Just 35 minutes by boat from the northern tip of Cebu, Malapascua Island is one of those increasingly popular destinations on Philippine itineraries. It is a small island of just 3 square kilometers, ideal for spending a few days relaxing, enjoying diving...
If you are planning to travel to the Philippines and want to add Malapascua to your route, in this post I will tell you about the 10 best things to do in Malapascua, the best way to get there, where to stay...
10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN MALAPASCUA, PHILIPPINES
1. Visit the great city of Malapascua
The city of Logon, is known for being the great city of Malapascua. Taking into account that the island only measures 3 square km, you can imagine that the city is more like a small city, where the shopping area, some bars, karaoke bars and some accommodation are located. The island is not paved, except for some streets in Logon. The churchyard becomes the dance floor of the island and the greatest hits from several decades are played to make everyone dance.
2. Enjoy the northern beaches, the most beautiful area of Malapascua
The most touristy area of Malapascua and with the most accommodations will be found in the south of the island, where the port is located and where the boats arriving from the island of Cebu dock.
The island travels very quickly. To give you an idea between the south and the north there are only 3 kilometers, which you can do on foot or by motorcycle taxi.
Some of the most beautiful beaches are located in the north of the island. In reality, the entire island is a paradise, but to the north, as there is less accommodation, it is always a quieter place. One of the most beautiful beaches is Langob Beach, with white sand, turquoise and crystal clear water. You also can't miss Bantigue Cove or Gugma Beach.
3. Dive with the thresher shark
One of the most popular activities in this area of the Philippines is diving with the thresher shark. To enjoy this experience you will have to get up early, since the boats leave around 4:30 in the morning to head to Monad Shoal. This place is one of the best places in the world to swim with the thresher shark. This animal is quite elusive when sightings, you should keep in mind that it usually lives 300 meters deep and they go up to about 30 or 25 meters below sea level to the cleaning stations to be dewormed by the schools of fish that live there. here. It is precisely at that moment, where it is possible to see them. It is an activity that requires being an expert diver or with a certain level of depth.
4. Diving in Malapascua
Malapascua has many more diving spots closer to the island. One of the most famous landmarks is the Reed Lighthouse. A reef where it is advisable to do night diving. You will be able to see all kinds of colorful fish, seahorses, cuttlefish...
Another place that you cannot miss if you are a diving lover is Doña Marilyn Wreck. It is a huge ferry 90 meters long, sunk 30 meters deep. It sank due to a typhoon in 1988 and since then marine life has made the ferry their home. It is full of colorful coral, among which black coral stands out, a very characteristic species of the area, there are white-tipped sharks, thousands of colorful fish, rays...
5. Find the lighthouse, abandoned resort and Lapu Lapu Cliff
In the north of the island you will find an abandoned resort and a lighthouse flanked by two beautiful beaches. In addition, there are also the Lapu Lapu Cliff, a small cliff 12 meters high from where you will have incredible views of the landscape and the sea.
6. Take an excursion to Kalaggaman
From Malapascua you can take an excursion to the island of Kalanggaman, a paradise island where you can relax and enjoy the surroundings. It is located about 2 hours from Malapascua and is a really small island. Basically it is a sand spit, about 200 meters long, with palm trees, crystal clear water and plenty of fish to enjoy snorkeling.
7. Snorkelling, one of the best things to do in Malapascua
The Philippines in general is a paradise for diving and snorkeling lovers. Although to do diving you will need a qualification and experience. For snorkeling it is not necessary. Many tours offer the option to go to the best coral reefs surrounding the island. They cost around 1000 pesos, for a 3 to 4 hour boat. From the beaches you can also snorkel and see sea turtles (sometimes they can be seen near the coast) and many types of colorful fish.
8. Enjoy the sunset in Malapascua
You can enjoy sunsets everywhere, the Philippines is beautiful, and any beach destination you choose will offer you the best sunsets. However, at least it happened to me, throughout my weeks touring the Philippines, I got up so early and filled the day with activities so much that by the time the sun set, most of the time I was already asleep. In Malapascua, the rhythm is calmer, despite being able to do several tiring activities such as diving and snorkelling, the rest of the day you will be walking, sunbathing, taking a nap... so you will end the day much more relaxed and with the option to enjoy the sunset.
9. Take an excursion to Carnaza and Lamanok
In addition to Kalaggaman, near Malapascua you have more islands that you can visit. Carnaza and Lamanoko are more popular excursions because they are quite close. In order to reach them you will have to hire a boatman. There are many who are already dedicated exclusively to tourism, and with their boat, they take you to these islands, wait for you to visit them, enjoy the day and return you to Malapascua. The cost will depend on the boatman, the time of year and the desire to negotiate. I recommend haggling a lot, they usually start with quite high prices. The normal cost of a boat is about 7,500 pesos and it can accommodate around 4 or 5 people. The more of you there are, the better things turn out for you. Sometimes, from the hotel itself, they offer you these excursions and they themselves are in charge of finding the boatman and filling the missing places so that it is cheaper for all of you.
10. Relax and enjoy
As I mentioned before, the Philippines may seem like a perfect destination to rest, but the reality is that you will be doing a lot of activities all day. Therefore, I recommend that you take a day to disconnect and rest. Malapascua offers the possibility of doing it calmly and following the calm rhythm of the island. Depending on the accommodation you choose, the safest thing is that you have the possibility of hiring a massage. Take advantage!
HOW TO GET TO MALAPASCUA
Ferries leave from the north of the island of Cebu to the south of the island of Malapascua. To get to the north of Cebu, buses leave from the center or you can do it by taxi/van. The journey between one island and the other takes around 45 minutes and usually costs about 4 or 5 euros. It is recommended that when you organize your trip you first leave the planned itinerary with all the transfers and routes reserved.
WHERE TO STAY IN MALAPASCUA
The island is very small and you can walk from end to end. So it doesn't really matter much where you stay. Most of the hotels are in the south, but you have them all over the island.
Some great accommodation options in Malapascua:
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to the Philippines very much and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!