Apo Island My Apo Island Experience

1. how to go to Apo island?
- Ride a Ceres bus bound for "Bayawan" and get off at Malatapay (fare: Php25/pax) or a jeepney bound for "Siaton" (fare: 23/pax).
- walk to get to the docking station.
- charter a boat to get to the island.

Boat rentals as of 03Jun'11 were as follows:

Php2000 - max 4pax
Php3000 - max 8pax

rates are good for roundtrip. some locals will try to hitch a ride with you to get to Apo island. that's normal.

2. At first i thought there were only 2 accommodations in Apo island - Apo Island Resort and Liberty's Lodge. Since both were a bit costly for us, we decided that we'll only try a day tour instead of spending the night there. However, when we went there last Fri (03Jun), i found that there are other accommodations you can choose from if you are not that picky. Here are the other accommodations i stumbled upon:

a. Mary's lodge
b. Ronor's Lodging

Both offers Php500/night only. Well, that's for next time.

3. For first timers, i suggest you get a tour guide. He will help you get around, arrange your food, spot the turtles, bring your things, etc. However, they don't have a standard rate. It depends on you on how much you are willing to give them. For the 2 of us, we gave our tour guide Php800 - that includes our lunch (3pcs (small, med, large) red lapu lapu for Php180, spices (Php85) - the smaller ones were cooked as fried and the big one as sweet and sour, half kilo rice (Php22), cooking fee (no specific rate, it's up to you again) and the tip for our tour guide)

For those going to Apo island, you can contact our tour guide - Robin (contact number: +639202625385). He can arrange everything for you so you won't have to worry about anything - boat, accommodation, diving, snorkeling, food, etc.

4. marine sanctuary has lots of clown fishes. very nice indeed!
5. lots of turtles as well in the turtle sanctuary. i enjoyed it very much.
6. it is good that we have our own snorkel mask, or else we'll have to rent one. i don't know how much but a lifevest rental costs Php100.
7. if you are planning to go there, make sure you are wearing aqua shoes. the rocks are so sharp and will hurt your feet. some parts are slippery as well so be very careful.
8. i find the people in Apo island very nice. every local will always greet you and smile at you and ask if you enjoyed snorkeling or something. very warm indeed.

i am surely going back and will spend an overnight at the island next time to experience more of it.

 

Thanks Newbie 320 for posting this and your other detailed reports. Take care

 

Great post newbie320...thanks so much for sharing. Regards Carl

 

you're all welcome. glad to be of help. if anyone's planning to visit dumaguete, cebupacific has an ongoing zero fare sale. travel period sep1-nov30. estimated RT fare manila-dumaguete is around Php500 only.

 

if i travel alone, do i need to rent the whole boat as Php2,000?

 

^unfortunately, yes.
Unless you find some kind-hearted people who will let you join their boat ride for free (just like what the locals in Apo do) or maybe find some other tourists and split the cost.

 

Thanks for your post, very informative!

You need to pay the island fee as well when you arrive though, I haven't gone there on my own for a while, so I am not sure what these fees are at the moment. I am sure somebody else can chime in with the current fees

 

Is it safe to stay overnight at APO island?

Thanks

 

for the boat transfer.. just incase we decided to spend the night at APO island. Do i need to pay twice?

 

^yes it's safe. the people there are very warm.

you don't need to pay twice the boat rate if you want to stay overnight. that's already good for roundtrip.