From Malapascua Island, I took a motorised boat going to Kalanggaman Island. It costed me P800 for the day trip inclusive of lunch at the island.
Located South East of Malapascua Island, Kalanggaman is most famous for its photogenic long sand bar stretching at the end of the isle when the tides are low. Apart from the sandbar, the island is pretty from afar too – with pristine water, white sand beach and the trees truly make you feel you’re in the tropical paradise. Just be careful though, I’ve learnt that there are dangers of rip current around the island at times.
Going there. There are other ways to go to Kalanggaman apart from originating from Malapascua. I just thought I could make this side trip while in Malapascua since there are boats going to the Leyte isle. You can take a fast boat from Cebu City or you can fly Manila to Ormoc and catch a boat from Ormoc.
Best time to go. Philippine tourism is at its peak during summer season from March to June as well as the Christmas season from November to February. Other months fall into the monsoon season and a number of typhoons may be encountered. If you prefer to face risky adventures and cheaper itinerary, you can still go during the monsoon season. From my experience of backpacking around Visayas during the monsoon season, the area of Cebu and the nearby islands are not usually heavily affected by the hurricanes. Day time still feels like summer with a little chance of monsoon showers but night time is usually when the rain pours. Overall, going on a tropical island trip during typhoon season is not bad at all.
What to do. Duh? swimming, getting that beautiful tan, snorkelling, kayaking, kite flying, having a picnic and booze sessions. If you go for a boat ride in the early morning, you might luckily see dolphins swimming with you on the way. Well, I also saw them even in the afternoon on the way back to Malapascua.
If you’re into photography, blogging, vlogging, don’t forget to bring all your gadgets, this island is more than instagram worthy. I’m an amateur though, only brought my smart phone with me.
The Restless Firefly 