NEGROS ROADTRIP: Danjugan Island

NEGROS ROADTRIP: Danjugan Island (October 23, 2010)

Exploring a country with approximately 7,107 islands is not an easy feat. In my 23 years, I’ve only been to less than 20. There are islands that are known worldwide, there are those I keep coming back to, there are those I haven’t been to but whose names ring familiar, and then there are those that I’ve never even heard of in my life. Danjugan Island belongs to the last category. Prior to this trip, I didn’t even know Danjugan Island existed.

Danjugan Island Marine Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary located in the Sulu Sea, about 3km away from the southwestern side of Negros. Officially, it’s part of the municipality of Cauayan and it's managed by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc. (PRRCFI). One of our country’s smaller islands, Danjugan island is about 1.5km long and 0.5km wide, with a total land area of approximately 43 hectares. The island’s topography is quite diverse with its mountains, rocks, caves, seawater lagoons (5 in total), mangroves, and tropical forests. It is also home to turtle-nesting white sand beaches and the most beautiful coral reefs and marine life. In other words, this little-known island is nothing short of paradise.

P U N T A  B U L A T A

We had Punta Bulata all to ourselves

From Takatuka Lodge in Sipalay, we drove for about 30 minutes until we reached Punta Bulata Beach Resort in Cauayan. We arranged for the Danjugan pump boat to pick us up there. However, we were able to leave Takatuka later than we originally planned, and by the time we arrived at Punta Bulata it was already 10AM. The boat was supposed to pick us up at 8AM, and since we were very late, it already went ahead of us with the other passengers. We had to wait but we were okay with it, because Punta Bulata is just magnificent. The white sand beach with its cerulean waters make for a breathtaking view, and the place was quite deserted. While waiting for our boat, we explored the shoreline, picked up various shells, waded through the waters, and of course, took lots of pictures.

The boat ride to Danjugan Island

Our contact from Danjugan called us and asked us to drive further to Antul Dive Spot (still in Cauayan, just a few kilometers from Punta Bulata), so the boat can pick us up there instead. We were more than glad to oblige, because by this time we had our fair share of Punta Bulata pictorials. 

F O R E S T  T R E K 

The visitor's welcoming area

After a 20-minute boat ride, we finally docked at the third lagoon, where we proceeded to the Marine & Wildlife Learning Center. They had a charming “visitor’s area” where our morning snacks were waiting for us. Here we were greeted by Mang Ruben, our guide. The welcoming area was located in a beautiful lagoon, and from here alone we could tell that Danjugan was going to be such a beautiful island. 

The lagoon as seen from the visitor's area

The bat cave

After our morning snacks we donned our aqua shoes and went on our forest trek. We passed by a mountain trail, and some parts were quite challenging, but we used to be Girl Scouts after all.

Deeper into the forest

A few steps into the forest we reached the bat cave, and there were so many bats we could hardly differentiate them from one another since they looked like a dense black blob. They were awake and noisy, and we could clearly smell their droppings from the cave opening. The trek took us further into the fragile forest, and along the way we saw wild berries, mangroves, and a lot of ants.

T U R T L E   B E A C H

Turtle Beach

After beautiful scenes of the forest, we found ourselves in a second lagoon, but this time it was inland. After a few more minutes of walking, we were finally at Turtle Beach. Turtle Beach is called such because so many turtles go there to lay their eggs. We probably visited at the wrong time, because we didn't encounter any turtles. We've had our fair share of beautiful beaches in Negros, but Turtle Beach ranks as one of the best. It was truly a breathtaking sight. 

T Y P H O O N   B E A C H

Walking to Typhoon Beach

From Turtle Beach we walked further to Typhoon Beach camp. This is where the cottages for overnight guests are located. This is also where our trust guide Mang Ruben briefed us about the island, its history, flora, fauna, and practically everything there is to know about it.

Mang Ruben

After the briefing we traced our steps back to where we came from, where our lunch was waiting for us. Lunch was really sumptuous. They served more than enough for the five of us, so we were more than satisfied because by this time we were pretty tired form our forest trek (a day later our muscles would be aching like hell). 

S N O R K E L I N G

Danjugan Island's beautiful marine life

While its forests and mangroves are beautiful, Danjugan Island is most famous for its marine life. So you can’t really say you’ve been to Danjugan Island until you see the marine life for yourself. With our snorkel gear in tow, we excitedly walked through the seagrass beds, swam to the sea, and soaked in as much coral reefs and marine life as our eyes could see. We were on the right side of the island, not on the side facing the Sulu Sea, so the water was calm and there were no waves at all. It was perfect for snorkeling. 

I’ve always been fascinated by marine life, so snorkeling is an activity I enjoy tremendously. Nothing compares to being submerged in water, watching out for fishes swimming in the midst of corals and sea anemones. We saw such beautiful marine life that day – from giant clams, to blue starfishes, to sea cucumbers, to all kinds of fishes in all colors imaginable.

Marine life up close

The highlight of our snorkeling experience (also our last stop before we went back to shore), was finding this sea anemone with a clown fish family. Yes, there were five Nemos! Two big ones, and three little ones. They were so cute and you could really observe that the father Nemo was bent on protecting his tiny Nemo family. He was squinting madly at us, circling around his family because to him we probably looked dangerous. But they were adorable.

Finding Nemo

R O A D  W A R R I O R S

We got carried away with snorkeling, so by the time we made it back to the Negros mainland, the sun was already setting. We had to drive all the way back to Dumaguete, which is on the opposite side of Negros. I didn’t want to go through the Southern route because of the unpaved roads, so we decided to take the mountain route instead. From Cauayan, we drove to Kabankalan City, where we stopped over for dinner (Jollibee!), gas refilling and a car checkup.

We then made our way up the mountains to Mabinay, crossing Negros to get to the other side. I’ve been driving for many years, and I’ve had my share of road experiences, but this was just the most intense. Imagine driving on a mountain at the dead of the night, with no street lamps and no people. Only darkness. And fog. My concentration had to be up by 110%, because I had to be extra careful and watch for potholes, blind curves, suicidal animals, and other road blockages. There was a part of the Mabinay road where only one lane was available, so this delayed us further. Of course we made it out alive, but because I was extra careful, we didn’t make it to Dumaguete as early as planned.

By the time we got home we were so tired, but we were so happy and fulfilled. It's a shame Danjugan Island is not as known to the public as the other islands in the Philippines, because it really is so beautiful. Hopefully more people will know about it, but nevertheless we feel so happy and blessed that we were able to experience its beauty.

One island down, more than seven thousand to go.