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Filipino modesty is forgotten on the tiny island of Camiguin during the annual Lanzones festival in the fourth week of October. Revellers dressed only in lanzones leaves stomp and dance in the streets as a tribute to the humble lanzones fruit, one of the island's major sources of income. The festival is one of the liveliest and friendliest in the country, and this on an island that is already renowned for the friendliness of its people. It's hard to walk more than a few metres without having someone strike up conversation with you. Camiguin (cam-ee-gin) is roughly pear-shaped and lies off the northern coast of Mindanao, bounded on the north by the Bohol Sea, in the east by the northwestern part of Gingong Bay and in the south by the northern part of Majalar Bay. Old Spanish documents indicate that Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi passed this way in 1521 and 1565 respectively, but it was not until 1598 when the first Spanish settlement was established here and the natives - mostly from nearby Surigao - converted to Catholicism. Camiguin is a big island in a small package (229.8 square kilometres, to be precise). Apart from the Lanzones Festival, it has seven volcanoes (some still active), a multitude of hot springs, a sunken cemetery, ivory-white beaches, offshore islands, a spring that gushes natural soda water, and 35 resorts, most with affordable accommodation and restaurants. Ferries from mainland Mindanao dock at Benoni on Camiguin's southeast coast, from where several jeepneys run every day to MAMBAJAO (30min; P15), the capital, on the north coast, and a good place to start your tour. The last jeepney leaves around 6pm, but you can always negotiate a special ride for P150. Cabu-An beach is the closest beach to Mambajao proper and has some nice coral close to the shore. You can swim at Ardent Hot Springs , a one-hour trek inland from Mambajao. Agohay beach , 7km west from Mambajao (heading anti-clockwise) is more popular than the beaches around the capital and has the benefit of being within striking distance of Mount Hibok-Hibok , an active volcano that is a worthwhile but challenging day's climb. The views from the top are nothing short of dramatic, with the coast of Mindanao in the distance. Continuing anti-clockwise you come to the barrio of Bonbon, the site of a sunken cemetery where snorkellers can see gravestones at low tide. The cemetery sank during a volcanic eruption in 1871. The brooding ruins of Gui-ob Church, another casualty of volcanic activity, are also here. There are a number of good resorts and beaches in Catarman, on the island's southwest coast, 24km from Mambajao. Six kilometres north of Catarman are Tuasan Falls and nearby are the Santo Nino Cold Springs. Both have deep pools that are good for swimming. On the southern coast near Guinsiliban, fifteen minutes east by jeepney from Catarman, is a 300-year-old Moro Watchtower. Off the eastern coast is Mantique Island, which is fringed by nice beaches and has a steep drop-off on the far side for snorkelling. One of Camiguin's most popular attractions is White Island, which sits off the northern coast and is only visible at low tide. It's less of an island and more of an extended sandbar. The views and the water are lovely, but there's no shade, so make sure you take your own. Camiguin has a circumference of 65km and to circumnavigate it by jeepney would take about three hours, although connections between some of the remoter towns on the west coast (Yumbing and Catarman, for example) are unreliable. Alternatively, you could rent a motorcycle in Mumbajao.
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