Apo Island D.I.Y. Tour

Apo Island is located at Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. It has 691 hectares of protected area. As such the marine sanctuary area was closed off to the public for rehabilitation since 2012 if I remember correctly. No worries because you can still visit the turtle zone where you can swim and get up-close with the turtles.

Meet my friend Green here. He loves swimming and munching on some seaweeds.

How to get to Apo Island?
1. From Dumaguete, ride a Ceres bus with a 'Bayawan' sign-board and tell the conductor to drop you off at Malatapay Market. Fare is 50PHP and travel time is around 1 hour.
2. After getting off the bus, you can walk to the port.
3. Take a 15 minute boat ride to Apo Island. We did not make any reservations. We just went to the port and asked for a private boat. Fare depends on the boat you're renting. Refer to published rates below.

We arrived at the port around 9am. On a normal day you can already see Apo Island from the port, but it was pouring and you can hardly see anything. Some tourist even backed-out and preferred to go back the next day. It was our last day so we waited until it was safer to set sail. Luckily, the weather got better and we arrived safely.

10 seater boat 4000PHP 

This picture was taken when we arrived back at Dauin port. See the weather difference?

Can't remember how much entrance fee we paid for snorkeling I think it was 100-150PHP per person. A tour guide is required, 1 for every 4 persons and it costs 300PHP. The tour guide will help you locate the turtles and take pictures for you, they also ensure your safety and the safety of the marine animals you encounter. STRICTLY NO TOUCHING THE TURTLES!!!

We rented snorkels, booties and life jacket for 100PHP per gear. It's not required but highly recommended as there are sea urchins in the area. You can also bring your own gear if you want. We also rented a table where we can leave our things 300PHP per table. You can also have lunch here for 150PHP. They have chicken adobo, fried or grilled fish.

We were so blessed to arrive at the island safe and the sun was already up.

Most islands only have doggos but there were a lot of kitties in Apo Island too. I wonder if they know how to swim?

Mr. Turtle: Yo guys! This' my friend Ly!

Me: Hi! (wave..wave..)

There are turtles roaming around at knee deep waters so watch your feet!

These turtles aren't exactly shy. They know they're gorgeous so they let you take lots of awesome pictures. And they know it's their turf so if they come close (REMEMBER: NO TOUCHING!!!) you have to adjust for them. 

These pictures are unedited and shot using gopro hero 4. Right out of the box. That's how beautiful this place is. ^_^

Time to say goodbye to Mr. Turtle. Till next Time!!!

Swimming with the turtles is such an amazing experience. I'm really thankful the weather cooperated and we got to see them. It would have been such a great loss if we missed them. But please remember that it is their sanctuary. So please respect them and the rules set by your guide. ^_^

Manjuyod Sand Bar and Dolphin Watching

There are tour packages for Manjuyod Sand Bar and Bais Dolphin Watching which ranges from 3000PHP to 4000PHP per person, but if you want to save some bucks, then read on and just D.I.Y.

To get to Manjuyod sandbar, go to Ceres bus terminal in Dumaguete and hop on a bus with the 'Manjuyod' sign board. Tell the conductor to drop you off at Bais bus stop. Fare is PHP55 and travel time is around 1 hour and 30 minutes. We arrived at Bais around 7am.

We arranged for a private boat before hand because we wanted to go home early and head for Siquijor in the afternoon. A private boat which can seat a maximum of 10 persons is PHP3500 for a whole day rental. But ate Rebecca gave us a discount and only gave it for PHP2500 since there are only 2 of us renting.

Bais Private Boat Rental
Contact: Rebecca
Phone: 09059614678

On the bus however, we met Mr. Lee and Nemo, his girlfriend who's also bound for Manjuyod sandbar and somehow my boyfriend and Mr. Lee became instant 'buddies' and Mr. Lee wanted to join our party of 2. So when the conductor asked if they already have a tour booking, he said 'Together' pointing at us.  Oh? Oh well.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It was a good thing ate Rebecca still agreed to let us pay the same price for 4 persons. We met with ate Rebecca at Bais Bus Stop. We then took a tricycle to Cannibol Wharf PHP100 for the whole tricycle.

You can see the sand bar from the port. It was just 10minutes away. You have to go really early or late in the afternoon to see the sand bar when the tides are low. we reached the sand bar around 8:00am and the water was already rising. There were a lot of mini star fish and crabs and other sea creatures here. There was nothing special, just another sand bar. Plus points for being 10minutes away from shore. We only spent 30minutes here and moved on to our next destination, Bais Dolphin watching.

We arrived around 9:00am, I have been to dolphin watching tours before but we weren't very lucky so I wasn't expecting much. But to my surprise there were hoards or should I say a school of them just wandering around.

We were just circling the area for an hour and they were just popping out of the water in groups. It was such an amazing experience seeing them jumping out of the water and even doing some flips. There were a lot of boats searching for dolphins and I felt bad at one point because I feel like we're chasing/hunting them. And I imagine what if the boat propellers somehow injure the dolphins below or something.

We went back at 10am then stopped at the sand bar again because Mr. Lee wanted to swim and headed back to shore around 11am. So the entire trip can be done in half a day though you can stay longer if you want and maybe check out the mangrove forest and bird sanctuary nearby too.

with Ate Rebecca, Mr. Lee and Nemo

Trip Cost for a group of 4:
55x2 = 110: roundtrip bus Dumaguete to Bais
25x2 = 50: roundtrio tricycle to Cannibol Wharf
625: private boat to Manjuyod Sand Bar and Bais Dolphin Watching
Total: PHP785 per person

10 Things to do in Jeju

Jeju is home to a number of Unesco World Heritage Sites so our itinerary focused on Jeju's natural beauty rather than the usual parks.

1. Yeondong Shopping District
Priorities.. If you're wondering if you can buy Korean cosmetics in Jeju, the answer is a resounding Yes! if you know where to look. You can find brands like Etude House, Tony Moly, Innisfree, Aritaum (Laneige, Mamonde, Iope), Missha, Banila Co., The Face Shop, Clio, HolikaHolika and others in Yeondong Shopping district. It's like Myeong-dong of Jeju with a lot less crowd. Yeondong shopping district is near Sammu Park bus stop or just pin Trevi Hotel and start from there.  I was a bit surprised when I saw Yeondong shopping district since it's where our hotel was located on our first night. I have always thought of Jeju as a laid back province type of place.

2. O'sulloc Tea House
This is just beside the Innisfree Jeju House so it's worth a look. They sell desserts like pastries and ice cream other than tea. You can also buy tea and green tea spread here for pasalubong.

3. Innisfree Jeju House
Innisfree is a korean cosmetic brand which specializes in natural and healthy beauty products.

They have special products here that are 'Jeju Island Exclusive' meaning you can't buy it from other innisfree stores.

One of their most popular product is the Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask which feels really good on the skin. You can also create a customized soap here. You can shape and design it the way you like.

4. Jusangjeolli Cliff
Is an awesome volcanic rock formation in Jeju. It's really beautiful and the waves are very relaxing to watch. Surprisingly, it's just a few minutes walk from the parking lot. I thought we needed to climb or trek or something to get here. Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

5. Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls
Another easy access beauty. You need to walk a bit to get to the falls but it's like a walk in the park literally. The place reminds me of Cheonggyecheon stream in Seoul. Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

6. Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak
Also known as Sunrise Peak. It's a bit of a tough climb, around 30min. to reach the peak to watch the sunrise.  Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

Sunrise at Seongsan Ilchulbong

I'm not a sunrise kind of person, I honestly think sunsets are better but since it's called sunrise peak..

There are stairs to reach the peak but at 5am in the morning which is very cold during fall, I was sweating as we climbed the stairs.

Jeju City View at the Peak

It is also home to Jeju women divers, they have shows every 1:30pm and 3:00pm. We were supposed to watch the show but it got cancelled due to very strong waves.

7. Manjanggul Lava Caves
One of the few lava tubes that is open for public access. One of the finest and second longest lava tunnel in Jeju. A bit of a long walk and there's only one way in and out. Entrance Fee: 2000KRW.

At the end of the tunnel you'll find this lava column. Which is formed by lava rising up the surface.

8. Samyang Black Sand Beach
I don't know why but when I think of Jeju before, I think of beaches so I wanted to see how it compares to our beaches. Samyang Black Beach reminds me of Pagudpod in Ilocos, probably because of the windmills. The waves and winds were very strong when we came. The sand is not as black as I expected.

9. Hallasan Mountain
Our first glimpse of fall was at Hallasan Mountain. We took the Yeongsil Trail which is a 2.5hrs hike up. It is said to be the most scenic route during fall and it did not disappoint.

It was so cold here and the chilly wind was blowing I feel like my ears and nose were going to fall. For some reason we weren't prepared enough for the cold.

Sunrise at Mt. Hallasan

Some say your trip to Jeju won't be complete if you don't see Mt. Hallasan

'Legend of the 500 Generals'

Obaekjanggun

'The park’s main theme is based on the legend of Seolmundae Halmang, the giant goddess credited with creating Jeju Island, and her sons, known in local mythology as the 500 generals.

One legend of Seolmundae Halmang tells that when her sons were out hunting, she made a cauldron of soup for their return but accidentally fell into the pot and died. The sons, oblivious to this, returned hungry and ate the soup, only realizing when the youngest son saw her bones at the bottom of the pot that they had eaten their own mother.

He wept bitterly and went to the west of Jeju where he turned into a solitary stone just off the coast known as Oedeolgae, or the Lone Stone. The other brothers also turned to stone on Mt. Halla and formed rock columns on Halla’s Yeongsil Trail called the Obaekjanggun.'

10. Woljeongri Beach
This beach reminds me of Baler. There were a few surfers on the beach when we came considering the cold weather.

If you're pressed for time, skip the beaches. It's more fun in the Philippines. Jeju Island is a site to behold as well. Nature at it's best. The places were very well preserved. We were able to go to all these places in 3 days. We traveled around Jeju via car rental so we got the time in our hands and very hassle free. Check out my Car Rental Blog as well.