It took me quite a long time to get to Camiguin.
This island “born of fire” is famous for many things — aside from being the lanzones capital of the Philippines — so it became our destination of choice during my children’s semestral break.
As of this writing, only one airline flies direct to Camiguin from Cebu. It was a breezy 40-minute plane ride for us to the second smallest province in the country after Batanes. According to the Camiguin Tourism Office, during the third quarter of 2023, about 67,000 tourists have visited Camiguin and Americans top the list. The usual touristy sites were of course part of our itinerary, but to choose where to stay was what made our trip more enjoyable. I opted for the Camiguin Highland Resort because I wanted to be surrounded by lanzones trees bearing fruits ready to be picked; I got that and more (rambutan trees) because the cool mountain breeze up there was the perfect start and end to our days under the sun.
Early morning stop
Our planned itinerary for Camiguin’s famous spots entailed us renting a multicab (a small jeepney) to ferry us around. It was a practical choice since one apparently had to move from one stop to another in just your swimwear and a cover-up.
We started our first full day with a 6 a.m. departure to the port for the White Island experience. After registration and paying separate fees per person, and for the round-trip pump boat ride, we got onto our numbered boats and were instructed to call a number when we were ready to be picked up.
With the scenic background of Mt. Hibok-Hibok and Mt. Vulcan, this island is quite a stunner but can get blindingly hot, so one must come prepared with big beach umbrellas, towels, water and ice.
We took our breakfast in one of those roadside eateries dripping wet (a first for all of us) and proceeded to the Drop Walkway where a modern version of the Stations of the Cross leads to the Old Volcano. And just a short distance across, we walked down to view the cross that marks the site of the famous Sunken Cemetery.
Mt. Vulcan erupted in 1871, and this was followed by an earthquake that resulted in a huge patch of land collapsing into the sea. Today, the graves are barely visible as most of it has been swallowed by coral reefs and so we opted not to go any nearer.
Camiguin has seven volcanoes: Mt. Vulcan Daan, Mt. Mambajao, Mt. Karling, Mt. Uhay, Guinsiliban Peak, Tres Marias Mountain and Mt. Hibok-Hibok, which last erupted in 1953. Southeast Asian nations have declared its lush interior forest reserves as an Asean Heritage Park. The combination of all these natural resources is the reason why the province has so many natural springs that a visitor can easily cover in a day.
Springs and falls
The Sto. Niño Cold Spring was our first stop. We arrived eager to savor the cool waters before taking our lunch. Located in Sagay, the pools are of varied depths and improvements around them blend well with the dense coconut palm forest that surrounds it. The place also has good food, and I loved that the sari-sari stores allowed to operate in the area were cleverly disguised in the wooden fences and were pleasing to the eyes. The rest of our group bravely dipped into the very cold water (they found it refreshing) while I only managed to tolerate it up to my waist because I am a warm-water person.
Tuason Falls was our next stop. One of my life’s pleasures is standing near where a waterfall drops and getting absorbed in the mist and I was able to do this in Tuason, so this was truly my favorite nature stop of the day — with a rainbow as an added bonus.
At the Bura Soda Water Pool in Catarman, there is an open faucet where one can drink to your heart’s content the natural soda water from mountain springs. The pools are also of varied depths and the water temperature is pleasant enough for one to linger and immerse in the “healing water” from nature.
The Katibawasan Falls was a bit disappointing because of the low water volume that day, but the scenery surrounding the falls was a natural feast for the eyes so the walk there and back was well worth it.
Our final stop was the Ardent Hot Springs. This would have been the highlight of my day if I had not been warned in advance that it was no longer I-can-boil-an-egg level hot. Yes. Back in the day, you could boil an egg here. But today, that is no longer the case — the waters were mildly warm. The pools here were not as big as the other springs so it was a bit crowded. But I do realize that for the people who live here, this is good news because it means the volcano is not in any way ready to erupt anytime soon.