“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” – David Viscott

Wanna get kissed by the sun as you bum around a sandbar that seemingly floats in the middle of the sea? With an unobstructed view of the sea and sky… with your feet being tickled by the very fine white sand and relaxed by the cool turquoise waters?

White Island, an uninhabited sandbar, located about 1.4 kilometres off the coast of Mambajao (capital town of Camiguin Island, Philippines). Also called Medan Island or Medano Islet, the shape and size of the sandbar changes depending on the tides. At times, it looks like a boomerang or a horse-shoe, and at times, the center part is submerged making it appear like 2 separate pieces of land.

Being unpopulated, there are no structures of any sort. Not even a single tree/plant can be found here. The mid portion of the C-shaped Island is a radiant, clear, cerulean lagoon-like body of water. The backdrop of the island is the verdant slopes of Mt. Hibok-hibok and Mt. Vulcan on one side, and an ostensibly continual view of the sea on the other side.

This is one of Camiguin’s main attractions, drawing in a large number of tourists all-year round. The island can be accessed from Brgy. Agoho or Brgy. Yumbing in Mambajao. Outrigger boats can be hired from any of the resorts adjacent to the island.

Boat rentals are available for P400 – P500 (two-way trip). The locals also rent out beach umbrellas for P200 each.

Do not forget to bring with you food and drinks and your sunblock specially when you intend to spend several hours in the island. The place is indeed perfect for swimming, snorkelling, camwhoring, bumming or waiting for both the sunrise and the sunset.

Truly, White Island is an embodiment of a postcard-perfect tropical delight.

How to Get to White Island:

From Manila, you can fly to Camiguin via Cebu. You can fly to Cagayan de Oro City. Once in CDO, take a shuttle to Agora Terminal. From there, take a bus bound for Balingoan Port and ride a ferry going to Camiguin. Upon arrival in Benoni Port (Camiguin), you can either take a multi-cab or tricycle to Brgy. Yumbing or Agoho. Finally, rent an outrigger boat to White Island.