Camiguin
the tiny 'island born of fire,' where seven volcanoes guard the sweetest lanzones in the country and even the cemetery is underwater.
What Camiguin is known for.
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productLanzones
→ Roadside stands and the public market, esp. October
Camiguin's volcanic soil grows lanzones so sweet the whole island throws a festival for them. Around October the trees glow gold with the grape-sized fruit — buy them by the kilo and taste why locals insist no other lanzones comes close.
source ↗foodPastel
→ Vjandep and other bakeshops, Mambajao
The soft, yema-filled bun that became Camiguin's defining pasalubong — born in 1990 when Eleanor Popera Jose baked a batch from what was left of her husband's Christmas bonus, founding Vjandep. Eat one fresh on-island and you'll understand the obsession.
source ↗foodKiping with latik
→ Mambajao public market and local stalls
A humble island sweet: a thin, crispy cassava wafer drizzled with latik, the caramelized coconut sauce locals can't get enough of. Find it at the market alongside suman and binaki — proper merienda for a few pesos.
source ↗landmarkThe Sunken Cemetery
→ Off Catarman, boat or shoreline viewing
When Mt. Vulcan erupted in the 1870s it dragged the old town cemetery under the sea — now a giant cross marks the spot and divers swim over coral-crusted tombstones below. Eerie, beautiful, and pure Camiguin: a landmark only a volcanic island could have.
source ↗festivalLanzones Festival
→ Mambajao, third weekend of October
Every October the island honors its golden fruit with street-dancing and costumes literally built from lanzones leaves — the harvest thanksgiving that anchors Camiguin's calendar. Sweet fruit, big drums, small-island warmth.
source ↗Eat, drink & shop the towns you pass through.
Independent, Filipino-owned — from the carinderia that’s fed the port for forty years to the roastery the cool kids queue for. Your spend lands where it belongs.
Camiguin
MarketMambajao Public MarketTry Lanzones, suman, kiping, fresh catch
The whole island's commercial heart in one small, friendly market: golden lanzones in season, trays of suman, kiping and binaki, and whatever the boats brought in. The most affordable, most local way to taste Camiguin.
BakeryVjandep BakeshopTry Pastel (soft buns with yema custard filling)
The bakeshop that turned a 1990 family recipe into Camiguin's signature bun — soft, pillowy, oozing yema, now in a dozen-plus flavors. Buy them warm on-island rather than at some far-flung airport counter; fresh pastel is a different, better thing.
MakerKiping and suman makersTry Kiping with latik, suman
The market-stall makers keeping island merienda alive — crispy cassava kiping under a drizzle of caramelized latik, and suman from a handful of small producers. A few coins buys you a taste of everyday Camiguin.
MarketLanzones roadside standsTry Fresh Camiguin lanzones (in season)
In season the island's roads line up with families selling lanzones by the kilo straight off their own trees — the sweetest in the country, they'll insist. Buy here and your pesos land right in the growers' hands, no middleman.
MakerCantaan Giant Clam SanctuaryTry Community giant-clam conservation and snorkeling
A community cooperative in Barangay Cantaan has nurtured over a thousand giant clams since 1977, seven of the world's nine species among them. Snorkel above them with a local guide; your small fee funds island-led conservation, not a resort.
BakeryVjANDEP PastelTry Yema pastel buns
Camiguin's defining pasalubong — yema-filled pastel from a 1990 Mambajao bakeshop.
CaféThe Lanzones Farm by ArawTry Lanzones Crepe Cake and Lanzones Danish with espresso-based coffee
An agri-tourism farm cafe in Mambajao blending Camiguin's lanzones-growing landscape with specialty coffee and house pastries built around the namesake fruit.
Festivals & the living scene.
JunSan Juan sa Hibok-HibokFestivalCamiguin · Jun 23–25 yearly
Island-wide water festival for St. John the Baptist — sea-bathing, a fluvial parade and beach games.
source ↗OctLanzones FestivalFestivalCamiguin · 3rd week of Oct
A whole island celebrating its sweet lanzones harvest in costume and dance.
all yrSto. Niño Cold SpringNatureCatarman, Camiguin · year-round
Camiguin's largest cold spring, where icy water bubbles up through the sandy floor of a clear public pool ringed by trees, about 45 minutes by motorbike from Mambajao. Bring snacks, settle into a nipa cottage, and come on a weekday — it's a local family favorite, so weekends fill up.
source ↗all yrWhite Island Sandbar & Mantigue IslandBeachesMambajao · best Mar–Oct
White Island is a bare, uninhabited horseshoe sandbar a 10-minute bangka ride out, with Mt. Hibok-Hibok and Mt. Vulcan framing your photos; Mantigue adds a forested islet with a protected snorkeling sanctuary. Catch the 5am sunrise boat to have the sandbar to yourself — there's zero shade, so bring your own.
source ↗all yrKibila Giant Clam Sanctuary & Ocean NurseryEcoGuinsiliban · year-round
A community clam-breeding sanctuary at Cantaan run by the Cantaan Centennial Multi-Purpose Cooperative, growing around 2,000 giant clams (7 of the world's 9 species) before reseeding the reef. Entrance is just P25 for the educational tour; pay an extra ~P150 to snorkel over the clams on the natural reef, and pair it with the white sandbar right beside it.
source ↗all yrArdent Hibok-Hibok Hot SpringWellnessMambajao · year-round; open 6am–10pm
Volcano-fed pools at the foot of Mt. Hibok-Hibok — a steady 38–40°C of sulfur-rich mineral water under a canopy of jungle trees and moss-covered rock. Local's tip: go after dark, when the water feels hotter against the cool night air, the day-trippers are gone, and it's the perfect wind-down after a sweaty island loop. Keep soaks short — the water runs hot.
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