There are destinations where you ride fast just to get to where you need to go and other places where you just want to take it slow. And I wanted to savor every minute and every mile while going around the island province of Camiguin. This compact island has a 64-km circumferential road, which locals say you can loop in just over an hour or so if you wanted to. But why do that when you can just stop and admire the view?
Camiguin is known as the “Island Born of Fire” because of its volcanic origins. It’s home to 14 volcanoes, including Mt. Hibok-Hibok, Mt. Timpoong, Old Vulcan, Mt. Uhay, Mt. Ilihan and Mt. Mambajao. The eruptions have resulted in a number of natural sites like hot springs, refreshing springs and waterfalls, all of which are easily accessible by land.
I wish I could bottle the essence of the simple laid-back island vibe and drink it every day. Getting anywhere in Manila on a motorcycle involves slogging through traffic-choked streets, playing
The fact that there are no other vehicles on the road and the scenic view is a reward in itself. Similar to other small island provinces like Batanes and Siquijor, Camiguin is very easy to navigate and you can safely ride around here solo. That feeling of movement, the blur of scenery, and fresh sea breeze as you ride makes you wish the road wouldn’t end.
I’ve been itching to ride around the island since my first trip a couple of years ago. When we arrived at the airport, I felt that spark of excitement when I saw the well-designed Camiguin Tourism brochure which included a map of the island and an “Adventurer’s Travel Sticker Pack” which encourages visitors to collect stickers by visiting the different tourist spots. It’s an easy and fun interactive checklist of sights. It’s like the mission and quest had been laid out for me. Challenge accepted!
If you’re in a big group, the easiest way to go around is by
Cyclists will also enjoy spending the day looping the island by bicycle. Tackling uphill roads are always more rewarding when you can take a dip in springs and waterfalls in between. Mountain bikes are available for rent in tourist areas and resorts. The well-paved coastal and mountain roads and variety of tourist spots you can visit in the island’s five municipalities make it an ideal destination for cyclists and riders for a half-day to whole day tours.
After hiking up Mt. Hibok-Hibok and spending a day on the sandy shores of White Island and snorkeling in Mantigue Island just off the shore the previous days, I was really dying to get some saddle time no matter how short. It was great to be able to squeeze in a quick joyride aboard a rented Honda BeAT around the island and revisit some of the inland attractions.
Travel buddy Celine and I started off and ended the ride at Villa Paraiso Resort in Mambajao going counter-clockwise on the island guided by Google maps and the well-marked tourist signs around the island.
Our first stop was Ardent Hot Springs, where visitors can relax in the 4-tiered pools with water temperatures that reach up to 40 degrees Celsius. The resort has been developed with cottages and picnic tables and is popular with the weekend crowd, but since it was a Monday morning, we ended up having the whole place to ourselves. Always a bonus.
On our way to the Sunken Cemetery, we passed this cool view deck that offered a great view of the Old Volcano and the coast, where we stopped for some more photo ops.
Next stop was the iconic Sunken Cemetery in the town of Catarman, one of the most unique cemeteries in the country. In the 1870s, a volcano erupted causing the cemetery along with the capital city surrounding it to sink below sea level. The giant cross that stands in the water serves as a remembrance of their last resting place. The area around it is now a dive destination. I haven’t tried diving or snorkeling there yet, but the idea of snorkeling among graves sounds both eerie and fascinating.
Most visitors just take trick shots of the cross from the view deck though you can take a short boat ride to the cross itself. As one of the island’s major landmarks, there are lots of stalls in the area, selling the usual t-shirts, key chains and magnets, food and other souvenirs.
Nearby, you can find the Guiob Church Ruins, a fort-like structure of the remains from the old church of the island’s Spanish era capital called Cotta Bato.
The next major point of interest you can visit going counterclockwise on the island is the Soda Water Pool. From the main highway, the road climbs roughly 3 kilometers up the foothills of Mount Hibok-Hibok. This is said to be the only spring in the country where you can swim in a pool of pure soda water. The volcanic springs of Bura fill two large pools with fresh, clear soda water. The water here is cold, clear, clean and is changed on a regular basis.
In fact, the pool was totally empty when we came because it was being cleaned, so I’m just including a photo above from my first trip there for reference. I wouldn’t recommend you drink the water from the pool, but there are drinking fountains where visitors can taste the soda water. It kind of tastes like water with just a
Since we had a noon-time flight to catch and had visited most of the other tourist spots the previous day with a larger group, we ended up just breezing through the rest of the circumferential route passing through the remaining towns of Sagay, Guinsilban
For those traveling by motorbike who have more time, you can easily visit Tuasan Falls, the newest tourist attraction in the province. Located in Barangay Mainit, Catarman, this is more or less 45-minutes away by jeep from the capital town of Mambajao. From the highway, it’ll take another 10 minutes to reach the falls.
Previously only passable by habal-habal, treks or horseback riding, the road going to the falls is now 100% paved, making it easily accessible to all forms of motorized transport. There’s no more trek involved, so you can easily park your ride nearby and take a dip at the cascades. Tuasan Falls is not as tall as the more popular Katibawasan Falls, but I like it more.
I’ve seen a lot of waterfalls where the basin pool is concreted when the area becomes developed so was glad to see that the local government has kept the natural setting of rocks and mini-lagoon intact. Since this waterfall is less-visited compared to the others, chances are you can enjoy it to yourself.
You can also make other detours during your Camiguin Island Loop to visit Sto. Nino Cold Springs, an all-natural resort that has cold water pools free from chlorine and Katibawasan Falls or ride uphill to the Volcano Observatory.
Or you could just enjoy the ride and go around aimlessly and stop whenever you want. That’s the great thing about small islands like Camiguin. You can discover those special spots for yourself. Eventually, we ended up back in Mambajao in time to grab our stuff, check out and have lunch with the rest of the group.
There’s really something satisfying about looping a whole island on two wheels even if it’s a relatively small one like Camiguin. If I were to compare it to hiking, it’s like the equivalent of reaching a summit. Not that that’s the only point of hiking or riding. I think what matters more is that you enjoy the experience. But it felt like an achievement, nonetheless. Mission complete!
And there’s no better trophy at the end of a ride than an ice cold beer and a good meal. For early lunch, we had a delicious meal of Smoked Salmon Pasta, All-Meat Pizza and “Beer Pale Pilsen” (Beer
I usually have second thoughts about returning to a place I’ve already been to because I feel like it might ruin my first experience there, but I can safely say that I enjoyed Camiguin much better the second time around.
Thank you, Camiguin! I will definitely come again. 🙂
“I usually have second thoughts about returning to a place I’ve already been to because I feel like it might ruin my first experience there, but I can safely say that I enjoyed Camiguin much better the second time around.”
Ditto! ?
I really hope it won’t get too commercialized once direct flights start operating.