One of the famous tourist destinations in Camiguin is the Medan island, or more popularly-known as White Island. Its a sandbar about 10 minutes by motorboat from the mainland. As there is no tree cover on the sandbar, most people visit it early in the morning, to avoid the sun's blistering heat.
We left Teddy's cottage at about 5:30 am, and walked for about 5 minutes to the wharf, where we registered our names before boarding the boat to White Island. Round trip boat rental is Php 400. After a refreshing early morning cruise over the calm sea, we were the second group to set foot on the sandbar that day.
The sand is white, but not as white and powdery as the sands in Boracay (Aklan) or Malcapuya island (Coron). The island is very peaceful and relaxing. If not for our departure to Manila on same day, we would have lingered here longer.
There were actually two sandbars when we arrived. Perhaps its high tide, so the lower part that connects the 2 sandbars was submerged by knee-deep seawater. From the farther sandbar, here's the view of the nearer sandbar with the mainland mountains on the back.
A few small fishes can be seen near the beach. I was able to spot a blue starfish below.
Watching the sunrise here is like watching God unraveling His magnificent creations.
The two volcanic mountains Hibok-Hibok and Vulcan make very nice backdrop.
After consuming our packed breakfast, we just laid down on the sand, savoring the wide and very relaxing beach island.
We decided to leave the island when the other tourists started coming in droves. At least we got to enjoy privately the serenity of the place earlier.
It would also be nice to watch the sunset here with a cold beer on hand, which I will do if given the chance to go back to Camiguin in the future. :)
I would love to visit it by afternoon maybe 4 in the afternoon til sunset... sun rays might not be bad by that time right?
ReplyDeleteBut was it maalon by that time?
Anyway, visiting it by sunrise is a great idea too... Nice post!
Hi, Ian. Make it 4:30 or later, if you want to avoid the sun's heat. Check the weather and wind condition prior to your visit, as they don't allow the boats to visit the island when there are large waves.
ReplyDeleteOn my experience, the sea is usually calm during mornings, while they get rough on the afternoons, anywhere in the country. Enjoy Camiguin!
Usually waves comes becomes rougher by noon and on succeeding time that's why island hopping is usually done in whole morning time when the sea waves is all-time calm right?
ReplyDeleteIt's best to go there in the morning because the waves are still calm. If you're staying in a resort, you could ask for an arrangement for your white island tour. My friend did that when she stayed at a Camiguin Island Resort (Bahay Bakasyunan) - she said the island tour was so cool! In fact, she's planning to go back to Camiguin this summer.
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