It was my pre- birthday celebration and the family decided to lurk the waters of Canigao island. From our house in Ormoc City, we traveled 3 hrs to reach the port that would lead us to this small, uninhabited island in the southern part of Leyte.

Since it was April 8, Easter Sunday, we expected the island to be packed with locals and tourists ( in the Philippines,  most families celebrate Easter by going to the beach) so the family decided to leave at 6 am but since we are Filipinos ( sorry! haha), we left at around 7 am.

It was more of a mini reunion, the family was jam packed into this 16- seater van! We were so tight! (literally tight!)

It was a very long drive. We enjoyed the 3-hour hiatus by watching the scenery from outside our window and of course, the never ending influx of food. =)

And Alas!

Canigao Island.

We have to ride a pump boat to reach the island. I forgot how much was the fare but surely, it didn’t reach 50 php per person. The ride was relatively short and it took us 10-15 minutes to reach the island.

The island was small and the fact that there were lots of people made it smaller. It was like a fiesta in a barrio!

Cottages for day use and cabins are available for rent in the island. Cottages cost 200- 300 php while cabins for overnight stay cost around 700 php. Sorry I didn’t know the exact price since we didn’t rent any. We put up a tent and laid a rectangular cloth on the sand for us to sit on.

Tired and famished, the family feasted on a sumptuous lunch!

Table preparation was kinda poor though..haha

Well-fed and recharged, we all jumped into the alluring water.

My cousins enjoying the waters of Canigao.

Since the island is small. It can be traversed in no less than 30 minutes.

This “tagay” session is another first for us cousins and it’s totally with parental consent.lol

We tried to bury ourselves with sand..Oh well it’s just the mojitos kicking in..haha

Th entire day we were there, we spent it bonding with each other.We experienced a great loss when my auntie died of leukemia November last year. It was a great time for us to connect and reflect that no matter how far nor how our lives change, our family is  the closest thing we have.

To sum up our stay at Canigao Island, it indeed was fantastic. It is good for people on a tight budget, backpackers and those who won’t mind having to eat on the sand. The comfort rooms are public hence patience from long lines is a must. If you’re looking for just plain enjoyment, go there! But if you’re the type whose rest and relaxation consists of night life along the beach, think twice. For us, It was ecstatically fun!