Ticao Island

Ticao lies in the channel between Luzon and Masbate, and the water moving through that channel is the whole story. The Ticao Pass funnels nutrient-rich current across a shallow seamount known as the Manta Bowl, where reef manta rays gather at cleaning stations - it is one of the few reliable manta sites in the Philippines, dived from resorts on the island and from Donsol across the water, and the same current means whale sharks and big schooling fish turn up in season. Above water the island, some 334 square kilometres in four municipalities, is quiet farming and fishing country: Talisay and Catandayagan beaches, the Catandayagan Falls dropping straight onto the shore, and roads with almost no traffic. It is also an archaeological landscape, with finds such as the Baybayin-inscribed Rizal Stone, gold-pegged teeth and burial jars. Tourism here is small and largely dive-driven, so accommodation runs from one or two proper dive resorts to simple homestays.

What you'll find

• The Manta Bowl - the seamount cleaning station in the pass.
• Catandayagan Falls - water dropping onto the shoreline.
• The quiet beaches - Talisay and the island's coves.
• The archaeology - the Rizal Stone, burial jars and other precolonial finds.

When to go

November to May for calm crossings; manta encounters are best from December through May when the current runs. Donsol's whale-shark season overlaps.

Things to know

The Manta Bowl is a current dive for experienced divers, and sightings are never guaranteed. Ferries depend on sea state. Facilities on the island are limited and cash-only.

Nearby

Donsol in Sorsogon is across the pass; Bulusan Volcano and Sorsogon's coast lie behind it on Luzon.

Key facts