When I was so hungry to go on a trip even for just a day to take a break from work, from stress, from the life in the city, I decided to take my escape to this small island. I don’t have any expectations. I just want to explore the island and see what it has to offer aside from bird watching which this island is known for. It seemed like there was something inside my head telling me that there is more to this island than just the migratory birds. And whoever or whatever it was, it was indeed right.
Because I fell so deeply in love with the island, I visited it not only once nor twice but thrice.
Where Is Olango?
Olango is a small island found in Cebu, Philippines. A trip going to the island would take 20 minutes from Mactan Island.
How To Get There?
If you are coming from Cebu City, you can grab a taxi going to Movenpick Hotel. Another way is to take a multicab from Hi-way going to Punta Engaño and then alight at Movenpick Hotel. Take the banca going to Olango from the port beside Movenpick. As of this writing, the terminal fee is 5php and the banca fare is 15php.
The banca was spacious (it could even carry motorcycles and bicycles) and in my every trip to the island, it’s not always full. There are trips every hour.
What To Do In The Island?
You can go bird watching or go swimming (there are plenty of resorts in the island) or enjoy a bicycle tour just like what we did.
Bicycle Tour in Olango.
I really enjoyed doing a whole-day bicycle tour around the island. There are two places where you can rent a bicycle. One is in Crossing and another is in Candagsao. I prefer the latter. They have lots of bicycles to choose from, plus they give the 6th hour for free. They charge 10php per hour.
TIP: You can ask the tricycle driver in Sta. Rosa port (in Olango) to take you to Crossing or Candagsao, whichever you prefer. They know the place where you can rent the bicycle. Fare per person is 20php (the price is fix regardless of the distance).
We started the trip from Candagsao to Sabang then going all the way to the Wildlife Sanctuary in San Vicente.
On the side of the road, far from the beach, we saw this little creature crawling.
Wherever we go, we were always greeted with sweet smiles from the kids.
While waiting for our coconut snack, I noticed these kids were busy doing something. I got curious so I approached them and saw how they were peeling these branches.
And this is our coconut fruit fresh from the tree for only 5php each.
We asked the locals in Sabang where we could buy a coconut fruit and a woman immediately asked a kid to get us some coconuts from her backyard. How cool is that? I could live here!
We ordered 4 coconuts and shared it with the kids. Seeing this scene of an older brother feeding his 2-year-old brother was priceless.
I noticed that most of the locals here make decorations out of shells.
My favorite place in Sabang.
Most of the locals suggested that we go to Shalala Resort in Sabang, so we did and I fell in love with this very simple resort. Entrance fee costs 20php only. There’s no corkage fee so you could bring your food and rent a cottage for 200php or you could just stay under the shade of a tree. The resortkeepers are very friendly.
We stayed there for an hour and continued our journey to our farthest destination, the Wildlife Sanctuary in San Vicente.
On our way, we passed by the Marine Sanctuary and decided to check out the place. Entrance fee plus swimming costs 75php.
We tasted our first saang which was sold inside the sanctuary. It was very expensive compared to the ones sold in Candagsao. Here it costs 25php/each. So if you want to buy saang, just ask the locals. They know where to get them. The raw ones costs 7php each while the cooked costs 8php each.
Just a short distance from here is the popular Wildlife Sanctuary where you can do bird watching. Entrance fee costs 30php each.
To tell you honestly, that bicycle trip wasn’t easy. Since we already started it, so we decided to finish it. And we ended up having sore hands, burnt faces, tired legs and achy butts. But it lasted only for a day or two. What remained was a wonderful and unforgettable memory.
I get to see different lives in the island.
I get to live a life in the island.
