Things to do in Malapascua Island
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Malapascua Island
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the best window, with late February to May calmest and clearest; hammerheads are a cool season bonus and January water is coolest.
Hot wet season; workable diving with afternoon rain, warm water and jellyfish noted in summer.
Roughest stretch of typhoon season; most boat cancellations and the lowest visibility at times.
What's on
- Holy Week March or April, dates move by year
The biggest domestic travel period; Malapascua fills with Filipino holidaymakers and everything must be booked ahead.
- Sinulog Festival Third Sunday in January, Cebu City
Cebu City's Santo Nino festival; not on Malapascua, but it affects flights, city rooms and roads at either end of the trip.
- Christmas to New Year peak Late December to early January
Peak international season on the island, with full dive boats and top room prices.
Best things to do in Malapascua Island
Thresher Shark Divers
Daily dawn trips to Kimud Shoal, the cleaning station where pelagic thresher sharks are now seen most reliably.
Evolution Diving
The premium centre for small groups, serious guiding, nitrox, wreck and technical diving and training.
Sea Explorers Malapascua
The in-house dive centre at Ocean Vida, for a single resort and diving booking on Bounty Beach.
Devocean Divers Malapascua
A PADI 5 Star centre at Hippocampus with multilingual instructors and a full fun dive and course program.
Lighthouse Reef
A shallow dusk dive for mating mandarin fish, over a small wartime wreck with seahorses and pipefish.
Dakit-Dakit Island
The snorkel circuit stop for coral garden and fish sanctuary swimming in calm, shallow water.
Bounty Beach
The main strip of dive shops, resorts and beach bars, best for sunset and the island social scene.
Langob Beach
The quiet north beach with the best natural swimming on the island, away from the dive boats.
Where to stay in Malapascua Island
Bounty Beach
divers, first trip, easiest logistics
Dive centres, resorts, restaurants and both boat stations on one walkable strip.
Logon village
quieter stays and lower prices
The main village a few minutes from Bounty Beach, with the market, church and budget rooms.
Think twice about
- Far north near Langob Beach as a dive base
Lovely by day but a dark walk or motorbike ride from every dinner and pre-dawn dive boat. Divers should sleep on the Bounty Beach and Logon side.
Best restaurants in Malapascua Island
Amihan Restaurant
The Tepanee hilltop restaurant for seafood, Italian dishes and pizza at sunset.
Ristorante Angelina
Owner-run Italian cooking from Emilia Romagna, with homemade pasta, risotto, pizza and island fish.
The Craic House
Evolution's all-day restaurant and bar, the experienced diver social centre of the island.
Malapascua Exotic Bar & Restaurant
A beachfront all-rounder for Filipino and international group dinners on the main strip.
Mabuhay Bar and Restaurant
An easy international and Asian menu near the strip, useful for mixed groups and relaxed drinks.
Ging-Ging's Restaurant
The classic budget Filipino kitchen on the beachfront; check it is open on arrival.
Malapascua Island Public Market
Market stalls for grilled fish, barbecue and Filipino dishes at local prices.
Outdoor things to do in Malapascua Island
Kalanggaman Island
A long white sandbar day trip by boat from Malapascua, with swimming and a barbecue lunch.
Gato Island
A marine sanctuary dive day with a tunnel under the island, resting whitetip sharks and sea snakes.
Dona Marilyn Wreck
A full day dive on a sunken passenger ferry at 18 to 32 metres, now a dense artificial reef.
Malapascua Lighthouse
The island viewpoint walk through Logon village, best late in the day with a Langob swim.
Guimbitayan Beach
A quiet double-sided west coast beach for the island walking loop, with local boats and clear water.
Best hotels in Malapascua Island
Tepanee Beach Resort
The boutique top stay, with garden cottages, a private guest beach, a spa and the Amihan restaurant.
Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort
The complete Bounty Beach resort, with sea view rooms and the Sea Explorers centre in house.
Buena Vida Resort and Spa
A small garden resort with a spa in Logon village, a few minutes on foot from Bounty Beach.
Evolution Beach & Dive Resort
The divers resort, combining Evolution Diving, The Craic House and comfortable rooms in one property.
Hippocampus Beach Resort
A sociable beachfront resort with Devocean on site, a roof terrace and a long happy hour.
Slam's Garden Resort
A garden resort in Logon with fan and air conditioned rooms, a restaurant and loyal repeat guests.
Blue Corals Beach Resort
A simple beachfront resort with big rooms and sea views at the lowest beachfront prices.
Moonlight Resort
A small budget resort in Logon, for spending the money on diving instead of the room.
Is Malapascua Island expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₱3,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₱8,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₱16,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Thresher Shark Divers: weeks ahead
- Evolution Diving: weeks ahead
- Sea Explorers Malapascua: weeks ahead
- Devocean Divers Malapascua: weeks ahead
- Dakit-Dakit Island: a few days ahead
- Kalanggaman Island: a few days ahead
- Gato Island: a few days ahead
- Dona Marilyn Wreck: a few days ahead
- Book room and dive centre together for December to May and Holy Week, confirm the check dive before a first shark dive, and book Kalanggaman ahead for its visitor cap.
Is Malapascua Island safe?
- There is no hospital on Malapascua; serious care and the nearest recompression chamber are in Cebu City, hours away, so carry diving insurance with evacuation.
- Wear life jackets on boat crossings, and do not pressure a crew to cross when boats are held for weather.
Malapascua Island travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A Monad Shoal trip sold as the thresher dive; the threshers are at Kimud now.
- Day trips from Cebu City that try to do Malapascua in a day; sleep on the island.
Getting around Malapascua Island: public transport and more
- Cebu City to Maya Port takes about 4 hours by bus or van, then a public boat of 30 to 45 minutes to Malapascua; be in Maya well before 5 in the afternoon.
- On the island walk, cycle or take a habal-habal at about PHP 50 a trip; there are no cars or tricycles.
Who Malapascua Island suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Malapascua Island your trip
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