10 Tourist Spots in one day: A well-planned Day Tour in Camiguin!
[Trip from November 2010]
We literally experienced a jam-packed day, considering that we went to so many places just on our second day in Camiguin. And as posted on my previous article, here's our itinerary:
Island City Tour and Mantigue Island hopping
06:00 Wake-up Call --- This was a complimentary service. The staff of BBC were always very pleasant when calling us up at this hour of the morning.
06:30 Breakfast at Ocean Side Bar & Grill (inclusive in the package) --- one of the many perks to booking our stay in BBC was our complimentary breakfast. Not only did they exude good customer service, they also served the most well-cooked and well-flavored meals! Their breakfast was always a delight to eat! Not only is it typically served with their tasty 'ulam' (main course), garlic rice, fruit (banana only) and chocolate and/or fruit drinks, they also completed their service with a smile. =) It was truly a great way to start our day!
07:30 Ready for the tour --- Kuya Robert was our tour guide the whole day. He was very accommodating and very informative. Apart from that, BBC was also nice to extend their services by providing us with fresh towels during our island tour (no charge!).
07:45 Depart Bahay Bakasyunan and proceed to Mantigue Island --- The trip to the registry took about 10 or so minutes. But as soon as we got there, we had our names registered on the logbook, and rented a few snorkeling gears.
08:00 ETA/San Roque (take motorized pump boat to Mantigue Island) --- As soon as we got our things fixed, we immediately boarded the pump boat with our guides (a local couple). We were asked to pay for the environmental fee as soon as we got off the boat. But soon after that, we went straight to snorkeling.
Mantigue Island, which is composed of fine white sand, spanned to about 4-hectares. The islet consisted of a mini-forest, which consisted of lush greeneries. We were taken to only one side of Mantigue, where we snorkeled for a few hours. The northern part of the isle was actually inhabited by a fishing village. Mantigue also had an area where a deep drop off can be located (perfect for deep sea diving).
10:15 Depart Mantigue Island
10:30 Arrive in San Roque
10:45 Depart For Clam Sanctuary --- Since this was an added tour (since we wanted to see the clams firsthand), we paid for each of our entrance fees. True enough, our short stay at the Clam Sanctuary was well worth the side-trip. We were able to see several sizes and types of clams up-close that were held in captivity. The ones that we saw were huge ones. The type that would literally bite your fingers off once you stick these out to them (these clams were about 1 foot in length and 6 to 7 inches thick).
11:30 Lunch at J&A Fishpen (Per pax account) --- We decided to have our lunch at J&A Fishpen after our clam sanctuary tour. We treated Kuya Robert since we enjoyed having him for company. Anyhow, the fish pen was actually an interesting establishment. You can dine atop a stilt house, which has a nice view of the sea.
13:30 Proceed to (4) Katibawasan Falls --- This was our fourth stop for the day. Mind you, the water and the breeze in this area was really icy cold! I couldn't even muster the strength to soak my feet for a whole minute. What more if I dipped my whole body in the water?! But I have to commend those who had the guts to, especially this one group who did go for a quick swim. =) Anyway, we only stayed here for just less than an hour.
Old Vulcan / Walkway / Station of the Cross (Trekking) --- We had to skip this part of the tour. We never got the chance to experience the trekking part anymore due to time constraints (since we wanted to check-out the spring resorts right away). But we did see the stations of the cross and the walkway from the road.
Sto. Niño Cold spring --- We only stayed here for about 20 minutes. We only went inside to check the resort and to take some photos. And since the place was crowded, plus the water being icy cold as well, we decided to just ditch the place and head on to our next destination. Nonetheless, the bathing area looked pleasant.
Bura Soda Water swimming pool --- We initially thought that the resort pools were literally filled-up with soda. But much to our dismay, it wasn't filled with neither Sprite or Coke! We were later informed by Kuya Robert that the resort was named as such because of the 'fizzing' that can be seen from the water. Although I still didn't see any fizzing the whole time I swam, we just tried to chill our bottle of Coke in the water. Thankfully, it did get a little cold. =)
Old Church Ruins / Gui-ob church --- This particular Catarman church was somehow engulfed in volcanic remains when Mt. Vulcan formed and erupted in the late 1800's. It didn't look like it was being preserved.
(9) Sunken Cemetery / Cross Marker --- These spots would have to be one of the few places that Camiguin has been recognized for. Now seeing the cross itself was creepy yet surreal. I felt really elated to have finally set foot in something as extraordinary as that.
The cross was actually a marker for the community cemetery that sunk during the 1871 volcanic explosion. But the cross itself was only built above the cemetery in 1982. Anyhow, you can swim and snorkel your way into seeing the submerged cemetery up close. We would've wanted to see firsthand but our time permitted us from doing so.
Ardent Hot Spring --- This was our last stop for the day. We were required to head back to the resort by 4:30 PM. But we've managed to ask for an extension just so we could get an extra hour of pool time. This was by far the best spring resort that we've ever been to. There were parts in their cascading pools that the water was warm and super hot.
17:30 Depart Ardent Hot Spring and proceed to resort
18:15 Arrival at BBC / Dinner at Ocean Side Bar & Grill / Restaurant (per pax account)
22:00 JACUZZI and POOL TIME!!!!!! =)
10 stops in one day wasn't so bad! In fact, it was well worth our time and money. But for you to be able to experience all 10 tourist spots in one day, make sure that you've already booked your transportation and your tour guide ahead of time. In our case, BBC already took care of our tours. They've already provided the van, tour guide, and entrance fees for us.
Explore & Be Free!
Mai
28 comments
great itinerary... though when we were in camiguin, we did all these within 3 days. we wanted to spend more time swimming and enjoy the tourist spots more
ReplyDelete10 places in a day?! Wow! You must be tired! But it looks like you had fun din naman. I haven't been to Camiguin. I'm adding this to my bucket list now. :)
ReplyDeleteNice! We still had a great time despite the many sites that were visited; and we still managed to squeeze in some pool sessions since our resort had their own. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was tiring but it was also as fulfilling. :) Seeing the famous Camiguin cross was actually the highlight of my trip there. :)
ReplyDeleteI MISS CAMIGUIN! Paboritong kong place is yung White Island and Katibawasan Falls.
ReplyDeleteMe too! Pero ako more on the Sunken Cemetery and the hotsprings. :)
ReplyDeletei will visit the island soon .. i hope the place is still as beautiful as before ... I love camiguin ... I love mindanao :D
ReplyDeletewow! 10 places in a day! what an adventure! :) hope to visit camiguin in the future :)
ReplyDeleteWow this is GREAT!! I'm planning to visit Camiguin soon... Thank you for the post! this will be great guide.. :)
ReplyDeleteWow 10 in 1!!! That's a wonderful planning for this travel. The places, the sights and the food looks great!
ReplyDeleteWhen was your last visit to Camiguin?
ReplyDeleteYeah! hehe.. you should visit Camiguin soon. You'll love it there.. it's the closest to seeing paradise. :)
ReplyDeleteCool! When are you visiting Camiguin? :)
ReplyDeleteYeah. thanks to BBC for arranging our itinerary.. and for everything else! :)
ReplyDeletehmmm very nice spot
ReplyDeleteWorth visiting atleast once in a lifetime
Keep sharing such wonderful places :)
I have been to Camiguin few years back. It was an amazing experience! Would love to go back, soon. :-)
ReplyDeleteWill do, Imran! :) Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Ness! Truly, Camiguin is a gem! You should really visit again.. as I'm sure there's plenty more for you to see. ;)
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine doing 10 tourist spots in one day it must've been a frenetic tour moving from one place to another in just a short time.
ReplyDelete- Wanderer Juan
It wasn't really frenetic. There were just some spots that didn't need long hours of being there. Some were just good for viewing purposes. And since we had the tour van all to us, we got to control our time as well.
ReplyDeleteI wish to go to camiguin...(sigh). Love to see the good things about the Philippines.... Thanks for sharing :D
ReplyDeleteSurely!
ReplyDeletemy friends kept teasing me why I havent been to Camiguin when infact its so close from cdo. am I such a bummer? :D lol
ReplyDeletexoxo, Wander Shugah
Dbale sis! Malapit lang naman sa inyo.. pwedeng pwedeng puntahan anytime ;-P
ReplyDeleteHello Maám how po bali ang budget nila for this wholeday trip? all-in, van, trip etc. thanks much!
ReplyDeleteHello! :) I basically spent P5435 for a 3D/2N stay in Camiguin (exclusive of food, entrance fees from other tour sites, souvenirs) --- pero na-divide kasi yung expenses into 4 pax. We also got a group package from one of the premier resorts in Camiguin, Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. The package that we availed of already included lodging, tours, pick-ups and drop-offs. You can check their site for more details. :)
ReplyDeleteFor a more detailed breakdown, you can check my expense sheet on this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aje4qljS2-AhdDhlUEhCX204RHR5WUN6TmFJZzQxaWc&authkey=CNXJntIE&hl=en&authkey=CNXJntIE#gid=0
Hope it helps in one of your future trips to Camiguin.
I've been to Camiguin before and I must say I missed some places! I loved that island but I almost drowned at the Ardent Hot Sping! Haha! It was all good though. I'd love to go back!
ReplyDeleteWhat? You almost drowned?! Didn't know there were deeper parts. But glad you're ok. And so sorry, it took me so long to reply to your comment. :P Btw, I think I saw you at the Travel Expo (wearing a skirt). The most recent one. :)
ReplyDelete