These attractions are next to each other and located in Barangay Cantaan in Guinsiliban, Camiguin’s smallest municipality.  Both are managed by Cantaan Centennial Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CCMPC) .

Entrance fee is only Php 25, which already includes an educational tour of the clam sanctuary.  Note that this tour is done only around a man-made pool where some clams are housed.  If you want to view the clams on their natural habitat, you have to pay an additional fee of Php 150.

Here are all applicable charges (bottom left) when in the island, as well as some reminders.

I couldn’t help but be amused at the PDA (Public Display of Affection) and morality notices.  They’re everywhere, from the entrance to the garden to the trees by the beach!

At the same time, I was sad at how some people do not respect the culture and norms of the people in their destination and worse, at how some destroy this destination by taking away its flora or fauna.  In this case, a foreigner and his Filipina girlfriend were banned at the sanctuary for collecting cowries (upper right photo in the above collage).

On the way to sanctuary, we passed by this beautiful view of a coconut-lined beachfront.

At the sanctuary, I was shown a pool with clams.  Here, my teenage guide enthusiastically explained everything she knows about them.  I remembered 2 things:  One, that Giant Clams are the largest mollusks on earth (they can reach 4 feet and weigh more than 500 pounds) and two, they mature as males then eventually become hermaphrodites.

Further reading as I was working on this blog revealed that once a giant clam settles onto an area on the reef, it remains in the same spot for the rest of its life.   All giant clams are also in a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, algae that feed off the clam’s waste and makes food for the clams using the energy from the sun.

All around the pools are shells displayed on driftwood, which initially made me sad as I thought they harvested all those clams to come up with this, but one of the ladies from the cooperative explained that these clams actually died because of typhoons that struck their island.  She said they decided to gather them for display purposes in a showroom that was still under construction during my visit.

The same lady added that once their showroom is done, they will add identification tags and quick facts about the different clam species that can be seen in the island.

After I was done discovering what I could about clams, we walked to nearby Kibila White Beach (often mistaken for Kabila, but I asked the locals and they said it’s Kibila).

It’s a beautiful beach with white-yellow sand (coarser than Mantigue’s and White Island’s) and clear, blue-green waters.  I was there on a weekday so I was again lucky to have the beach by myself.

Kibila White Beach is one tranquil beach.  There were no waves and the water just looked so calm and inviting.

I spent quite some time here just resting underneath the shade of trees that lined the beachfront.

For those interested to stay here for a long time, or go on a picnic, there are tables for rent (upper left photo in the succeeding collage).  The beach is a popular snorkeling site so they also offer snorkeling sets for rent.

Do you see the big rocks at the far end of the photo on the right?  Ever the adventurer, I climbed over them and was very happy to see this view.

Isn’t it beautiful?

Here’s a collage of more photos from the same vantage point.  I loved how the rocks and tree branches framed the beautiful view of the blue sky and the bluer sea.

Once I had completely crossed over the rocks, the view was just a beautiful!

This part of the beach is actually a fenced-off portion (upper right photo) so the only way to get here is to go over those big rocks, which was quite a challenge, since some of the rocks were slippery, but I didn’t mind.  Who would when after your trouble, you will be rewarded with this fantastic view?

This is one Camiguin destination that’s worth visiting so make sure to drop by here when you’re in the island born of fire.