White Island in Camiguin
Off the northern shores of Camiguin is a popular sand bar called White Island. If you want to detach yourself from the buzz of city life, this is probably the best place to be. White Island is completely covered with fine white sand and surrounded by clear seawater. There are no trees, no bars and restaurants. It is perfect for swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, and total relaxation.
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| White Island, Camiguin Island |
White Island is popular for its sensitivity to the ocean tide. At high tide, the island would appear smaller. This is what excited me and my friends. So after checking in our resort at Camiguin, we immediately booked a trip going to White Island. We originally wanted to spend a day there but we arrived in Camiguin at lunchtime. We simply had to settle with a half-day stay at this famous sand bar. But it was meant to be! There are no shades in the island aside from a few cottages that are anchored near the shorelines. Locals recommend to go very early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the glaring heat of the sun.
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| Boats that would take you to the White Island and back to your resort. |
We hired a boat to take us to White Island from Camiguin. The price of the boat ride depends on which resort you are staying at. We stayed at Golden Sunset Beach Resort and was charged P500 for the roundtrip. A one-way ride is approximately 5 minutes. We arrived at White Island at 3pm and no matter how long we wanted to stay, we had to leave before 6pm. There is no electricity in the island. It relied primarily on the sun for light. Of course the boats will leave you there if you insist in staying. But there is no way you will be able to go back to your resort if in the middle of the night you change your mind.
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| Almost sunset at White Island |
Our 2-hour stay in White Island was perfect. I didn’t want to burden myself from re-applying sunscreen every hour. If you want to go sunbathing, I suggest you bring your own big umbrella to shield yourself from the sun. There are no beach chairs and no umbrellas. You may also want to bring your own food if you are planning to stay there longer. Although there are occasional food vendors, they are not always present.
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| Mount Hibok Hibok, Mount Mambajao, and an old volcano serve as backdrops to White Island |
P.S. This article was originally published on November 2009 at Nail Art Designs by Simply Rins