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TravelTips24 : Phillipines : Malapascua

Malapascua

Malapascua is in Philippines.

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Culture and History

The first image Malapascua offers will stay with you for a long time: an exceedingly beautiful pristine stretch of white sand, crystal clear waters bordered by coconut trees and a dozen of scattered native style resorts. Malapascua is known to the locals as Longon and this vision of secret beach is whimsically named Bounty beach. It lays 8km off the north of Cebu, has a community of about 400 inhabitants. A walk or a tour unto the whole Island will take you about 3 hours. One way or another it's main resource is the sea: divers and fishermen work side by side with force of compromises.

Talk

Travel to Malapascua & Visa Requirements

By air

International gateway and national flights to Cebu the city; then you will need to go to the northern tip of Cebu to Maya.

Buses to Malapascua

There are 2 companies which ride to Maya from the North bus station in Cebu: Ceres and Rough Riders. The journey takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours, video and air con 110 pesos, non air-con 80 pesos.

you could hire a taxi or a private car from Cebu to Maya.

by boat

From Maya a local boat Ferry goes across am and pm with a break at lunch time till 4.30 it take about 1/2 hour cost 40 pesos.

Crossing can be rather wet and bancas have very little shelter from the elements, be prepared on landing to either jump into the shallow waters or walk down a rickety plank depending on the tide. You may have to transfer to a very small banca for the last 200 meters on your way back to Maya.

A private banca can be hired from Maya, the first ferry leaves Malapascua at 6:30. Malapasca can be reached from Bantayan and from Leyte (San Isidero).

Tours & Getting around Malapascua

There is no transport on the island, not that you will need any, as you can walk everywhere.

Malapascua attractions and sightseeing

Snorkeling and fishing With its spectacular underwater flora and fauna there is much to see, making snorkeling a fine experience. A resort will rent boats, alternatively locals will take you on their fishing rakie. Scuba diving Waters off the island offers some of the most exciting extreme dives in the Philippines with adrenaline pumping adventure tresher sharks and manta ray encounters. The dive shops seem mindful of the environment and has a caring attitude to their customers which is as well considering the kind of fish roaming around. They offer introductory courses to advanced scuba diving and there are a couple of wrecks to explore.

Itineraries

Malapascua city tours

  • Philippine Adventures, email info@philippineadventures.com, [1]. Provides tailor-made packages to Malapascua for international tourists wishing to experience diving with thresher sharks on the Monad Shoal.
  • Nightlife The beauty of laid back Malapasca is that it is an island very much unspoiled by cosmopolitan ways. It is a world away from nightclubs. The closest to it is a videoke.

Malapascua Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

  • La Isla Bonita offers Philippine dishes and pizzas
  • Ging Ging's is a popular choice, eatery with a large array of options
  • Kiwi's Restaurant down a track behind Ging Ging's, a small family run eatery with great food and good prices.

Stay

Mid range

  • Blue Water Resort, 639189199128
  • Cocobana Beach Resort, 63 32 437 1007
  • On arrival a few official looking touts await the visitors but they are superfluous, considering the number of resorts, so take your time to choose what suits you best.

Budget

  • Daño Beach Resort, cell 09156661584 or 09273817894. Lemuel Daño is the manager. Genuine Philippino hospitality, the obvious choice for a cool stay, if there are availabilities. There are 20 odd bungalows, all facing the sea; they have a thatched roof, bamboo veranda and the concrete cottages are simple, with a large room and come equipped with a bathroom. These are the perfect place to enjoy your stay on the island.

Malapascua nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

Stay safe

There is no ATM nor money changers. Hotels might change cash but, on the other hand, they might not and you will have to make your way back to mainland and ride for an hour to get to the nearest bank. Make sure you get there with enough cash for your stay and a little longer for the probable extension.

Get out

This page was last edited at 08:53, on 26 September 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by David, Todd VerBeek, Felicity T and solange.berchemin, Wikitravel user(s) Morph and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.

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