CAMOTES ISLAND

LET'S ROAM AROUND THE ISLAND OF CAMOTES 

Story and Photos by Henry Libo-on

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Viewing Deck at Buho Rock Garden. 

A FASTCRAFT TO CAMOTES ISLANDS

I wake up at 4:00 A.M., sip my mug of hot coffee which I ordered from the security guard of Pensionne La Florentina in Cebu City.  Before I took my backpack from the room, I requested the guard to call a taxi to bring me to Pier 1 of Cebu Ferry Terminal.

I arrived at the Pier Terminal around 5 a.m., bought my ticket from the Ocean Jet Ticket Counter and waited for the boarding time. In short, we left Cebu at 6 a.m. for a two (2) hour journey to Poro Port, Camotes Islands.

MOST PHOTOGRAPHED ICON OF CAMOTES ISLANDS

The Buho Rock Garden is one of the best places to visit on Camotes Islands.  Visitors love their Viewing Deck built on top of the rock.  There is also a Cliff Diving area for the adventurous.  I spent the afternoon sipping coffee at the reception area near the gate while I watched the visitors queuing to go down the steps leading to this Viewing Deck that gives one a good view of the Camotes Sea. 

Below, the photo shows the Port of Poro, your entry point to the islands of Pacijan and Poro. There are several boats that service the Consuelo Port and Pilar Port. 

Santiago White Beach is very accessible as it is located along the road.  This is a public beach but I saw a few tourists taking a dip on its clear water. The dark brown seaweeds lined the beach area.  I suggested to Esteban, the driver of the "Habal-Habal" to talk to the manager of this beach and suggest to him to assign cleaners to clean the beach every morning so that when tourists arrive, the beach is cleaned of these brown seaweeds.  On Mactang Beach, several workers were hired by the local government to clean the beach every day.  

The boat is used to transport tourists from one island to the next. You can always enjoy Jet Ski by renting one from the resort where you stay.

 Santiago White Beach.

If Santiago White Beach is privatized, its maintenance and beautification could be different.  I see the potential of this beach.  This is my first time to be here but the place reminded me of the beauty of Boracay.  From the distance, I saw a foreigner immersed from the sea and as he stands, the water is at the level of his knee.  Well, it suggests that you will enjoy swimming here because it is not "cantilado"  

Danao Lake and the lonely island in the middle of the Lake. Your visit to Camotes Islands is not complete if you have not been to Danao Lake. 

At Lake Danao, tourists can hire this boat for a ride around the lake. 

The waiting area for the boat ride.  This also serves as a dining area of visitors at Lake Danao. 

Mactang Beach is ideal for swimming and sunbathing.  There are also shed houses that visitors can use.  If you want to discover the other parts of the coastal area of the islands, just make an arrangement with the owners of the boats.  Some of these boats are docked on the beachfront. 

Mactang Beach is believed to be the site where the battle between the Spanish soldiers led by Ferdinand Magellan and Chief Lapu-Lapu of Mactang occurred on April 27, 1521.  This battle was fiercely fought by Magellan and the soldiers of the Kingdom of Mactan or was it Mactang?

Mactang is believed to be the home of Lapu-Lapu. Oral tradition have revealed that Lapu-Lapu's sister and his uncle lived on Mactang, Camotes long time ago.  This, the natives believed, would support the assumption that Lapu-Lapu, a brave Chief, lived here too which made Magellan decide to come to Mactang to confront Lapu-Lapu to pay tribute to the King of Spain and embrace Christianity. 

When Magellan landed on the shores of Mactang, Lapu-Lapu and his warriors ordered the Spaniards to leave.  Magellan was angry and the battle, as Yoyoy Villame's  song said, "began at dawn".  Lapu-Lapu and his men showed bravery and defeated Magellan.  Magellan was killed on that day, April 27, 1521.  

The sad thing was, Magellan's body remained on the beach of Mactang as the soldiers retreated to their boat and left for Cebu. Rajah Humabon of Cebu tried to help the Spanish soldiers retrieve the body of Ferdinand Magellan from the warriors of Lapu-Lapu but the latter refused to turn it over to them.  Until now, Magellan's body was never found.  (Wikipedia).

Could it be possible that the bones of a Caucasian man discovered on the excavation site on the beachfront of Mactang Beach the bones of Magellan?  We can never tell until it will be subjected to carbon testing and DNA testing.  

Welcome to Historic Mactang Beach, the signboard says.  Making me think that the natives of Camotes Islands are so passionate about their claim that the Battle of Mactan actually happened on Mactang Beach, Camotes Island.  Well, the difference between the two places is only the letter "g".  But that difference left the residents of Camotes Islands to question the veracity of the real place where that battle happened.   Was it Mactan, Cebu or Mactang Beach, Camotes Islands?

(Updated on April 8, 2019 - A copy of the Chronicles of Pigafetta, the historian of Magellan onboard this Flagship Trinidad revealed that they traveled to Matan Island and reached the island three (3) hours before dawn and sighted the shores where about 1,500 warriors of Lapu-Lapu were waiting for Magellan and his men. Filipino sources lately analyzed that Opon, now called as Mactan, was a small place that it cannot produce 1,500 soldiers.  Residents of Camotes Island believed that the battle occurred on the beach of Mactang at Camotes Islands where Lapu-Lapu and the rest of his family were known to be residents and where their settlements were located.) 

Notes taken from Antonio Pigafetta's Chronicles.  Pigafetta is the Historian of Magellan.

Source:  I-Witness: A Documentary of Lapu-Lapu by Jay Taruc on youtube. 

The Marker on Mactang Beach. TP is in the company of "beachcombers" (cleaners and maintenance crew).  They related to me the Battle of Mactang.  We had a long conversation, the longest time I spent on a single tourist spot on Camotes Islands.

According to these residents, there was excavation on the beachfront of Mactang Beach. Another source, a woman (please check the video for details), revealed that in the '70s there were diggings that occurred on the coastal area of Mactang that resulted in the discovery of several bones and artifacts believed to be associated with the white man and suspected to be the remains of Magellan. 

This is the Excavation Site. 

The excavation team discovered several battle ornaments like swords, helmets, lance, and bones of humans believed to be those of the Caucasian men or Spanish soldiers as their legs and arms were longer than the natives of Camotes.  Findings of this excavation had strengthened the belief of the local population that the Battle of Mactan did occur on the beach of Mactang. 

They said that those artifacts discovered by the excavation team were brought to Cebu. I tried to ask a few residents of Camotes, including my driver Esteban if they know where those artifacts can be seen, but they do not know, except that those artifacts were allegedly brought by the excavation team to Cebu.  

Now, is this story plausible or just an urban legend?

Well, only time can tell if the Camotes Islanders' version of the history is plausible or not.  

At the outset, I love this place and the next time I will be on Camotes Islands, I might stay longer to enjoy the beach, the sun, the sea, and the company of the locals who made my short visit, a memorable one. 

The sceneries around Camotes Islands are so gorgeous that you will develop a feeling of belongingness.  You belong here.... you want to stay longer here...you will find peace here...

Savoring the locally cooked food from a restaurant located at the Agora Market and Transportation Terminal.  TP is shown with Tia Rebecca the owner of this restaurant.  Tia Rebecca had lived at Barangay Taculing in the area near The Adventist Medical Center, Bacolod City.  TP currently lived at Taculing too.  It was Taculing, the place that we both lived that connected us.

The meal is composed of rice, chicken tinola, bitter lemon or "amargoso", and mongo, a native species of beans. 

 TP and Tia Rebecca.  She enjoyed her life on this island.  She married a local boy, long time ago and now she is a restaurant "magnate".... she laughed at this joke.  

Esteban, the Habal-Habal driver with Joy who served us lunch in Tia Rebecca's Restaurant at Agora Market. 

Esteban is my Habal-Habal driver.  If you are on Camotes Islands, look for him at the port of Poro Town and he can guide you around the islands.  Just ask any driver on the port where you can find Teban or Esteban because they know him.

Sto. Nino Church at Poro Town. 

Source of this map:  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 

Camotes Islands is famous for its white beaches, good accommodations provided by several beach resorts and hotels located mostly on the island of Poro and Pacijan, although nice beach resorts are also located on Ponson Island.  To go to Ponson Island, you need to rent a motorized banca or boat.  Pilar is the main town of Ponson Island.  

HOW TO GET TO CAMOTES ISLANDS

Wherever you came from - Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, make Cebu City as your jump-off point.

From Cebu, go to Pier 1.  Purchase a ticket at the ticket counter of the Fast Craft for Camotes Islands.  The fast craft leaves at 6:00 a.m. and arrives at the port of Poro, Camotes Islands at 8:00 a.m.  It leaves Poro for Cebu a few minutes after it arrived and the last trip is at 5:00 p.m.

From Cebu City, you can also ride the Ceres Bus to the town of Danao where the Danao Port is located.  Just tell the driver you will go down at Danao Port.  From the main road, please walk to the Terminal.  Select your time of departure, purchase your ticket and wait for boarding time.  Travel time is around 2 hours from Danao to Camotes Islands.  I took a few shots of Danao Port to be published here, unfortunately, my camera says "error" that I cannot scroll further the memory card where the photos I took of the port can be found.

Since I choose to ride the fast craft from Cebu City's Pier 1, we, therefore, dock at the port of Poro Town. 

Upon arrival on Poro Port, you can choose your mode of transportation around the island.  Do you want to ride the motorcycle locally known as Habal-Habal or you want to ride the Carry or "Talakitok" or the small van?  



Since I concluded that Esteban, my Habal-Habal driver drives safely, I suggest you look for him at the Port.  Every driver knows who Esteban is.  Before starting your island tour, agree on the price.  I paid Esteban around P500.00 for a whole day tour of the island.

This is the causeway, the home of mangroves that used to separate the islands of Poro and Pacijan but is now connected by this land bridge.  The mangroves on both sides of the road are the breeding grounds of aquatic life such as the local species of fish known as "Danggit". 

WHAT TO DO AT CAMOTES ISLANDS

1. Island tour of Poro, Pacijan, and Ponson islands.
2. Tour of beaches, resorts, Lake Danao, and other historical sites and places like old churches.
3. Visit the historic Mactang Beach and listen to the local guys tell the story of how the Battle of Mactang happened.
4. Visit the excavation site of the Battle of Mactang on Mactang Beach.
5. Enjoy swimming and sunbathing at the different beaches and resort-hotels spread all around the coastal area of Camotes Islands.
6. Enjoy cliff jumping at Buho Rock Garden.
7. Jet ski
8. Spend time with family and friends... family bonding.
9. Hold your seminars, workshops, retreats, and family reunions among others on the islands.
10. Hold your wedding in one of the beaches on the islands.
11. Spend your honeymoon here.
12. Discover the mangroves protection project of the local governments.
13. Buy "Danggit" from a local Bulad Store.
14. The boat rides around Lake Danao and see the island in the middle of the lake.
15. Savor their local delicacies.
16. Do a landscape painting, photography or video of the places you love.
17. Rent a motorcycle and do your own tour of Camotes Islands
18. Other things you wish to do on the island.

I am sure the list is not complete but you can add to this based on your choices of things to do on the islands.




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Budget

Traveling alone as a solo backpacker could mean that I can spend less because there is no one to influence me to spend more.... haha. Since I lost some of my receipts and boat tickets, I estimated that I spent around P2,000.00 for this one-day tour of Camotes Islands. It is around $40.00 based on the exchange rate of $1.00 to P50.00.

Compared to my recently concluded tour of Malapascua Island, Cebu, where I spent around P1,000.00, my tour of Camotes Islands is already expensive.

Be that as it may, different places require different approaches to travel. What is important here is I still considerably spent less than I expected and was able to discover the islands, the people, the culture, the history, their level of economic and tourism development, and the potentials that need to be tapped to improve the local tourism industry.


Seeing the presence of local and international tourists on Camotes Islands, I can sense that the islands' tourism industry is alive.

MY COMMENTS

What needs to be done is for the local governments to clean up their beaches every morning to get rid of those dark brown seaweeds lining the beach, training of drivers on how to deal with visitors specifically on local history, culture and traditions of the people of Camotes Islands, and developing their knowledge on the different tourist spots and historical places so they can suggest to visitors what to see.

The name Camotes would give me an impression that there is an abundance of "camote" or sweet potato growing on the islands. A root crop that is used to cook "camote delight" or "camote jam", etcetera.

But to my surprise, there is more to Camotes Islands than I expected. Just do not expect more about Scuba Diving activity because I have not seen much of it during this short visit. If scuba diving is your cup of tea, then please visit other sites that can give you more information. I am sure there are dive sites spread around the three main islands of Camotes.

Now, if you are convinced that Camotes Islands will be your next destination, start preparing now and do it. The best time of the year to be on the islands is November until May, known as the Dry Season. A wet season or rainy season begins in May until October.

For me, the rainy season cannot dampen my spirit to visit the island, thus, this tour.



Finally, I discovered that going to Camotes Islands is not that difficult to do. For some, Camotes Islands is so far away and that thinking may stop them from going there. Other than this, the image that the name Camotes creates is like that of a plant growing abundantly on the islands. So, what can you do there, eat camote delight, camote barbecue or boiled camote? Of course not!

The place is like any other, but you may not like to go home quickly because you might want to stay longer than what you expect. That's what I felt. The people are nice, beautiful people and there are places to see that are unique and there are historical accounts based on oral tradition that will challenge your intellectual capacity like the Battle of Mactang? Hmmmm.

So, fill your backpack and buy that ticket at the port of Cebu and check for yourself that Camotes Islands is more than just its name.

*Finally, I spent my own resources to travel to places that I like including the Camotes Islands. I do not have sponsors. So, this travel is based on my personal experience and my observations are totally my own and not influenced by any other person or entity. If the information here, or the facts and figures are already obsolete, please make your own research to find the current facts and figures about this travel. Thank you.

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*All photos by Henry C. Libo-on, the Touristang Pobre.

*For more stories about Camotes Islands and other islands in the Visayas, please go to the Home Page and select a story that you like.

ENJOY YOUR TRAVEL TO CAMOTES ISLANDS...

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Updated on 5 June 2018.
Updated on June 11, 2019.

Reviewed on May 20, 2023.


Thank you for reading this story. "Thank you very much."

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