Camiguin Tourist Spots: The Island Born of Fire (Day 1)

      Based from the travel map issued by the Department of Tourism, Camiguin is known as the "Island Born of Fire", There are 7 volcanoes on the island, all of which helped shaped the spectacular landscapes we see today, from rugged mountains, hot and cold springs to the beautiful volcanic and white sand beaches.

     Camiguin is also known as the "Galapagos of the Philippines" with more endemic animal species found here than anywhere else in the country. Similarly, Camiguin is compared to the island paradise of Tahiti and Hawaii for the diversity of plant life and the friendliness of the locals. No wonder Camiguin is consistently voted as one of the Philippines most beautiful islands!

     We visited the ffg tourist spots during our first day: 
          1. Mt Vulcan
2. Walkway to the Old Volcano Choir
3. Cross Marker and Sunken Cemetery
4. Old Catarman Church Ruins '
5. Bura Soda Water Pool
6. Sto Nino Cold Spring
7. Tangub Hot Spring
8. Katibawasan Falls
9. Ardent Hot Spring

For our 2nd day, pls click on this link: Camiguin @ Day 2: The Galapagos of the Philippines
      Whoops And now it's time to explore Camiguin! Our flight was at 6:10 am of June 28 (Sunday), and I barely made it in time. It was so darn early but we wanted to maximize the day so we opted for an early flight. I didnt have time to pack my things the night before since I got home at around 12am at midnight and so even if I woke up at 4am, I still had to pack my things and so I was running quite late for my flight. In fact, when I arrived at the airport, the check-in counter had just closed. In other words, I arrived seconds after the closing but good thing, I was still counted in. Alleluiah! :D

    Welcome to Camiguin! They have this cute airport which was also near their seaport. 

    So for the first day, we rented this multicab for one whole day to tour the 9 places I enumerated above. The local government regulated the rates as follows:

VAN RENTAL:  P2,500 good for 10-12 pax
MULTICAB RENTAL: P1,700 good for 8 pax
                                  P2,000 good for 10-12 pax
JEEPNEY RENTAL: P2,000 good for 16-18 pax

    There were only four of us to shre those fixed costs so I highly recommend that you tour in bigger groups so the costs awill be apportioned to more persons.  Aside form the land transpo, in our experience, we also had to rent a boat going to WHITE ISLAND / SANDBAR, and another boat going to MANTIGUE ISLAND. Each boat had a maximum of 6 persons each so I advise that a group of six (6) persons would be the most cost-effective. But that applies if your budget conscious. Otherwise, numbers do not matter and anyway, Camiguin tour rates are well-regulated and very reasonable. :D


1. Mt Vulcan
     So along our trip towards the Walkway to the Old Volcano Choir, our driver stopped to show us the view of the Mt Vulcan from afar.

2. Walkway to the Old Volcano
    Located in Bonbon, Camiguin, the Walkway is a trail winding up the slope of the Old Vulcan which also features the 14 Stations of the Cross. We paid an environmental fee of 5 pesos and proceeded to check it out. We didn't get to finish it though as it was really tiring and we we wanted to save our time for the springs and falls. :D

     There are several stores just in front of the attraction, so you can just buy your snacks and essentials there, as well as souvenirs. Try not to litter though. It's be nice if we can show our respect to the community.

 

 

 4. Old Catarman Church Ruins / Guiob Church Ruins
      The ruins are what remains of the 16th century Spanish church destroyed by the May 13, 1871 eruption of Mt. Vulcan. There are no entrance fees but donations are greatly appreciated.

 

    Basically, the ruins are not that impressive. But if you're a tourist and a first-timer in Camiguin, it's worth including in the itinerary as it is part of the history of Camiguin. Actually, what we've seen were only the upper portion of the church since the rest were buried meters below. It comprises of the church's belfry, a part of a convent, and a century-old tree.

5. Bura Soda Water Pool

     This pool is made of natural soda water and is located at the foot of Mt Hibok-Hibok. According to the notice posted inside the water park, drinking soda water is good for hydration making you feel full therefore decreasing overall food consumption. Studies show that soda water reduces osteoporosis, decreases cardiovascular disease risk and lowers blood pressure.

   They have two pools: an adult pool and a kids pool. Really fit for family outings!

  6. Sto Nino Cold Spring

        We all know the feeling of putting once hands inside an ice bucket. Well, imagine that same shivering feeling but this time,  it's your whole body that you are dipping! Here's the good (or bad) news, if you're swimming in the Sto Nino Cold Spring, you wouldn't be needing any of your imagination! You'll be singing "Frozen" all of a sudden. In fact, if your a typical warm-blooded Filipino, you can't help but scream expletives on your first try. Entrance fee is for 30 pesos.

 

The water is so cold that outside the developed area, coconuts are placed in the water to cool the juice inside. We also noted cases of beer dunked in the water to cool. :D

7. Tangub Hot Spring
      According to our driver, there was a developed site for the Tangub Hot Spring before but because of the big rocks that fell, it was eventually covered. So technically, what we visited was the ruins of the tourist site that was before. Nevertheless, many residents were still enjoying the hot spring which directly flows to the sea. It's like taking a swim in a sea with the hot temperature brought by the hot spring. 2-in-1!

Sights on our way down the steep road towards Tangub Spring

        We tested the waters with our feet, and wow, it was really hot! It can really burn one's skin, so the practical way to do is to swim farther to the area where the hot water from the spring is now neautralized by the seawater.

 8. Katibawasan Falls

    According to the DOT travel map, Katibawasan Falls is the highest waterfall on the island plunging 75m into a large rock pool which is perfect for a refreshing dip. Entrance fee is 30 pesos but also offer 20% discount for senior citizens and 15 pesos for children below 10 years old.

   What's so relieving about the Katibawasan Falls is that unlike the Sto Nino Cold Spring and Bura Soda, the water level is not so deep. I can still stand on my feet and so it's kind of friendly to those who don't know how to float.

 

9. Ardent Hibok-Hibok Hot Spring Resort
     From the posts, Ardent Spring is centered on a series of hot water pools which range in temperature from 39-42 degrees celsius. Picnic facilities, accommodation and massage are available 24 hours. Entrance fee is 30 pesos.

       

    Our experience however, did not meet our expectations. We were thinking that the temperature would be more or less the same as that of the Tangub Hot Spring, but it turned out that the Ardent Hot Spring is more like lukewarm water. Perhaps, it depends upon the season or the time of the day as it was already June when we visited.

 

For our 2nd day as well as our summary of expenses, pls click on the ffg links:  :D

Camiguin @ Day 2: The Galapagos of the Philippines

Mantigue Island, Camiguin