Camotes Islands

The Camotes are four islands - Poro, Pacijan, Ponson and tiny Tulang - sitting between Cebu and Leyte, joined in the case of the first two by a causeway across a tidal flat. They are farming and fishing islands that receive a fraction of the visitors Cebu's other escapes get, and the appeal is exactly that: Santiago Bay's long white beach on Pacijan, the sandbar at Tulang Diot, Bukilat and Timubo caves with their pools of brackish water inside the limestone, Mangodlong's rock formations, and Lake Danao, a large inland lake with a boardwalk and paddle boats. Roads are quiet enough that renting a motorbike and circling both main islands in a day is the standard approach. Accommodation is small resorts and homestays rather than hotels, there is no nightlife to speak of, and the whole place shuts early.

History

Antonio Pigafetta of Magellan's expedition first mentioned the islands, then called Polo, Ticobon and Pozon, while the fleet waited near them in the first week of April 1521. Carl Guthe's University of Michigan expedition of 1923-1925 dug a burial cave on Tulang holding the remains of about 60 people, and in the early 1970s residents found 16th-century objects at Mactang on Poro (Wikipedia, Camotes Islands).

Highlights

• Santiago Bay - the long white beach on Pacijan.
• Lake Danao - the big inland lake and its boardwalk.
• The cave pools - Bukilat and Timubo inside the limestone.
• Tulang Diot - the sandbar islet off the north end.

When to go

December to May for calm ferry crossings. Weekdays are near-empty; Cebuano holidays and Holy Week fill the resorts.

What to expect

Ferries are weather-dependent and schedules thin out in the afternoon. ATMs are few - bring cash. Sites charge small separate fees, and facilities are basic.

Nearby

Danao City on Cebu is the mainland ferry port; Ormoc on Leyte is the other connection.

Key facts