The simple guide to visiting Apo Island, Philippines

Apo Island is one of the hidden treasures of the Philippines. However, I’ve rarely seen this little island come up on travellers’ itineraries.

However, it is considered one of the Philippines’ top dive spots, full of gorgeous coral reefs to explore. This is without mentioning its other main draw for non-divers, like me: TURTLES!

I really loved my visit to Apo Island, with my only qualm being that I didn’t stay for enough time. However, it can be difficult to get to compared to other tourist destinations in the Philippines, in part because visitor numbers are much lower. Therefore, I’ve written this guide to help you plan your own trip. There are four main options for visiting, so I’ve added information on each of them and more.

I hope it inspires you to make a trip to Apo Island!

Where is Apo Island?

There are several islands and reefs called “Apo” in the Philippines. However, in this article I’ll be talking about the Apo Island just off the coast of Negros Oriental, in the Visayas region of the Philippines.

An introduction to Apo Island

Apo Island is super tiny and has an area of only 74 hectares. It takes less than an hour to walk around its perimeter (and this is at a very leisurely pace!). However, no one is visiting such a small place to go hiking; they’re there to see what lies underwater.

Off the shores of Apo Island, you’ll find coral reefs which are often pristine and well-protected, with large table corals and plenty of fish and other organisms. Whilst it’s known for being a great diving spot, you can easily snorkel around some of these reefs too, making it perfect for a beginner (like me). As the corals are fairly deep but the visibility of the water is very good, it is easy to see the reefs without fear of hitting your leg or causing damage to the corals.

Apo Island: home to many turtles

If there is one thing Apo Island is known for, it’s its turtles.

The waters around the island contain a lot of turtles, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to see at least a few. We snorkelled for around two hours and saw around fifteen, including several turtle-turtle interactions, which was so exciting.

According to our guide, there are two main species on the island, the green turtle and hawksbill turtle. We learned whilst visiting that most turtles in the marine conservation area off the main beach are green turtles, but hawksbill turtles can also be spotted.

Whether you come on an organised tour or travel independently, you won’t have any trouble organising snorkelling in the marine conservation area, where you’ll be able to swim with plenty of turtles. Even if you choose not to get in the water, the turtles come up to the surface to breathe around every 5 minutes. A keen observer can sit on the beach and watch the turtles surface for air – a most pleasing activity!

Apo Island Marine Sanctuary

One thing that I loved about Apo Island in particular was its environmental credentials.

The waters around Apo Island have been part of a marine sanctuary since 1982 and are one of the Philippines’ longest standing community-led conservation areas. This is clear when visiting, with touching of the turtles banned and fishing restricted over certain areas of the coast.

BBC put out an interesting article on the marine sanctuary during the Covid-19 pandemic. It appears that turtles, whose numbers around the island increased over 2020, were one of the few winners!

It’s also worth noting there is a 100 peso ($1.80 / £1.40) environmental fee to visit the island, which supports the marine sanctuary.

The village on Apo Island

Apo Island is home to around 1000 residents, which are mainly clustered in a beach-front village in the south-west of the island. There’s a fairly young population, with our guide mentioning they have over 300 children and elementary and high schools in the village. The village relies on fishing as its main source of income.

We found the residents of Apo to be very friendly. Most people said hi to us as we passed them on the street. It felt very safe and tranquil. In particular, I found it striking that there were many young kids playing together on the beach or in the streets, something which would be prohibited in the UK in case you got lost or kidnapped!

Truthfully, though, there is comparatively little to be afraid of at the island. There are no cars or vehicles, and I got the impression that this is a very tight community.

The accommodation on Apo Island is fairly basic. The houses are rustic and are mostly wooden with sheet metal roofs. Electricity is only available from 6 to 10 pm and there is no running water.

The four main ways to visit Apo Island

Apo can be visited in a number of ways. We found getting here to be challenging and the information online poor quality. Therefore, I’ve written this guide to the many ways to get here, of variable pricing and difficulty, as I think this would be useful for future travellers to the island.

Here are the top four ways to reach Apo Island:

1. Take an organised tour from Dumaguete (the nearest city on Negros Oriental);
2. Plan a DIY day trip from Dumaguete;
3. Stay overnight; or
4. Take an organised tour from Siquijor (a more touristy island nearby).

I’ll now go into each method in more detail.

1. Take an organised tour from Dumaguete

Dumaguete, the largest city in Negros Oriental, is normally the starting point for any trip to visit Apo Island. It’s only 40 minutes’ drive from the port from which boats to Apo depart, has an airport and good road transport links. There’s also a range of accommodation, making it the easiest place to begin any trip.

Dumaguete is not a touristy city, so there aren’t as many tour agencies as you’ll find in other areas. However, you’ll still be able to find day tours to Apo Island on offer, as this is probably the most popular attraction near Dumaguete. You can also find them online.

An organised tour will normally include transport from Dumaguete to the island, snorkelling or diving activities and lunch. But check carefully to confirm whether or not the environmental fee and gear rental is included, as this could make a big difference to the overall cost.

The main benefit of an organised tour is you won’t have to worry about your own transport, making the whole day less stressful. If your tour includes a boat around the island, it also makes it a lot easier to access quiet dive spots than if you were to visit independently. However, this results in a much higher price.

2. Plan a DIY day trip from Dumaguete

As Apo Island isn’t too far from Negros Oriental, it’s also possible to visit independently. To do this, you will need to make your own way to Malapatay Port and charter a boat (more on this later!).

Once you’re on the island, it is easy to organise activities such as snorkelling with turtles at the main beach. Given its size, it’s easy to explore Apo without much planning. There’s also the option to charter a boat around the island should you wish.

Organising your own trip keeps the costs down, as snorkelling on the island is inexpensive and transport costs can be kept low. You’ll still get to see a lot, including, most importantly, those turtles! However, chartering a boat between Negros Oriental and Apo Island for just one or two people can work out expensive, so be prepared to wait around in hopes of a larger group arriving. The wait, whilst not knowing if anyone else will arrive, can be quite stressful.

3. Stay overnight on Apo Island

A third option is to stay overnight on the island, with several guesthouses available for stays.

I absolutely loved staying overnight and doubt I would have had such an appreciation for the island had I not done this. The last boats from the island leave at 3 to 3:30 pm, meaning that in the late afternoon and evening only a handful of tourists remain on the island. It makes for a much quieter time for snorkelling and exploration. By 3 pm we were the only people left in the marine conservation area!

I’d recommend staying two nights on Apo Island as getting off the island can be a bit faffy. We had to leave on the 6 am boat to guarantee we’d be able to get back to Negros that day! Therefore, your final day may be cut short. The one night we had just didn’t feel like enough time on the island.

Aside from additional time for exploration, the main benefit of staying overnight is the additional help you’ll get with organising the journey to and from the island. A few of the guesthouses offer a transfer service between Apo Island and the airport or hotels in Dumaguete. If you’re prepared to spend some extra money, this would make the whole experience less stressful. That way, you can appreciate the island more!

4. Take an organised tour from Siquijor

One final option to visit Apo island is from the nearby island of Siquijor.

A much more touristy island (although still quieter than other tourist islands in the Philippines), Siquijor has a range of hotels, restaurants, and attractions for visitors. You can easily spend a couple of days there.

However, there’s also the option to take an organised boat trip from Siquijor to Apo island. This option is the most expensive of the four, as the boat crossing is longer than if you were to arrive from Negros Oriental.

However, this option involves less hassle if you aren’t planning on visiting Negros Oriental separately. Instead of a 1 to 2 hour ferry, 10 minute tricycle, 40 minute bus and 30 minute small boat to travel from Siquijor to Apo Island, you can travel simply across by boat and get straight to the attractions.

A range of tour agencies in Siquijor arrange such trips, and several resorts (such as Coco Grove) offer them too. You’re best off visiting a tour agency in San Juan or Siquijor town when you arrive, or asking your hotel whether they offer any trips.

How to get to Apo Island independently

If you’re travelling independently, it’s best to start your journey to Apo Island from Dumaguete. However, you could also stay in Dauin to the south of Dumaguete. Some visitors choose to stay in Dauin for its snorkelling and beaches, and it’s a lot closer to the port from which boats leave.

There are daily flights to Dumaguete from Manila and Cebu, or alternatively you can take a ferry from Siquijor.

Getting to Malapatay Port

From Dumaguete, head to the Ceres Bus Terminal. As it’s quite central, a tricycle from most parts of the city should only take 10 to 15 minutes and cost 20 pesos ($0.40 / £0.30) per person. If you’re travelling directly from the airport, a higher price (such as 100 pesos) is normal.

From Ceres Bus Terminal, take a bus to Malapatay Market. Any bus heading south should pass by this, but just ask the staff at the bus station when you arrive and they’ll direct you onto the correct one. Ours was heading to Bayawan.

The buses are pretty regular; ours left within minutes of us turning up. The bus I took cost 60 pesos ($1 / £0.80) per person and took around 40 minutes to reach Malapatay Market. Be sure to tell the bus driver you need to get off at Malapatay so they know to stop there.

The bus stops on the main road, so you’ll need to turn left off the road and walk through the market for around 5 minutes. The market isn’t open every day so depending on when you visit, you may just see empty stalls, although rest assured there are several stalls on the main road should you need food or snacks.

Obtaining a boat

Malapatay Port is not your typical idea of a port. There are just boats waiting on the sand to take people across.

When you arrive, you’ll find an info desk to report to. If there’s a boat ready to go, they’ll direct you onto it. If not, expect to wait for others to arrive, as chartering a private boat can work out quite expensive.

I’d therefore recommend you begin this journey fairly early to ensure there are other day trippers to split the fare with. We arrived at around 8:30 am and were lucky that others got off our same bus planning to visit Apo, but from discussions with our hostel in Dumaguete it sounds like the earlier, the better.

Expect to pay around 300 to 500 pesos ($5 to $9 / £4 to £7) per person each way for a space on a shared boat. Private boats will work out around 2000 to 3000 pesos ($35 to $53 / £28 to £42) depending on the size of the boat and availability. There is also a 5 peso ($0.09 / £0.07) fee for use of the port.

The boat will take around 30 minutes and leave you on the western side of the island, by the village.

Just to note, you’ll need to wade out to the boat on both sides. Depending on the choppiness of the water, you could get pretty wet! My shorts got splashed both times, plus water collected on the seats and I ended up sitting in a puddle. I’d suggest wearing something fast drying, like fabric shorts or even your swim bottoms.

Returning from Apo Island to the port

If you are visiting on a day trip, make sure to agree your return journey with the boatmen at Malapatay Port before you leave, so that you have a boat to take you back to the mainland at the end of the day. The last boats typically leave the island around 3 to 3:30 pm.

If you are visiting on an overnight trip, your lodge or homestay should be able to help you organise the return journey. This isn’t necessarily as good as it sounds – I had to leave on the 6 am boat as that was all that was available during my trip. Relaxing, it was not!

Where to stay at Apo Island

You have a couple of options for accommodation on Apo Island, including Liberty Lodge and several homestays.

When I visited, I had to email Liberty Lodge in advance to secure our beds. Now it’s much easier – all the options are on booking.com so you can check out the reviews and location for yourself. I liked Liberty Lodge as much to be expected given the conditions.

Expect very basic accommodation, with limited electricity and no running water. There are no options for 5 star luxury, and worst of all, no air con or fans to keep you cool throughout the night. The bucket shower became my best friend…

How does Apo Island rate as a destination?

As part of this blog, I give every place I visit a rating so that we can easily compare destinations and decide whether they’re worth a visit – those are the scores you see at the top of the page!

This is how Apo Island rated:

• Accessibility: 2/5 – Apo Island is difficult to get to, requiring, at minimum, a bus/tricycle ride and boat ride. The boat ride itself would be difficult for people with limited mobility, never mind getting around the island (which has steep, uneven walkways and no vehicles).
• Safety: 4/5 – I felt completely safe on Apo Island. However, as an island, there are limited medical facilities, and if there was an emergency, problems could arise.
• Enjoyment: 5/5 – I adored this island so much. My only wish would’ve been to stay longer!
• Value: 4/5 – the boat ride to and from the island was pretty expensive. Otherwise, we thought Apo Island was great value for money.

Overall score: 3.75/5

If you’ve already visited, let me know if you agree with these ratings! Just to note, the ratings are my personal opinion based on my visit, so you might have a completely different experience.

Where to eat on Apo Island

To be honest, I’d struggle to recommend anywhere to eat on Apo Island. Given the nature of the island, there are no restaurants catering to tourists, so it’s difficult to confirm where’s best to eat.

I ate at Liberty Lodge for ease. Prices were high compared to Dumaguete and Siquijor, but the meal was tasty.

My snorkelling guide also brought me to a woman serving food near the marine conservation area, who cooked us fish from the island for 500 pesos ($9 / £7). It was big enough for two and fairly tasty! This is a great option if you are just visiting for the day.

What to do on Apo Island

Apo is a very small island and tourists mainly come for one thing (turtles!). I’ve therefore noted the top things to do here, to give you an idea of options and prices:

1. Go snorkelling

There is a marine conservation area right where the boats dock, which is home to plenty of turtles and beautiful corals.

If you have your own mask and snorkel, you can snorkel independently here. However, I’d recommend taking a guide. Snorkelling with a guide, including full gear rental, cost 300 pesos ($5 / £4) per person: an absolute bargain! We were taken out for 2 one-hour snorkels. Our guide was so knowledgeable about the marine life and island life itself – we felt like it was fantastic value for money.

Note that the 300 pesos fee technically covers snorkelling with your guide for the whole day; whilst a lot of visitors will only go for one snorkel, just mention it to your guide and you should be able to go for additional snorkel(s) later.

If you’re keen to go further, it’s possible to charter a boat from the fishermen whilst you’re on the island, and you can hire a guide to take you to the best spots around the island. The whole island is surrounded by reefs, so this would be a great way to spend a whole day if you stay over at the island. Our guide quoted us around 1000 pesos ($18 / £14) for this service.

2. Go diving

If you are a diver, there’s a couple of dive centres on the island. I hadn’t done my PADI before coming to Apo Island, so I didn’t explore the options for this during my visit. However, considering the quality of the coral reefs I saw, I have no doubt this would be an amazing place to go scuba diving.

3. Walk around the island

For some light exercise on land, you can walk around the entire perimeter of the island.

One of the top landmarks on Apo Island is the ‘lighthouse’, around 1 km north of the main village. I say ‘lighthouse’ with apostrophes because this is fairly lacklustre for a lighthouse, but it is still a useful reference point during your exploration. You can also visit a couple of lagoons in the south of the island.

For its size, Apo is surprisingly hilly, with around 200 steps to reach the lighthouse!

The path is easy to follow in most places. However, there are a couple of points around the island where it is just a trodden path, which can be difficult to spot. Several times, we felt like we were going to someone’s house, rather than following the correct path. Don’t worry about this; the people of Apo were incredibly friendly, so if you do end up taking the wrong route they’ll happily point you in the right direction.

Following the path around the island, you will eventually come out at the other side. Here, you’ll get a pretty view of the village and the rest of the island.

Whilst walking, keep your eye out for fishermen’s boats, as the other side of the island from the village is where most fishing activities take place.

Summary

Apo Island in the Philippines is a great place to visit and has amazing snorkelling and diving opportunities. Sure, it can be a bit difficult to get to, but I’d still wholeheartedly recommend a visit.

I hope this article helps you to plan your own trip. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

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• My top ten travel moments from the Philippines
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