White Island (Camiguin)

Around 15 minutes off Mambadjao Camiguin, there is an island that immediately captivates and intrigues travelers – White Island.  Not an island really, but an uninhabited sandbar that changes shape and form depending on the tide.

White Island is very accessible from Paras Beach Resort.  It appears to be a shining gem from this resort in the middle of the day. As we were having breakfast in this resort’s restaurant, we can see White Island as if inviting us to go and visit. We did, but that was after we have toured the whole island of Camiguin.

White Island is one beautiful spot for a photo shoot. Photos shot on the island appears to be as if you have traveled to an isolated area with the beach all to yourself. With the volcanic island of Camiguin as background, White Island seems to be somewhere in far away Hawaii as said by some who had been there.

Sunset is the best time to visit White Island. Just make sure that rains will not ruin the romantic ambiance.  There are beach umbrellas for rent on White Island that we thought is much better without. Any form of improvement on an island that is expected to be somehow isolated can be considered a nuisance of some sorts yet we came to accept that entrepreneurship is always present where tourists can be found.

White Island is somehow similar to Puka Beach in Boracay without the Puka shells. Its sands are soft to touch, pristine and magically white. The sands composing White Island slip on your hand while you hold them similar to an hourglass reminding of the passage of time. And time does pass unnoticed at White Island.

After a few minutes of snorkeling, swimming and frolicking in the sand – it was already sunset. It was a very beautiful sunset that has to be enjoyed in full. The array of colors are common but the nostalgia of seeing a sunset while on a sandbar is something different from us who lived most of our lives in densely populated Metro Manila.  It is more than spectacular and it is definitely not an exaggeration.