“Camotes Island? Really? There is this island in the Philippines called Camotes?”

All people (yes, all of them, except the Cebuanos) that I know of in Manila have no idea that Camotes Island exists. Well for a country that has over 7000 islands, I shouldn’t be so shocked to discover a “never heard of” island.

One of the highlights of my year 2014 was visiting this island in Cebu called Camotes. It was my first time to go to Cebu and I was so excited that I was googling about it for almost every day a month away before we head there. As I was looking at the map of Cebu, I noticed this small island on the upper right of Mactan Island, got curious about it, googled it, saw the photos and instantly fell in love with it.

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How to get to Camotes Island:

Camotes Island is located on the eastern side of Cebu. You can reach this island by a 2-3hour boat ride, depending on the current, from Danao Port.  There are two major ferry lines that will take you to Camotes Island: The Jomalia Shipping Corporation and the Super Shuttle Ferry.

Here’s the latest schedule of the daily trips:
JOMALIA SHIPPING CORPORATION
*Danao Port, Cebu to Consuelo, Camotes: 5:30am, 8:30am, 11:00am, 2:00pm, 5:30pm, 9:00pm
*Consuelo, Camotes to Danao Port, Cebu: 4:00am, 5:30am, 9:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 5:00pm

SUPER SHUTTLE FERRY
*Danao Port, Cebu to Poro, Camotes: 1:00pm
*Poro, Camotes to Danao Port, Cebu: 5:00pm

We took the 5:30am trip of Jomalia Shipping Corporation and arrived around 8:00am in Camotes Island. Ordinary fare costs P180.00 and for Air-conditioned P200.00. But I urge you to take the ordinary fare, it’s not only cheap but you can experience the relaxing morning breeze, encounter some flying fish and see some awesome views.

Upon arriving the island there are plenty of tricycles and multicab drivers offer a tour of the island. They offer a tour around P1500 – P2000, but we bargain down to P1300. It is better to travel in a group to cut expenses; the multicabs can fit 10-12 people inside! Imagine paying for only 100-150 for a tour through the whole island, awesome right?

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Going for the tour, it made me create a list of 8 things you must do in Camotes Island:

1. CLIFF DIVING IN BUHO ROCK RESORT

Buho Rock Resort is our first destination of the tour and our first time to jump off a cliff! I guess it’s a good way to wake up our sleepyheads that morning.

You can jump off a cliff as high as 40ft! Too bad we only jumped off from 20ft because it was low tide during that day (dang it!) but it was still awesome!

Oh yea, did I mention? unlimited cliff diving for only P20.00!

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2. LUNCH AT SAN FRANCISCO BAYWALK/AGORA

After cliff diving we went for an early lunch in San Francisco Baywalk. A line of barbeque stalls are located across the baywalk. You can eat the barbeques with “puso” (hanging rice), famous Cebuano rice that is cooked inside a woven coconut leaves. A meal could cost you around P40.00-P60.00.

On the other side of the baywalk is a wet and dry market where you could buy some fresh seafood and island souvenirs.

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3. SWIMMING IN TIMUBO CAVE

A stunning subterranean secret in the town of Sonog, where you need to make your way down to reach the clear waters within.

This is one of my favorite destinations because it was my first time to swim inside a cave and it was a perfect timing that we had the cave all to ourselves. The cold water feels so refreshing and it is by far the clearest water I have ever seen.

Note: The depth of the water is 6ft when high tide and 5ft when low tide.

There is also a subterranean cave in Camotes where you could also swim called the Paraiso Cave. It is similar to the Timubo cave but it is much smaller. Some parts of the cave were reconstructed and look like more man-made than the natural Timubo cave.

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4. BEACH BUMMING AT THE BORROMEO BEACH

The most peaceful and relaxing beach that I have ever been..yet! We literally own the beach! with just the sound of the beach waves, the palm trees swaying in the wind and gorgeous white sand makes this beach feel like I’m in paradise.

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5. EXPLORE HOLY CRYSTAL CAVE

Another stunning subterranean secret located in Brgy. Union of San Francisco. The cave was discovered by Mr. Avito Formantera who is also the caretaker and the tour guide of the cave.

You will be taken to 8 levels of the cave and see surprising rock formations of the stalactites and stalagmites.

The most exciting part is reaching the end of the cave to see the crystals look as white as snow!

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6. KAYAK IN THE 700-HECTARE LAKE DANAO

Lake Danao is the largest lake in the Visayan region and if you look at the map, it forms a figure of eight! We went to Danao Lake to rest and have some snack after the tiring trek from the Holy Crystal Cave. But it didn’t stop us when we saw that they offer kayak for only P50.00!  The calm water was just right to do kayaking. Other activities are offered in Lake Danao such as fishing, horseback riding, picnic, etc.

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7. LONG BEACH WALK AT SANTIAGO BAY

Santiago bay is a public beach in Camotes but we still kind of had the beach to ourselves, well it’s way too peaceful for a public beach! This beach has sugary pristine white sand and a long shoreline especially during low tides.

A line of carinderias (food stalls) are located meters away from the shore. A single order can cost you around P100-150, might sound a little bit pricey for a single meal but the food is good enough for 2-3 persons.

The following day at Santiago Bay..

8. PARTY INSIDE THE MULTICAB

Oh yes, party never ends. Since the driver keeps on playing a loud music inside the multicab, we cannot help ourselves to sing along and dance. Inspired by the video made by our awesome host in Cebu, “Drunk Couchsurfers in Camotes Island” by humanizerful (must watch!) in Youtube, we tried sitting on the windows, scream our lungs out, pass around a drink and just enjoy the little freedom from our busy life in Manila 😉

How much did I spent: (as of November 2014)

Danao Port to Camotes Island: P180.00
Buho Rock Resort: Entrance Fee: P 20.00
Timubo Cave: Entrance Fee: P 20.00
Borromeo Beach: Entrance Fee: P 5.00
Holy Crystal Cave: Entrance Fee: Donation
Danao Lake: No Entrance Fee. Kayak: P 50.00/Person/30mins
Santiago Bay: P 15.00
Accommodation for 4 persons: around P1400-1600 per night
Santiago Bay to Consuelo: 200 (for the whole multicab, since were 4, divide it by 4)
Consuelo to Danao Port: P180.00
Total: Approximately  P2070.00 – P2270.00 ($48-$53)