apo island: a travel guide

Here are some valuable information about Apo Island and a bit of my two cents based on my latest visit. Might be worth reading before you head for Apo Island. :)
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where is apo island?

From what I got from Wikipedia, Apo Island is a 12-hectare volcanic island located 7 kilometers off the southeastern tip of Negros Island and 30 kilometers south of the Negros Oriental's Dumaguete City.

how do i get there?

It depends on where you are coming from. Most of the time, travellers will be passing by Dumaguete City where all the seaports and the city airport are located. 
Picture
Noontime sky in Apo Island
Coming from Dumaguete City, FIRST YOU HAVE TO GET TO MALATAPAY PORT. From your hotel, ride the tricycle to take you to the Ceres bus terminal in Calindagan Road. Fare is P9 per person.

Once you are in the terminal, BOARD THE BUS HEADING FOR BAYAWAN and ask to be dropped off at Malatapay in Zamboanguita -- the port to Apo Island. The bus conductor should know.

Here are the schedules:
  • Bayawan-bound Ceres aircon bus: First trip at 5:45 AM (then every 45 minutes after) and last trip at 6:00 PM
  • Bayawan-bound Ceres ordinary bus: First trip at 5:45 AM (then every 20 minutes after) and last trip at 9:00 PM

Tip: 
  • If you are in a hurry, better ride the ordinary buses as they get loaded with passengers faster. Fare is also cheaper at only P56 per person.
  • If you have a smartphone, turn on your GPS and monitor your location in a map (e.g. google maps, apple maps, waze, etc.). Not all the time will your conductor remember to drop you off so you should know when and where exactly to get off.

Once you have been dropped off Zamboanguita, look for a small inner street with signage "Malatapay port" or "Apo Island". On Wednesdays, this should be a busy street because of it is market day. During weekends, there should be several tricycles waiting for passengers. You may opt to ride a tricycle but the tricycles are usually overpriced. It is only a 5- to 8-minute walk to the port so if you can handle walking this long under the heat of the sun, then you'll survive the WALK TO MALATAPAY PORT.

At Malatapay port, RIDE A BOAT HEADING FOR APO ISLAND. You have two (2) options:
  • You can opt to ride the private boats heading to Malatapay at P2,000 per trip. There is no schedule being followed as long as one is available on the time you get to the port. Just split the cost with your travel companions.
  • If you are on a budget or on a solo trip, wait for Hercules or Helius. These boats are commuter/passenger boats for P300 per person per way.

When heading back to Malatapay, just ask Ate Pinky of Liberty's Lodge regarding the schedule of their boats heading back to mainland because this would depend on their guests. Ate Pinky is the receptionist at Liberty's Lodge who takes care of the scheduling of the boats back to Malatapay, Zamboanguita. Better ask Ate Pinky the night before your journey back so can prepare.
Picture
Locals and tourists waiting for the "public" boat to Malatapay Port. Water is also being transported to the island from mainland through these boats.


TIP: The boat ride from Malatapay port to Apo Island and vice versa can be rough, especially during amihan season, which is between the months of January to early March. You will get wet and when I say wet, I mean really, really wet! No matter where you sit in the boat, you'll get soaked and this is much worse if you ride the smaller outrigger boats. Make sure you don't have any loose items with you or any items that cannot get wet. Even for non-waterproof watches, please keep them in your bags.

are there any restaurants in the island?

There are very few restaurants in Apo Island. To be exact, there are two -- one from Apo Island Beach Resort and another one owned by Liberty's Lodge. If you are not checked in Apo Island Beach Resort, then your only option is Liberty's Lodge. It is quite expensive but if money is no issue, then this should be your best option. 

Some homestay also prepare food but this is mostly for their guests. Anyway, the food from the homestays are almost always on the same price range as the restaurants.

If you opt not to eat in Apo Island, there are several carinderias (or small, family owned eat-out places serving meals) in Malatapay port (see photos on the right). Meals range from P40 to P60 depending on what food you are ordering. 

is network service available?

There is no problem with Smart signal in the island. Calling or texting someone through Smart network should not be a problem. However, I think Globe signal was quite weak, if not totally inexistent. 3G signal was not available in any of the networks. So if you want to go online, better ask your resort if they have one.

how about electricity?

Electricity is only available several hours in a day, 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM only, to be exact. There will be no electricity before or after this so better make sure that you charge your cellphones and cameras during this time. Apo Island Beach Resort and Liberty's Lodge have longer electricity supply, if not 24/7, so you should be okay if you stay in these resorts.

where can i stay in apo island?

I have another blog entry on where to stay in Apo Island. Please click here.
Picture
Outside Ate Nor's lodging. Bathrooms are shared and all rooms at the 2nd floor have their own balconies. She also serves free breakfast of rice and egg to her guests.

what do i need to bring?

It will be best if you could bring the following with you to the island. Some you need to bring to survive :) and some you need to bring so you won't hurt your pockets too much during your stay.
  • Water. Bottled water is expensive in the island since these are "imported" from mainland. Even the water you bathe is comes from mainland.
  • Underwater camera. You'll need this to document your diving or snorkelling activities. You would want to miss documenting you sighting of sea turtles, lionfishes, clownfishes, and all other marine life you'll be encountering.
  • Power bank. This will come in handy in case you run out of battery during non-electricity hours.
  • Snorkelling gears. If you don't want to pay extra for the gears, then you can bring your own.
  • Waterproof bags (and camera bags). The seas to Apo Island can get really rough and your stuffs are bound to get wet. Our boatman placed our bags in a secured compartment underneath the boat but it still got a little drenched. Good thing my camera was in between my clothes. I was dripping wet when I got to the island. Might as well wear goggles and swimsuit next time. Haha! If you ride the bigger outrigger boats like Hercules and Helius, this may be less of a problem, but you really wouldn't know when and where the big waves will hit.

what are the activities that i can do?

  • Spend a lot of time snorkelling or free diving. The entire island is surrounded by marine sanctuaries and reefs. Basically, you can just snorkel anywhere! The earlier you start, the better. More sea turtles are visible in the shallow waters during early morning free dives.
  • I would suggest that you do not wear any sunblocks when snorkelling or free diving. You will be swimming in marine sanctuaries and sunblocks contain chemicals which water pollutants and can be harmful to fishes and sea turtles.
  • The sunset is really gorgeous. Just laze by the shore around 5:00 PM onwards and you'll be amazed.
  • For someone who doesn't get to drink mango shakes often, there are really delicious ones in Liberty's Lodge. Before you can only order them when electricity is available but now, you can order them anytime in the restaurant.
  • Climb up the lighthouse but be a bit prepared for a 10-minute climb to the top. The time you'll spend climbing will really depend on how fast you walk. It is quite tiring so just be prepared for that. Be prepared also that there is nothing much to see at the peak but the lighthouse. You can also see the sunset but not as good as by the beach. You can also capture the sunrise from here.
  • Just lounge by the beach and chat with the locals during your free time.
Picture
A magnificent sunset in Apo Island

what are other destinations outside apo island?

  • Manjuyod Sandbar
  • Bais Dolphin Watching
  • Oslob Whale Watching
  • Sumilon Island

If you are planning to visit other places near Apo Island or around Dumaguete, please check out my suggested itinerary of Oslob-Bais-Apo Island in 6 days.
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