the cross but it was still hot so we just moved on.

Guiob Church Ruins

Near the Sunken Cemetery is the Guiob Church Ruins. Guiob Church was erected during the Spanish era in the 16th century and it was also destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vulcan in 1871.

The only remaining structure is the convent and bell tower which is nothing much really. There’s a huge old tree in the area that you should check out.

Katibawasan Falls

We headed back to where we came from to visit one of the majestic-looking waterfalls we’ve ever seen. The Katibawasan Falls mesaures about 250 feet which falls down straight to a pool where you can take a dip. We were really in awe when we first got a glimpse of Katibawasan Falls.

There are picnic tables in the area so you can bring some food and spend some time enjoying the view. Fortunately, there weren’t a lot of people during that time. Maybe it’s because of the cold water but we still took a dip anyhow to cool down.

Ardent Hot Springs

Due to the numerous volcanoes in the islands, it’s not surprising that there are lots of hot springs for you to choose from. One of the most popular destination is the Ardent Hot Springs. The place even have some rooms if you wish to spend your Camiguin stay near a hot spring.

We got there at around 3 PM after cooling down from Katibawasan Falls. There weren’t a lot of people yet but at around 4PM, it started to get crowded. We didn’t stay too long and headed out. It was our last destination for the day.

The caretaker there told us that 4 to 5PM till evening is usually the time when there are lots of people taking a dip in the hot spring.

White Island

Beaches around Camiguin is made of black sand due to the volcanoes. However, there are two white sandbars off the shore of Agoho and Yumbing that is called White Island. It is another popular destination for visitors of the island.

The best time to go White Island is early in the morning because there are no shades available on the island.

From Paguia Inn (or Paras Beach Resort), it is only a 10-minute boat ride away. You go there for the view and to bathe in the sun. Don’t expect to swim much because the sand is rough. We saw people snorkeling in the area by the way.

We left for White Island at around 7AM and we only spent about an hour on it before heading back because we want to get to Cagayan de Oro by lunch to catch our afternoon flight.

You can bring snacks to White Island but be sure you take the trash with you when you leave.

Other places you can visit

If you have plenty of time to tour the island, you can ask your driver to take you to the following places:

• Sto. Niño Cold Spring
• Mantigue Island
• Giant Clams
• Macao Cold Spring
• Tangub Hot Spring
• Tres Marias (Jurassic Park of Camiguin)

Going back to Cagayan de Oro

Since the Paras Sea Cat departs at 4PM to Cagayan de Oro, we have to take one of the various ferries going back to Balingoan Port instead.

Going to Benoni Port is very easy. Take a motorela back to the center of  Mambajao. Ask to be dropped at the van terminal going to Benoni Port. Board one of the waiting vans and that’s it.

Before you board the van, there’s a store nearby where you can buy cheap Pastel which are buttermilk-filled breads and a delicacy of Camiguin.

At Benoni Port, there’s usually a ferry (every 30 minutes) waiting for passengers. We boarded the only one we saw. It was not an air-conditioned one but we didn’t mind. It was only a 1-hour trip and it was windy anyhow.

At Balingoan Port, we headed out and walked towards the highway where the Balingoan bus terminal is located. Buy some snacks and wait for air-conditioned buses going to Cagayan De Oro, it’s going to be a long ride back. After about an hour and a half ride, you’ll arrive at Agora Terminal in the city.

We were on the road back to Cagayan de Oro at around noon so our bus stopped at a roadside eatery to have a quick lunch. Our trip took about 2 hours and we had a late lunch at Chicken Ati-Atihan near our hotel.

After finishing our souvenir hunting (mostly in LimKetKai Mall), we headed back to our hotel to get our luggage and commissioned a taxi to take us to the airport.

Cagayan de Oro was truly a place for adventure and we had loads of it even with all those commutes that we took. It was a tiring but very fun vacation for the both of us.

TOTAL COST:

Half-day multicab rental – Php1000
Fee at Station of the Cross – Php5 ea.
Katibawasan Falls Entrance Fee – Php15 ea.
Ardent Hot Springs Entrance Fee – Php30 ea.
Roundtrip boat ride to White Island – Php400 (10 mins.)
White Island Conservation Fee – Php20 ea.
Motorela back to Mambajao – Php8 ea. (20 mins.)
Van back to Benoni Port – Php30 ea. (30 mins. + waiting time to fill up)
Ferry to Balingoan – Ph135 ea. (1 hour, not air-conditioned)
Bus back to Cagayan de Oro – Php130 ea. (1.5 hours, air-conditioned)

You might also be interested in:

• Cagayan de Oro Trip for Two Part 6: Going to Camiguin
• Cagayan de Oro Trip for Two Part 1: The Plan
• Cagayan de Oro Trip for Two Part 2: The City
• Cagayan de Oro Trip for Two Part 4: Going to Dahilayan

Filed under: Travel