The hook
A small volcanic island where you can dive a well-kept reef in the morning, soak in a spring-fed pool at the foot of a volcano in the afternoon, and have most of it nearly to yourself.
01Why it's worth it
Camiguin is a compact, teardrop-shaped island off the north coast of Mindanao, and it packs an unusual amount into a shape you can drive around in a day. It has more volcanoes per square kilometre than anywhere else in the Philippines, and the geology shows up as a chain of experiences: hot springs and cold spring pools, the strange Sunken Cemetery marked by a cross out in the sea (a town lost to an eruption), the White Island sandbar just offshore, and waterfalls like Katibawasan and Tuasan. Underwater, the reefs are genuinely well preserved, which is why divers rate it. It sits well off the main Philippine trail, so it keeps a slow, friendly, uncommercialised feel, the appeal is exactly that it hasn't been discovered the way Boracay or El Nido have.
02How to experience it
Rent a scooter and loop the island road, stopping at the springs (Ardent hot spring, Sto. Niño cold spring), the Sunken Cemetery cross, and a waterfall or two. Take a short boat to the White Island sandbar at dawn for the Mount Hibok-Hibok backdrop, and dive or snorkel the reefs. Give it two or three unhurried days.
From the locals
Filipino travellers name it first when the question is what the country overlooks: "Camiguin for me," one wrote, praising "maganda beaches, rich in history, and a bit of trekking," and pressing the point that you should dive, "kasi well preserved ang mga reefs doon" (because the reefs there are so well preserved). Another, mid-trip, put it simply, "the landscape here is amazing, and even chiller and more quiet."