| Photo from DENR-7
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Nangita ba mo og perfect beach destination karong summer?
(Are you looking for a perfect beach destination this summer?)
Don’t forget to add Apo Island in Negros Oriental to your list.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) recently announced the reopening of the Apo Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (AIPLS) to tourists.
Apo Island is one of the best spots in the country for scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming with the turtles. And its coral garden offers the best underwater scenery.
This volcanic island has a land area of at least 69 hectares. It is located at the Sulu Sea or at least 7.5 kilometers off the southeastern tip of Negros Island.
| Photo from DENR-7
The island is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Dauin in Negros Oriental and is about 25 kilometers south-southwest of Dumaguete City.
“The specified lands and bodies of water of this island is intended for protection due to its unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance its diversity and protect it against human exploitation. It is excluded from destructive human exploitation and set aside for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development,” DENR said in an advisory.
| Photo from DENR-7
How to get there?
It’s easy.
You can either take a motor banca from Dumaguete City and cruise for two hours to get to the island or travel by land and sea to get there.
If your choice is the first option, you have to prepare enough cash to pay for a round trip on a motorbanca, which is somewhat costly.
“The absence of regular trips from the mainland to the island makes the motorized banca fare expensive. This concern is identified as a management concern, especially since the ecotourism potential depends on it,” DENR said.
| Photo from DENR-7
But there is a cheaper option to get to the island. But this would also mean a longer travel time.
The second option would include a 29-kilometer travel from Dumaguete City to Malatapay in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. When you get there, you will then have to take a 45-minute motorbanca ride to the island.
But which ever option you chose, it is always best to take an early morning travel to the island when the sea is relatively calm.
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