Last year was a year of several trips for the hubby and me. One trip we made was to Camiguin island together with the family and some family friends. We had such a great time there.
There is so much to enjoy in Camiguin, an island located in the northern Mindanao region of the Philippines. Here are 7 things we did and enjoyed during out trip and we suggest you also try to do:

1. Fall in love with the falls. Camiguin has several waterfalls but the bigger and easier ones to reach are Katibawasan Falls and Tuasan Falls. We were able to visit both falls but were unable to take nice photos for the 2nd one as it was already dusk when we got there. There was also some construction going on in the area, a project of the government to make the place more tourist-friendly. At Katibawasan Falls, meanwhile, we enjoyed the view of the falls but decided not to take a dip. It was very inviting though 🙂
   

   

   
   

   

2. Spring into the springs. Again Camiguin has several natural springs for you to enjoy. You can even choose whether to go for a hot or cold one. This time, our group decided to enjoy both 🙂  We first went for the cold one, Sto. Nino Cold Spring. It is really refreshing to take time for this one after having a warm day. We then went to Ardent Hot Spring. This one is quite relaxing, too. Some of the residents there told us that at the end of the day, that is after office work,  they would just proceed to this hot spring to relax. Wow! Don’t you wish you could do that in your city? There are several pools by the way so no need to fear that you won’t have space to have fun.

3. Rise above the Sunken Cemetery. Okay, you won’t really see the actual cemetery for yourself when you go there. But you will be sailing toward and then above its surroundings. You will then finally be standing above its exact location in the old town of Bonbon as indicated by a marker, a large cross erected in 1982. It is because of the volcanic activity of Mt. Vulcan that lasted from 1871 to about 1875 which caused the sinking of the town’s cemetery below sea level.  The scene is quite refreshing actually — you have both the wide expanse of sky and sea but of course, it’s up to you if your head heats up with a horror story in mind, knowing that, well, you’re really above some burial ground 😉

4. Take a historical walk. Drop by several places in history-rich Camiguin like their beautiful ancestral houses and old churches. You might also find it interesting (as we did) dropping by  the ruins of an old church in Catarman. This church was destroyed and partly covered by volcanic debris during the same eruption of Mt. Vulcan which sunk the cemetery in the old town of Bonbon.

5. Don’t clam up with clams and marine life. Clams — meet them. In fact, meet plenty of them in Camiguin’s Giant Clams Ocean Nursery. The way there is quite tricky,you’ll have to navigate a winding road but if you like seeing and knowing more about marine life, huge living clams in particular, it’s all worth it.

6. Take an island a day. Don’t miss sailing out to White Island as well as Mantigue Island. You can actually do this within one day but if you would love to spend more time exploring the marine-rich waters by snorkeling or diving then just take one for a day. The waters can be quite rough at times so wear that swimming vest as an extra precaution when you sail via motorized boat or banca towards these islands.

7. Go up and conquer the heights. There are, of course, volcanoes and mountains to see in Camiguin. You can take that climb in one or two of these natural wonders, you know. You can also enjoy zipping across the water and sky in Camiguin. Yup, unlike other zipline adventures we have seen in other places, here they have a zipline above a body of water 🙂 Too cool to resist for the adventurous.

Now, don’t also forget to taste the sweet, sweet lanzones of the island and enjoy the warm hospitality of the people.
Getting There: 
Fly from Manila to Camiguin via Cebu Pacific. You can also fly from Manila to Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) or Manila to Butuan City and then take a bus which would pass by Balingoan, Misamis Oriental (from CDO, take a bus going to Butuan and if you’re coming from Butuan, take a bus going to CDO and then get off in Balingoan). From Balingoan, take a ferry going straight to Camiguin (port of Benoni). You can also hire transportation to take you from Cagayan or Butuan to Balingoan. Better yet, you might also choose to bring your own transportation all the way to Camiguin via the ferry from Balingoan. That way your trip will be more relaxed.