TRAVEL GUIDE: LAKE DANAO, CAMOTES ISLAND

TRAVEL GUIDE: LAKE DANAO AT CAMOTES ISLAND

Story and copyright photos by Henry Libo-on

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Lake Danao

Camotes Island

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Introduction

Lake Danao on Camotes Island is one of the beautiful spots tourists and travelers must visit before they leave the island.

Lake Danao offers a leisurely boat ride around the Lake. Before cruising the lake, grab your favorite snacks from their convenience store and carry them to your boat.

Lake Danao is one of the biggest lakes in the Philippines. It is located at Pacijan Island in the town called San Francisco. This 650-hectare lake (Wikipedia) has two islets, Crocodile and Snake. The top photo shows one of these islets.

Lake Danao Park is run by the local government. There are cottages for rent. There is a convenience store, swimming pool and a mini zoo that houses mostly monkeys.

Visitors can rent the kayak, and boat to enable them to see the wide and long expanse of the Lake.

The water of the lake looks blue because it reflects the color of the sky and in some areas of the lake the water looks green because of the reflection of the trees nearby but in some areas the water looks brown because of the brown seaweeds on the bottom of the lake.

The entrance to the lake.

This convenience store offers assorted drinks and chips as well as shakes and bread.

You can also order food and they will look for ways to prepare them for you. It is good to give them advance notice, for example, upon your arrival.

Nice spot to have drinks, coffee or snacks coupled with a good conversation with friends and family.

How To Get There

Lake Danao is in the Municipality of San Francisco on the island of Pacijan, one of the three islands comprising the Camotes.

From where you are in the Philippines, be it in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao, just make Cebu your port of entry and the jump-off point to Camotes Islands. Please choose Poro Island Port as your entry point. From Cebu, you can take the Fast Ferry called Ocean Jet from Pier 1. Schedule of the trip starts at 6:00 a.m. Travel time to the Port of Poro is two (2) hours.

You can also take the boat from the town of Danao. Just be sure that the boat will dock at Poro Port, Pacijan Island.

Upon arrival at Poro Port, there are Single Motorcycles, Habal-Habal (just like a tricycle), or a Van, a small vehicle also known as Carry or "Talakitok".

Before hiring one of these for your island tour or to take you to your hotel, please make a deal with the driver regarding the price. I hired a single motorcycle with the driver as my tour-guide for my island tour and I paid him P400.00.

What To Do at Danao Lake Park

Tour of the Lake. You can rent a kayak or a boat.
Swimming just be careful when you swim in the lake. The spot may look shallow but the seaweeds may shock you and gives you a feeling of depth.
Sunbathing.
Eat lunch on the lakeside.
You can conduct your Training and Seminar-Workshops here. Please make an arrangement with the management.
The park can be an ideal place for family bonding, family reunions, alumni gathering, and others
For the environmentalists, the park can be an ideal place to conduct research.
A private developer on the other side of the park is building a zip line that will connect the park to the other side of the Lake. It is a work in progress as of the moment.
Kids will enjoy the kiddie's pool.
Other activities you can think of while here in Danao Lake Park.

Budget

This tour of Camotes Islands costs me around P2,000.00 only as it is just a one-day tour. If I stayed for a few nights, It will cost me more because I have to add my hotel and food expenses. Perhaps, I might shell out another P2,000.00. I tried to save on expenses, so I just eat at a local restaurant where my meal, for example, will cost me around P100.00.

Finally, my tour of the Camotes Islands is just a kind of research, a survey of the tourist spots, facilities, and services available to tourists and backpackers. I found what I came for but this is not enough because I have not experienced the cool waters of the Camotes Sea. I wish I could have enjoyed swimming on Mactang Beach or at Santiago White Beach. Wish I could do that next time.

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All photos are by Henry C. Libo-on of Touristang Pobre.

Updated on September 22, 2019.
Reviewed on August 19, 2020.
Reviewed on March 26, 2021.

Reviewed on April 28, 2024.

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Wait, wait. If you want to read more about tourist spots or frequently visited places, please, click the links hereunder. Thank you.

1. ANG TINAGO SANG SAN ENRIQUE - Touristang Pobre

2. RESORT: LA BLANCA AT MASULOG LA CASTELLANA - Touristang Pobre

3. KIKULAS CAFE: A COFFE SHOP ON THE HILL - Touristang Pobre

4. SALVADOR BENEDICTO: PANGAPE SA HIGAD DALAN - Touristang Pobre

5. THE GOVERNOR AND I - Touristang Pobre

6. ISLANDS & BEACHES - Touristang Pobre