Camiguin | En Route to Benoni
Camiguin Island, located at the off the northernmost part of main land Mindanao is popularly dubbed as the “Island Born of Fire”.
En Route to Benoni
Camiguin came from the word “Kamagong” an endemic tree valued for its sturdy wood. Inhabited by the Manobo’s from Surigao, this island is really a hot plate, wherein there are more volcanoes (7 overlapping active volcanoes) than its towns (5 towns).
This island also happens to be the smallest island with the most number of volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island in the world. Camiguin also houses an ASEAN Heritage Park called the Timpoong Hibok-Hibok National Monument. This is due to the fact that its diverse ecosystem resulted in high endemism of flora and fauna in the area.
With our day almost coming to a close due to the long travel from Iligan City, our group rented a commuter van at the Agora Market in Cagayan de Oro City to take us directly to Balingoan Port.
Cheaper option is to take the Butuan bound buses that will pass by the Balingoan Port and will only cost around 150php. Scenic coastal views at the left side welcomed us as we swiftly passed by the different municipalities of Misamis Oriental.
After almost 2 hours, we are lucky enough to reach Balingoan Port located at the northernmost tip of Misamis Oriental by 5:15pm. Last trip of ferry bound for Benoni Port leaves at 5:30pm. We then paid for the ferry ticket (170php) and their terminal fee (15php).
The ferry embarked by 5:30pm, crossing the gap that seperates Camiguin Island and mainland Mindanao.
The Island Born of Fire contrasted by the sky’s play of colors before dusk was already in front of us. The sea greeted us with her calm waters, and we were wondering what awesome adventures are awaiting us the following day. The transit to the island is already an adventure in itself.
We arrived at Benoni Port at Mahinog, Camiguin by 6:30pm and rented a Motorella to take us to our hotel in Mambajao.
The tricycle waited for us to take us back to the highway where we will be having our dinner. We then asked the driver, Kuya Carlo, to tour us around the island the following day.
After having dinner, we then got back to our room. We met with Kuya Bibot Jael for our hike the following day to reach one of Camiguin’s highest point, Mt. Hibok-Hibok.
Updated December 2016
