A firsthand guide to Camiguin’s food, attractions, beaches, springs, accommodations, and travel tips before you go.
Camiguin Island is known as the “Island Born of Fire” because it is home to seven volcanoes, with Mt. Hibok-Hibok as its active volcano. Its last major eruption was in December 1951. I remember visiting Camiguin years ago with my college friends when we were in Cagayan de Oro. This was our first time back on the island after the pandemic—and it was nice to return and rediscover Camiguin again with more focus on sustainable tourism.
First Impressions 👀
Camiguin is in Northern Mindanao (Region X) and is made up of five municipalities: Mahinog, Catarman, Sagay, Guinsiliban, and Mambajao, the provincial capital. White Island is Camiguin’s postcard-perfect white sandbar, while Mantigue Island is known for its diving, marine life, and underwater wonders.
If you’re visiting Camiguin, allot at least one full day to explore the island and go island hopping. Plan your route well and maximize your transportation so you can cover more of Camiguin’s highlights in a day.
For a livelier experience, visit during the Lansones Festival in the third week of October, when the island celebrates its famous lanzones harvest.
We attended the Camiguin Tourism Roundtable, organized by Governor Xavier Jesus Romualdo, and I was impressed to see an LGU taking a more holistic approach to sustainable tourism through its Camiguin 2028 Tourism Vision.
Camiguin is implementing the VICE model, which balances Visitor Experience, Industry Growth, Community Well-Being, and Environmental Stewardship. The idea is simple: tourism should create an awesome experience for visitors, attract investments and create livelihood, benefit the local community, and protect the very nature that makes Camiguin special.
At the height of Camiguin’s popularity in 2019, before the pandemic, the island welcomed 800,000+ tourists—a level of tourism it was not yet prepared to handle sustainably.
With 288,558+ tourists in 2026, the island is quieter now, giving its natural assets time to breathe. This is the right time to put safeguards in place, especially around the island’s carrying capacity, and develop the right sustainable tourism mindset before tourism grows back to pre-pandemic levels.
This is not the place to look for your AFAM (A Foreigner Assigned in Manila) with only less than 5% of tourists arrivals are foreigners. But Spanish tourists love Camiguin and you still have your occasional American, French and German Tourists. This adds to the charm of Camiguin where it is not overrun by foreign tourists unlike Siargao.
Manila ➡️ Camiguin
To RORO or not to RORO?
Currently there are no direct flights to Camiguin not until the runway will be fixed to accommodate bigger planes. Currently there is a direct flight from Cebu so for a shorter trip, you can fly Manila — Cebu – Camiguin.
For our group, we had to take the Roro because the flight capacity is limited. you would spend one day in travel flying from Manila to Laguindingan Airport then a 3 hours and 30+ minutes road trip to the Port of Balingoan to catch the 3pm Roro trip.
The RORO trip to Camiguin takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to reach the Port of Benoni. We left for the airport at 5 AM but only arrived at our hotel in Camiguin around 5 PM, just before sunset—so you can easily lose 12+ hours almost an entire day to travel.
If you have the time, consider staying a night in Cagayan de Oro to break up the journey and explore the city before heading to Camiguin. On the way back, plan around the 10 AM RORO trip so you can catch an afternoon flight.
Best Stay in Camiguin?
The best high-end resort in Camiguin for me is Nouveau Resort Camiguin. My memories of Camiguin have always been staying in high-end beach shacks or Airbnbs, so I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and luxurous this resort is on the Isle of Camiguin.
It’s a bit secluded, which adds to its resort charm. Located in the municipality of Mahinog, it’s about 20 minutes from the main action in Mambajao, the island’s capital.
We stayed here for 4D and 3N, and here’s our review: Nouveau Resort Camiguin Review: What Do We Think?
When we go back to the island, I’d love to stay at UNWND Boutique Hotel Camiguin by Araw Hospitality Group, which also runs Araw Sports Club Camiguin with tennis, padel, and pickleball courts—perfect for a destination pickleball battle!
We also had the buffet dinner here and the food was good. It’s strategically located near White Island, and they have a speedboat for faster access in the morning.
Have you stayed at UNWND? Let me know what you think in the comments.
White Island
We woke up at 6:30 AM and headed back to UNWND, which was our jump-off point to White Island. It’s just a few minutes away by speedboat, so getting there was super easy. The smaller boat can dock right on the island, while bigger groups taking the larger boat need to transfer to the smaller one before reaching the shore.
Everyone seemed to have the same idea because by 7 AM, White Island was already crowded. We later learned that Filipinos, like us, tend to come early when the sun isn’t too high yet, making it cooler and more comfortable. The foreigners come later in the afternoon, mostly to enjoy the sun and do some sunbathing.
What makes White Island so postcard-perfect is the view of White Island with Mt. Hibok-Hibok as the backdrop. This is the signature Camiguin shot, so don’t just take photos facing the open sea—you’ll miss the best view!
There’s really not much to do on the island except swim, relax, and, of course, make content for IG and TikTok.
If you’re more adventurous with seafood, I’d definitely try the fresh uni here. The fishermen sell four pieces for just ₱100, served simply with vinegar. We hadn’t had breakfast yet when we visited, so we decided not to risk trying it on an empty stomach. But the uni looked incredibly fresh—and fresh uni is usually sweeter and creamier.
Mantigue Island
I enjoyed our trip to Mantigue Island more, with municipality of Mahinog as our jump-off point. The Island is best known for its white sand beaches and the coral and marine life just off the shore.
The trip to Mantigue Island is quick by speedboat, but most visitors still get there by the usual bangka with katig.
Meet Sir Rico Ikoy, one of the best Mantigue guides, who will welcome you and give you a quick island orientation.
There’s also a new boardwalk through the mangroves, with a tower viewpoint in the middle – about 30 minutes hike.
The highlight of the visit was the catered lunch featuring the best of Camiguin—fresh lato, chicken inasal, grilled tuna, surol soup with coconut milk, and the champion lechon from Mahinog during the battle of lechon last January.
Points of Interest 👀
After Mantigue, we drove to Tuasan Falls in Catarman. It was quite a drive since it’s on the other side of the island, but it was worth it. The waterfall was powerful, and taking a dip in the cold, fresh water was incredibly refreshing.
After the falls, we hung out at Sto. Niño Cold Spring for a relaxing cold swim, with some kiping, grilled banana, and durian for snacks. Make sure to check out the shops here for pasalubong.
The Gui-ob Church Ruins, are the moss-covered coral-stone remains of a Spanish-era church in Catarman. The church was destroyed in the 1871 eruption of Mount Vulcan, which buried much of the old town. Honestly, it’s a bit boring, so you have to use your imagination to appreciate the history behind the ruins.
Today, you can still see the thick coral walls, remnants of the bell tower and convent, and century-old trees growing through the ruins. For photographers, there are plenty of photogenic angles, especially in the afternoon light. Visit before 5 PM, when it closes, to catch the sunset.
This is one of the best sunset spots in Camiguin, but we barely missed it as the sun disappeared behind the clouds. The area has plenty of pasalubong shops, and you can enjoy lansones ice cream or ice candy while watching the sunset.
Final Thoughts
Camiguin is more beautiful now than ever! The resorts and boutique hotels are charming, and the island seems to be well-managed with the community in mind.
Plan for a 4D3N trip, with one day for island hopping to White Island and Mantigue Island, and exploring Camiguin’s other nature tourism spots. Flying is the most convenient way to get there, while taking the RORO is more affordable, especially if you’re also visiting Cagayan de Oro.
I love the provincial leadership’s vision of building a more sustainable and inclusive tourism program. It may sound a bit cliché, but you can feel the sincerity and commitment to avoid repeating the tourism challenges Boracay experienced years ago and what Siargao is facing today, where local communities are increasingly affected by rapid tourism growth.
One thing I noticed during the Camiguin Roundtable was the strong emphasis on Food Tourism. Camiguin’s food is quite good and unique, and I think it deserves to be celebrated more. Check out the next blog post in the series:
Camiguin Food Guide 2026: Where to Eat and What to Buy for Pasalubong?
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: This article was written entirely by a human—reflecting my own biases, opinions, and insights—with grammar and clarity checked using AI assistance. Thank you to Camiguin Provincial Government for inviting us to Camiguin!