From Cebu's busy city - a paradise especially for divers can be found, that is Malapascua Island. The island situated at the northernmost of Cebu has so much to show and tell. It is a small island that is only about 2.5 by 1 kilometer or 1.55 by 0.6 mi, it is indeed small but terrible in such a very beautiful way.
Malapascua is known for its wide white sand beach tagged as "Little Boracay", which is a fair judgement - for me, it may not have a powdery white sand as Boracay has but it has much lesser crowd and super clear water. If I am to choose between Boracay and Malapascua, crowd and serenity wise - I'll go for the 2nd. Also known as a great dive destination for regular seeings of thresher sharks and manta rays as well coral gardens and Japanese shipwreck.
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| I can stay the whole day doing nothing with this such beauty |
How to get there:
Manila To Malapascua:
1. Fly to Mactan-Cebu airport then head to Cebu North Bus Terminal
2. From CNBT, take a bus/van to Maya. Fare is 180 for van. NOTE: Bus ride could take 4-5hrs while van only takes 3-3.5 hrs
3. From Maya port, take a boat to Malapascua Island for P80 if the ferry is full or P100 if not but not more than that. Most of the time, big boats won't dock at the shore - they can't because the water is so low, and so passenger including their baggage will need to transfer to smaller boats called tunda for P20/passenger.
Bantayan To Malapascua:
1. Take a ferry back from Bantayan Island to Hagnaya Port for P170.
2. From Hagnaya Port, take a trike to Don Pedro. P20/passenger. If you're travelling alone, you gotta pay at least for 2, trike drivers won't take you alone.
3. From Don Pedro, take a bus/van to Maya port. Non aircon bus fare is P37.
4. From Maya port, take a boat to Malapascua Island for P80 if the ferry is full or P100 if not but not more than that. Most of the time, big boats won't dock at the shore - they can't because the water is so low, and so passenger including their baggage will need to transfer to smaller boats called tunda for P20/passenger.
TIP: From Maya Port/Malapascua shore, make sure to wear slippers or nothing at all - not shoes for sure - you have to step on the water when taking tunda and you don't want your favorite shoes to get wet.
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| Maya Port |
Same with Bantayan, Malapascua has been highly affected by typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), so everything went higher than before but still, resorts and establishments as well as the locals were able to cope up with what happened to them and had moved on.
- Mike and Diose's (Beachfront) - 09052632914. Cheapest is P900.
- BB Guesthouse (Non-beachfront) - Wasn't able to get their number but it's very near the port, Just ask the locals. Cheapest is P400.
- Cocobana (Beachfront) - near BBs. Cheapest is P1000.
I stayed at BB Guesthouse for P400/night fan room with common CR and shower.
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| My humble fan room :) |
Where to eat:
I've tried 2 restos while in Malapascua. 1 is right next to BB's Guesthouse which is Ging-Ging Restaurant that offers a wide range of food variety that is very affordable and really good.
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| Served HOT and yummy Squid with tomato saue and veggies, rice and mango juice - all for P120. |
What to do:
I was hoping to see thresher sharks and manta rays but I don't know how to swim and eventually how to scuba dive, never tried it before and I felt like I'm missing half of my life. So it's on my to-do list now!
Since I wasn't able to dive and play hide and seek with the thresher sharks, (too bad huh?) I felt sooo upset however, I didn't let my incapability hinder me to enjoy Malapascua so I aside from another soooo relaxing beach bumming, I did snorkeling too!
- Beach Bum.
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| Bounty Beach, where hotels/resorts are all lined up |
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| Taking advantage of this part of the island - far from touristy part of the island |
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| Way better beach. Kinda far from the main beach, ask a local or ride a motorcycle to get here. |
- Snorkeling
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| On our way to snorkeling site - sooooo pristine water. |
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| Excuse me for poor underwater picture quality, I only used my iphone with waterproof case on it :( |
- Witness Malapascua's majestic sunrise
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| Too die for .. |
- Visit Malapascua Lighthouse
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| Malapascua's very own lighthouse |
Other things to do:
- Dive and see the thresher sharks and mantra rays
- Trip to Kalanggaman Island - just ask your hotel/resort for a Kalanggaman trip. Price is P800/person including lunch. Entrace fee is P150 for Pinoys and I think P500 for foreigners. I was actually planning to pay a visit to this island but I don't want to rush my Cebu visit, at least, another reason to comeback.
- Visit Bantayan Island.
And of course, once you're back to the city, make sure to take home Cebu's best!!
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Expenses and Sample Itinerary:
NOTE: This doesn't include pasalubong expenses and other side meals :)
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