I am so excited to share with you my sample itinerary for the four places I visited in Northern Mindanao! And it was a solo trip at that! It was a daunting experience, but very fulfilling. This trip has given me lots of unforgettable experiences, which I hope you will too!

I will also be providing links to tours that I used for this trip, which I am very thankful for making my Northern Mindanao trip successful.

CDO, Bukidnon, Iligan and Camiguin 5 Days Itinerary

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL AND CDO WHITEWATER RAFTING

• 8:00 AM – Flight to CDO
• 9:00 AM – Arrival at Laguindingan Airport
• 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM – Travel going to Agora Terminal (V-hire ride)
• 10:30 AM – Bag drop off at Hotel (I stayed at Winmin Transient Inn, which is just beside Agora Terminal)
• 10:35 AM – Jeep going to Limketkai Mcdonalds for rafting tour meet-up and also for early lunch
• 10:45 AM – Early Lunch
• 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM – Waiting for rafting tour meet-up
• 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Whitewater rafting (lower head section)
• 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Ride back to hotel
• 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Shower & freshen up
• 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Dinner
• 8:00 PM – Back to hotel

DAY 2 – BUKIDNON DAY TOUR

• 4:45 AM – At Agora Terminal looking for bus bound to Bukidnon (make sure it will pass by Impasug-ong Tourism Center, since that was my meeting place for my habal2x tour)
• 5:00 AM – 7:00 AM – Bus ride going to Impasug-ong Bukidnon
• 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM – Habal2x tour (based on the places I requested
  • Communal Ranch
  • Cowboy Town Resto (for late breakfast)
  • Rotypeaks Ridge Camp
  • Alalum Falls
  • Camp Phillipps
  • Pineapple Plantation (just picture taking)
  • Dahilayan Adventure Park
    • Must try: Razorback Mountain Coaster
• 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Travel to Manolo Fortich Bus Terminal
• 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Bus ride to CDO
• 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM – Rest & freshen up
• 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM – Dinner
• 8:00 PM – Back to hotel

DAY 3 – ILIGAN DAY TOUR

• 5:30 AM – 5:45 AM – Habal2x ride to Bulua Bus Terminal (you can also ride a jeepney, but it will take time)
• 6:00 AM – 8:30 AM – Bus ride to Iligan
• 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM – Habal2x tour (unfortunately I did not look for one online, so it was pretty expensive to have it on the spot)
  • Maria Christina Falls (unfortunately there was a landslide the previous days, so I wasn’t able to go inside)
  • Tinago Falls
    • Went for a dip
  • Mimbalot Falls
  • Cheding’s Peanuts to buy pasalubong (recommended: mix nuts and the toasted nuts)
  • Iligan Bus Terminal (last stop)
• 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Bus ride to Bulua Bus Terminal
• 5:00 PM – 5:20 PM – Habal2x ride to hotel (heavy traffic that day, so I opted for a habal2x instead of a jeepney)
• 5:20 PM – 6:00 PM – Rest and freshen up
• 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Dinner
• 7:00 PM – Back to hotel

DAY 4 – CAMIGUIN LAND TOUR

• 3:45 AM – At Agora Bus Terminal and looked for bus bound to Butuan
• 4:00 AM – 6:00 AM – Bus ride to Balingoan Port
• 6:45 AM – Ferry ride to Benoni Port
• 8:15 AM – Arrival at Benoni Port
• 8:15 AM – 8:35 AM – Habal2x tour, went to hotel first for bag drop off
• 8:35 AM – 4:00 PM – Habal2x tour
  • Katibawasan Falls
  • Tuasan Falls
  • Soda Water Pool
  • Sto. Niño Cold Spring
  • Old Church Ruins
  • Sunken Cemetery (boat ride is 100, but I didn’t get one since it’s too hot that day)
  • Walkway to the old volcano and station of the cross (only at the entrance since it was too hot that day)
  • Tongatoc viewpoint (picture taking)
  • Ardent hibok-hibok spring resort
  • Camiguin sign (picture taking)
• 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM – Back to hotel
• 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – Shower
• 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM – Rest
• 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Dinner
• 7:00 PM – Back to hotel

DAY 5 – CAMIGUIN ISLAND TOUR (HALF DAY)

• 5:00 AM – 5:20 AM – Habal2x tour ride to White Island ticketing station
• 5:20 AM – 5:25 AM – Booking (writing name for record, payment, etc)
• 5:25 AM – 5:30 AM – Bangka ride to White Island
• 5:30 AM – 6:30 AM – Explore White Island
  • Picture taking, swim
• 6:30 AM – 6:35 AM – Bangka ride going back to White Island ticketing station
• 6:35 AM – 7:15 AM – Breakfast
• 7:15 – 7:45 AM – Habal2x tour ride to Mantigue Island ticketing point
• 7:45 AM – 7:55 AM – Booking (writing name for record, payment, etc)
• 7:55 AM – 8: 10 AM – Bangka ride to Mantigue Island
• 8:10 AM – 9:35 AM – Explore Mantigue Island
  • Picture taking, swim, snorkeling
• 9:35 AM – 9:50 AM – Bangka ride going back to Mantigue Island ticketing station
• 9:50 AM – 10:10 AM – Back to hotel
• 10:10 AM – 11:10 AM – Shower, getting ready to check-out
• 11:10 AM – 11:12 AM – Hotel checkout
• 11:12 AM – 11:15 AM – Habal2x tour ride to Camiguin Airport
  • My driver/guide made sure to pass by:
    • Vjandep (pastel)
    • Mambajao park
• 12:30 PM – Flight back to Cebu

Tours

CDO

• White Water Rafting
  • Kagay Whitewater Rafting
    • Contact them through messenger or mobile
    • They usually have two schedule, morning and afternoon

Bukidnon

• Habal2x tour
  • You can contact kuya Junelo on messenger
  • Or you can find some habal2x divers on Bukidnon facebook group. I found mine here.

Camiguin

• Habal2x tour
  • You can contact sir Jeoffrey on messenger. He offers both habal2x tours and tours via car.
  • You can also find some habal2x drivers on Camiguin facebook group. I found mine here.

Other Destinations Worth Visiting

CDO

• Gaston Park
• St. Augustine Cathedral
• Vicente de Lara Park
• Plaza Divisoria (Golden Friendship Park)
• City Museum
• Museum of Three Cultures
• Museo de Oro in Ateneo de Cagayan Xavier Center for Culture and Arts

Bukidnon

• Monastery of Transfiguration
• Lake Apo
• Panimahawa Ridge
• Limunsudan Falls
• Balisbisan Falls
• Cedar Park
• Mount Capistrano
• Blue Water Cave
• Lover’s Lane
• Clip Side
• Pine Ridge
• Catihan Eco Park

Iligan

• Lawis Spring
• Limunsudan Falls
• Paseo De Santiago
• St. Michael’s Cathedral
• Hindang Cave
• Dodiongan Falls
• NPC Nature’s Park
• Kalubihon Falls
• Dalipuga Centennial Park
• Pampam Falls
• Sapang Blue Falls

Camiguin

• Mt. Hibok-hibok
• Katunggan Park
• Giant Clam Sanctuary
• Parola Mambajao + 1914 Monument
• Taguines Lagoon
• Sto. Rosario Church
• Burias Shoal
• Binangawan Falls

Travel Tips & Recommendations

CDO

• Lots of bus rides in CDO, so make sure to have nausea/dizziness medicine with you.
• Just like other major cities, CDO has heavy traffic once in a while, but angkas are available there. There’s also a lot of habal2x drivers in the city, just make sure to negotiate the price first before getting one.
• If you are traveling a lot by bus, I recommend checking in at Winmin Transient Inn. This is just beside the Agora Terminal, so it’s very convenient.
• Take note that aside from jeeps/multicabs and habal2x, motorela is also available in CDO. It’s like a bigger version of a tricycle that almost looks like a small jeepney.
• If you are traveling CDO and is also planning to visit Camiguin, I recommend that you get a return ticket via Camiguin airport to really save time.

Bukidnon

• I recommend getting a habal2x or 4×4 tour online. You can get one on FB, links provided above.
• You can’t predict the weather, so I recommend bringing extra clothes with you.
• Also bring raincoats, since you will never know when it will rain
• There’s a lot of rough roads in Bukidnon, and most of them are very steep, so ready your butts, lol.
• When visiting communal ranch, I recommend going there early in the morning so it wouldn’t be too hot.

Iligan

• I think it’s cheaper if you book a habal2x tour online, than getting one on the spot when you arrive in Iligan.
• I recommend staying more than a day in Iligan, since there’s so many places to visit, especially if you love falls.
• Tinago Falls have almost 400+ steps, so get your feets ready, lol.

Camiguin

• Before visiting Camiguin, make sure to get individual QR codes online. You will need it to enter and exit the island.
• I recommend riding a bus rather than v-hire going to Balingoan Port.
• You can ride a bus bound to Butuan and drop off at Balingoan.
• You need to scan your QR code first before you can book a ferry ticket to Camiguin.
• You can commute in Camiguin, but to save time, I recommend hiring a habal2x driver/guide especially if you are traveling solo. For groups, there are also van tours available or van for hires.
• You need to try snorkeling, especially on Mantigue Island, so to save money, I recommend bringing your own snorkeling gear.
• Just like in CDO, motorela is also available in Camiguin.

Expenses

Please note that I didn’t add foods, souvenirs and other personal expenses in my computation below. For food, I allocated 150 per meal. Please also note that this computation is good for 1 person.

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