Camiguin

Camiguin is about twenty-three kilometres long and has seven volcanoes on it, which is the statistic every local mentions first, and the whole island can be circled on one coastal road in a couple of hours. White Island is a bare crescent of sand off Agoho with no trees or buildings at all, reached by outrigger, with Hibok-Hibok and Vulcan Daan standing behind it. Inland, Katibawasan Falls drops around seventy metres into a cold pool, Sto. Nino Cold Spring bubbles up into a swimming pool at a temperature that takes your breath, and Ardent has hot springs on the flank of Hibok-Hibok. Offshore, a large cross marks a cemetery submerged by an eruption in the 1870s.

History

The island was probably first settled by Manobo people, and its name comes from kamagong, an ebony tree. Magellan and Legazpi landed here in 1521 and 1565, the first Spanish settlement was founded in 1598 at Guinsiliban, where a watchtower guarded against raiders, and the larger settlement of Catarman, founded in 1679, was buried by the eruption of Mount Vulcan in 1871 (Wikipedia, Camiguin).

What's there

• White Island - a bare sandbar off Agoho with the volcanoes rising behind it, and no shade at all.
• Katibawasan Falls - a tall single drop into a cold pool in the island's interior.
• Sto. Nino Cold Spring - spring water bubbling up into a very cold swimming pool.
• The Sunken Cemetery cross - the offshore marker above a graveyard drowned by an eruption, snorkelled over from the shore.

When to go

February to May is the driest and calmest, and best for the ferry from Balingoan. The island's Lanzones Festival falls in October and fills accommodation. Go to White Island at sunrise: by nine there is no shade, the sand is too hot to stand on barefoot and every boat has arrived. Ferries are cancelled in rough weather.

Practical notes

White Island is a sandbar with nothing on it - no shade, no shelter, no facilities - and umbrella hire is charged on top of the boat. Katibawasan and the springs each charge separate entry. The island is bigger than a map suggests and a scooter is really the only practical way round. Rain is frequent, and the ferry crossing can be rough and is regularly delayed.

Nearby

The Guiob church ruins stand near the sunken cemetery; Cagayan de Oro and the Misamis Oriental coast lie across the strait.