Travelers say that the journey is more important than the destination and I say, “hell yeah!” Just wanna share a scenic bus trip from Agora (Market City) Cagayan de Oro City to Balingoan, Misamis Oriental then to Benoni, Camiguin.
CDO to Balingoan to Benoni, Camiguin
My travel notebook says,
“I’m passing thru the coastal towns of Villa, Jasaan, Balingasag, Lagonglong, Salay and Binuangan, then the terrain changes when you enter Sugbongcogon. On my left is Misamis Oriental’s sea and on my right majestic mountain ranges. I’m quite surprised Mindanao can this be beautiful. This is my third time to set foot on Mindanao and I’m fascinated every time. I would compare it to an unpolished gem, the beauty is there but its up to the keen traveler to discover. Its rugged beauty will surely captivate the adventurous at heart, I am!”
The 2-hour butt-numbing bus trip is manageable (I took the ordinary bus as most locals board that too) and trip will not bore you because of the sites.
Arriving at Balingoan I went to Talisayan as I learned from Estan of langyaw.com that there are seafood grills by the sea. Problem is, the seafoods are quite expensive for a solo traveler. I cannot eat and afford the whole Talakitok on my own. 🙂 I was contented to eat near the market, its cheapy too!
At Talisayan breakwater, Sipaca Point on the background
Then went back to Balingoan, walked towards the port…
Kids at the Balingoan port, Camiguin island on the background
Travel Notebook recounts,
I’m waiting for the ferry to leave for Camiguin Island which can be seen from this port. This is part of the Roll-On/Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) transport project of ex-PGMA.
Everything was fine until some juveniles boarded the ferry asking for pesos from passengers. Their modus, they are hungry. To every reader, please don’t give money to them or to anyone you met along the road anywhere in the Philippines. Doing so just tolerate a culture of begging. If you want to help, give to organizations like World Vision.
Then the worst thing happened- about five kids playing like Tarzans on the side fences of the ferry was talking to an old lady balikbayan. They said, “throw coins, we’ll jump.” The old lady gave some coins. I wanna yell but I kept my cool (watdaeF!). Congratulations! You just encouraged them to beg some more. I feels sorry for these kids, to their parents and to the uninformed tourists.
Kids at the Ferry, asking for passengers to throw money to the sea- finders keeper
The trip from Balingoan port (Misamis Orintal, mainland Mindanao) to Benoni port (eastern part of Camiguin) is just 1 hour and 15mins.
From Benoni port, you can take the jeepney or multicab to Mambajao (the provincial capital) where most hotels and guesthouse are. Be sure to visit back for recommended accommodations while in Camiguin Island.
I rode the jeepney topload style so as to see better the island life in Camiguin. Love the strong winds on my face too!
Toploading on jeepney at Camigiun
Its getting dark when I arrived, fortunately it was easy to find a cheap guesthouse, P100/night only. Nothing fancy, who needs a spa or an AC room for a 6-hour sleep?
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Fares / Mode of Transportation / Travel Time:
Agora Terminal (Market City), CDO – Balingoan: Php50.00 (ordinary bus); travel time approx 2 1/2 hours (from Balingoan Bus Terminal, the seaport is just walking distance, about 250meters)
Balingoan Bus Terminal – Talisayan: Php7.00 (tricycle); travel time approx 10mins
Talisayan – Balingoan Port (Pantalan): Php7.00 (tricycle)
Balingon port – Benoni port: Php115 (ferry, student fare); terminal fee” Php3.00; travel time 1:15hours
Benoni port – Mambajao, Camiguin: Php23.00 (jeepney); travel time about 40mins.
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NORTHERN MINDANAO ESCAPADE. This post is part of a series born out of my adventures in Region X last January 19-25, 2011. I also challenged myself to live within Php500 or less/day budget (food, transportation, accommodation, etc.) as I am preparing for my “The Cheapest 100 Days of Backpacking around the Philippines.”
Bukidnon- What Does a Backpacker Do In A Golf Course? / Zipline Crazy Philippines?
Camiguin- Cheapest Island Tour / Sunken Cemetery: From Top to Bottom Down / In Transit: CDO to Camiguin / Cheap Accommodations
CDO- The Ride of my Year / Divisoria & Night Market
Iligan City- Ma.Cristina Falls: A Dream Fulfilled / Tinago Falls: The Best Waterfalls So Far
I agree with you James, I had long stopped giving money to beggars and street children. There are proper avenues on helping them. I remember when I was trekking at the rice paddies in Bontoc, the children can’t even speak and understand English and Filipino that much, but when they saw us, the first thing they said was “Give me money”. Nasanay yata sa mga previous tourists who didn’t mean any harm but are actually not helping them.
me too… I never give money to them…
malayo pa pala ang byahe from CDO to Camiguin… =D
apir mervs! yes, okay lang scenic naman. maganda talaga ang mindanao, hindi nakakasawa and sites left and right
Hi James. Na-meet mo ba si Jeffrey (Habal-Habal) sa Iligan tour mo?
You’re the Best!!! now I’m more confident to travel solo on January because your blog is really comprehensive :p it is a BIG big help … Hope to cross paths with you ..
thank you shelly!
you can do solo travel, in fact anyone can!
let me know how your CDO trip goes, okay?
It’s actually my search for info on hotels and inns in Camiguin that directed me to your blog. From then on, I was hooked reading your entries on my free time. I found it very interesting, encouraging, and informative. I really admire your passion and courage. I enjoyed reading your entries that it almost awaken the adventurous heart in me. I’ve been to some of the places you’ve been to, but it’s always wiith a group. This time, I’m so inspired that I might embarked on a journeyingjames type of adventure soon.=) You just don’t make it easy, but you also proved that travelling the contryside even in a low budget is possible. Kudos to you man. You are such an inspiration and you help promote local tourism. Keep traveling and keep blogging.
P.S. Thanks to your entries on Camiguin. It helped me figured out my itinerary. My fiance and I will be visiting the island this weekend (Jan. 28-30).
thanks sir! hope you enjoy your stay in camiguin!
Thank U for posting ur happy feet trip=) we’re planning to go to Camiguin..It is indeed our first time to go in a place where in we dont know anything and ur blog really help a lot..i copy paste it and printed this out this is our Map to go to Camiguin..thank U for sharing ur beautiful experienced there…
hope it will help. enjoy northern mindanao!
Hi james!
My boyfriend and I went to Camiguin last week and great thanks to your tips, we saved a significant amount of money 🙂
From the airport, we asked one of the airport personnel for directions on how to get to Agora Market via jeepney. His reply was quite disappointing, telling us there’s no available modes of transportation except for taxis (which costs P300 daw) and even endorsed one of the taxi drivers waiting outside. So iniwasan lang nmin sila and headed papuntang gate. And there my jeepney. It only costs around 17 pesos to get to Carmen Market, and then 7.50 pesos to get to Agora Market. See how much we saved?
There are also available vans going to Balingoan Port for 120.00. 🙂
In Camiguin, we stayed in Paguia’s Cottages. The owner, Rene, is so kind he gave us a big discount since it was off-season when we went there (800 pesos per day). The room has modern and cozy touches. With two beds, aircon, toilet and bath, and LCD TV with cable. It is also very near to the white beach. We rented a motorcycle from Dodong who is also our tour guide for 700 pesos a day 🙂
We saved a lot in transportation, but we really splurged in our food! 🙂 You should not miss Luna Ristorante and the delicious surol from Sto. Nino Cold Spring.
Another warning for tourists, as you reach Balingoan Port from Camiguin, there are opportunists who will offer you a taxi ride to Lumbia Airport costing from P800-P1000. Actually just before you reach the bus terminal, there are taxis who offers a P100.00 (each) ride going to the city proper of Cagayan. So parang FX ung taxi and un ang dapat ninyong sakyan if ayaw nyo magbus. kaya ingat folks! and have a happy and memorable trip! 🙂
Hi Kath!
thanks for sharing your experiences and giving travel tips for camiguin. tagal narin kasi yung huli kong punta doon.
James, posible bang mag day tour to Camiguin, yung di na mag overnight? 😀
possible but sayang
james, can i get a reservation ticket for the ferry? am trying to maximize our time sa CDO/CAMIGUIN… if i try to catch the last ferry trip to camiguin, sure ba na makakabili ako ng tiket or nagkakaubusan din? kasi baka sakto lang dating namin tapos di kami makasakay, iyak-tawa kami pag nagkataon… pls help?
sir, from CDO here, ok lang kaya mag motorcycle, from CDO proper to Camiguin? ano sa tingin nyo po? tnx.
and you need to take the motorbike with you onboard a roro ship
hi there. tnx for this nice blog. do u hav an idea how much will it costs sa roro if i will bring a car?
Hi James. I was searching for a good and affordable accomodation in Camiguin and thats what brings me to your site. Ive been searching for about 30 minutes and it gave me nothing. When I reached your site. Everything that I needed was here and more more information. I was planning to visit Camigun this saturday Feb. 1, 2014 ALONE. Ive been planning this trip for a month now and I still feel doubtful but afer reading your blogs, I think of advancing my trip. You give readers especially newbies in traveling courage and great motivation/inspiration to explore. Thanks james. I would also like to quote the term “journeyingjames-type” of traveling. Kudos and daghang Salamat! Godbless james.
You really did great with budgeting. Who says traveling can be a pain in the pocket? You just proved them wrong. I might as well try what you did here in your blog. Pwede ka nang mamuhay dito sa Mindanao! 😀
The 2-hour butt-numbing bus trip is manageable and trip will not bore you because of the sites
The 2-hour butt-numbing bus trip is manageable and trip will not bore you because of the sites http://wandergala.com/cheapest-camiguin-tour/