Day Trip to Manjuyod, Bais

A couple of months ago I saw a video of what they're claiming as "The Maldives of the Philippines" with a sandbar stretching as far as the eyes could see. It was a promotional video, others were posted by video bloggers with the caption "Choose Philippines" or something like "Breathtaking Areal View of the Philippines." The drone shots were stunning. I HAD to go there, and it didn't matter who I went with as long as I make it. From the initial idea of coming in with a bunch of friends, around 15...four of us pushed through, and that did not stop the experience of being there become less breathtakingly memorable. It. Was. Magnificent. 

We didn't have a drone to hover and see what it looked like from above, but just from the focal point of where we were standing, glorious hues of varied blues reflected all over. It was enough to make us gawk on the pump boat. At one point I remember my brother declaring about not wanting to swim when we left the port, but when he saw how beautiful the water was, he was the first to jump in.

Here's a quick 360° view of what it was like to be on the water.

The water near the port starts out as a jadeish tint, quickly turning dark blue after a few minutes
we departed port and out to the sea.

This is usually the last area of the sandbar to submerge in the water, thus, this
is where you'll be dropped off if you arrive late in Manjuyod. 

Starfishes! There are a few blue ones, the grey ones, also the one with eight arms!

Going there last December 26, I swore I'd return as soon as I could find another batch to come with. And I did, just a little over a month after I was back, and it made me see another side of Manjuyod. From the calmest of seas last December, without two inches of wave breaking out of the water, two weeks ago, it was a constant thrashing of waves that we found ourselves tired just trying to stand still in the water. Not to mention struggling to put food in our mouths because the rice grains were literally flying off our hands before they could reach our mouths. I remember us leaving Manjuyod at 1pm [because the rocking of the boat drained us] and basically just craving for food the whole afternoon, eating a feast for dinner as early as 6pm. One of the guys on the port explained that when the amihan winds blow in by at the start of February, waves ceaselessly churn and will calm down again around May. Best to take note of that.

This is one of the calmest area in Manjuyod. It was really windy that day, and
on the other side the waves got a bit big, but here, it didn't seem obvious.

This is one side of the sandbar where the water is more aqua-teal in color.

This was during our search for the dolphins. Boooo! They didn't surface.

Going there is as simple as taking a Ceres bus to Bais. Tell the bus you're going to Manjuyod and they'll know exactly where to drop you off. From the bus stop, you know you're in the right place because you'll see the local market building with a big Jollibee across the street. From Dumaguete to Bais, it's about an hour by bus, and 30-45mins by car. It'll cost you around Php75.00 for the air conditioned bus from Dumaguete; and if you're from Bacolod about Php288.00─and approximately five hours to reach Bais; 3-4 hours if by private car with an average speed of 80-100kph. 

From the Bais bus stop/stopover, hire a tricycle/habal-habal and tell them to take you to Canibol Port because you're going to the Manjuyod sandbar, it'll cost about Php100. But before leaving, make sure you buy food and drinks in the market because there's none available once you get to the sandbar. The only ones being sold by fishermen are wild oysters, scallops, sea urchins and fresh coconuts. What you can do is buy fish or pork and marinade in the market so you can have the boatmen grill the meat for you come lunch time. I suggest you bring cooked rice though, packed or the puso [rice cooked in woven coconut leaves]. Also, bring a trash bag and be responsible with your mess. You can leave the trash bag to the boatmen at the end of the day for disposal.

On our first trip, our route was Bacolod-Dumaguete-Manjuyod-Bacolod; the second time it was Bacolod-Manjuyod-Dumaguete-Bacolod. Of the two, I preferred the second route because it was a lot less stressful leaving from Dumaguete than from Bais. Why? Because the bus arrives every hour or so, alternating between an air-conditioned and a non one, and by the time the bus arrives in Bais' bus stop it's already full and you will be left to stand for as long as you could. I stood on the bus for three hours, holding onto seats as the bus swiveled through zigzag roads on the edge of the mountain, basically finding a seat half-way through the trip for the remaining three hours. 

There were quite a few seagulls flying about the area. Very foreign-like as quite
a couple of our beaches don't have seagulls.

This was around 12NN, the water is waist-deep.

At Canibol Port, there are men already waiting and ready to assist you in finding available pump boats for rent. Sizes vary from a small four-seater to a large one that can hold up to over a dozen people, maybe twenty even. Prices can go from a fairly good bargain to a ridiculously rip-off price. The weighs juggle between your haggling ability, ability to speak the local bisaya, time of year, and overall attitude [plus luck] to the guy you're speaking to. With a friend who knew how to speak the local dialect, we got the boat for Php2000.00 plus Php500.00 for the dolphin watching [dolphins that unfortunately did not show up] for the four of us, a same-sized boat that my cousin pointed at saying that she was offered for P6000.00 on a previous trip─apparently haggling with the same guy I spoke with. On our next trip I got a boat the size for a dozen people for only Php3000.00 without dolphin watching included in the package this time. They usually ask for an additional Php500.00 fee if you want to go see the dolphins. The six of us had enough space to lounge around the whole trip. Just average the haggle at Php500/pax, and if you get it for lower, good deal!

Guy selling sea urchins. That bucket-full is only Php200! A piece of that would
probably cost more than Php200 at a high-end Japanese restaurant.

You can eat the oysters raw because it's fresh and clean. Or have it grilled if you like.
The one my brother is trying on the left is just a free sample. Yes. And the plate
of sea urchins on the right only costs Php50! We were forcing ourselves to finish the
lot after pigging out on a few pieces.

From the port to the sandbar, it's a short 15-minute boat ride. If you arrive really early, like break-of-dawn early, you should be able to see the whole stretch of the sandbar and chase after dolphins. But if you're like us and arrive at 9am, you will be led to what's remained of the sandbar which is on the far left, to have your photos taken on the white sand. You should also consider the wait time before you could get on a boat and reach the island. The waiting varies from 20mins-1hour depending on the droves of tourists coming in...and whether you had made arrangements prior or not. It's not as powdery as you would expect in Boracay, but it's enough not to make your feet hurt on contact, unlike other beaches that make you endure walking on painful half-crushed corals. 

The tides get high around 10am, swallowing the entire stretch of sand, and will slowly recede again around 3pm that you should be able to walk on sand by sunset. When you rent a boat, it can be a few hours to a whole day affair depending on your mood. 

You can also opt to stay the night in one of their stilt-cottages, but I wouldn't. You will be left in the middle of the sea with high waters and without electricity and plumbing. Just not my thing...toilets with running water is a big factor. If my info is correct, I think an overnight stay in the middle of Manjuyod costs about Php6000.00. It's mostly foreigners who bother to experience the solitude. 

This is one of the cottages you can stay in for the night. As you can see, there's
nothing much. A great place if you want to get away from it all.

Their boats have ladders attached on the side. It makes going in and out of the
water soooooo much easier. This is one of their larger boats for P3000 or up.

See how calm and clear the water is?

*I've seen comments of Manjuyod sandbar as being a letdown. Let me remind you that it's a "sandbar" so its nature is to basically disappear within the tides for a couple of hours and resurface again during low tide. So don't expect more than clean waters and a whole lot of sand.

*No extreme activities here. Just a place for chilling. 

*Manjuyod is properly pronounced as "man-hu-yod" with the "J" pronounced as "H"

*The water is not as salty as other beaches, you can to open your eyes swimming

*The shellfishes and uni is typically sold at Php200-Php300 per bucket [depending again on your haggling skills,] but you can request to buy only half or a quarter of the bucket.

*Coconuts are sold for 3 pieces for Php100, or 4 pieces if you're lucky.

*My cousin told me that boats usually arrive at 7am for those who arrive without reservations prior.

*No toilets

*No sari-sari stores

*No shade

*No electricity

*Yes, there is a cellphone signal there for Smart and Globe

*There is a toilet on the port, but it's not that clean and the floor is wet. 

*You can opt to buy at Jollibee and use their toilets or change to your swimwear there before going to the port.

*There's not that much variety of fishes available on sale in their market. You are stuck with a lot of bangus [milkfish] and tilapia. There's also small shrimps and some crab, but it isn't that noteworthy. I suggest the big bangus though, stuff them with onions and tomatoes.

*My contact guy is named Hadji: 09774208051 or 09995226152, tell them Rose referred you.

*Hadji has a house near the port with toilets and bathing area. You can use this on your way home to wash off the salt water and change clothes for a fee of Php20.00. He says his grandma runs the place.

*The water isn't sticky or that salty at all though. If you can manage to make it all the way to Dumaguete to save your 20, it's fine.

*There is no guarantee that the dolphins will show up. My cousin who went there 4x, only 2 out 4 did they decide to appear. But you will still have to pay the fee even if you didn't spot any.

*There are a few places where you could stay in Bais. It's a very small town feel and there isn't much stuff to do except chill.

*You can park your car/van in the port for free, just tip the guy who will be greeting you on your arrival and tell them to guard your car.

*The images I posted didn't really needed tweaking on the colors, the shades of blues are as plentiful as you could see.

*Starfishes abound the area, so do sea urchins in some. Try to wear slippers when walking on the sand, especially far out the area where the cottages on stilts are.

*The water is warm in December and quite cold in February.

*Time your trip well with the rising and falling of the tides.

Just to show you what it's like to have a quick dive beneath the waves.