Unveiling Carnaza: A Northern Island Expedition

I've been posting about mountains, hiking, and camping in my recent posts. Today, I'll be sharing my first visit to the islands of Carnaza and La Manok in the northernmost part of Cebu Island. Although I've already posted a blog about La Manok Island, this was my first time visiting Carnaza Island.

Before this journey, I had no idea who would be my travel companions. My friend, Gly2x of Chasing Potatoes, invited me at the last minute the day before our trip. To my surprise, some of Gly2x's friends, whom I knew through Facebook but weren't really close to at that time, were already on Malapascua Island in the north of Cebu. They were planning to join us for an overnight camping trip on Carnaza Island and a visit to La Manok Island the next day.

The weekend arrived, and we all met at the Cebu North Bus Terminal. Our common friend, Dilon, also joined us. The three of us were heading to Brgy. Tapilon in Daanbantayan town, hoping to catch the morning boat to Carnaza Island, which departs when the seas are calmer.

After enduring a 4-hour bus ride that left us with sore backsides, we finally reached Barangay Tapilon. Upon arrival, we asked some locals about the port for Carnaza Island. Fortunately, they directed us to a small, narrow street leading to the shore, where a mid-sized boat was loading sacks of rice purchased by the Carnaza Island locals from the town market. The boat ride typically takes 2-3 hours, depending on the boat's size and sea conditions. Thankfully, the sea was relatively calm that day.

Carnaza is the northernmost barangay and island 26.43 kilometers from the mainland under the jurisdiction of Daanbantayan town in Cebu Province.

Carnaza Island doesn't have a formal port, so the boat docked in front of a small fishing community. We arrived on the island just past lunchtime, with no lunch and no restaurants nearby. Luckily, I had brought some crackers to tide us over.

From the shore, we had to walk and ascend a hill to reach our campsite, which was located on the opposite side where there were no houses, just a large boat docked along the shore.

We had the small cove to ourselves that day. While waiting for the others to arrive from Malapascua Island, we found shelter under the shade of trees near the shore. After a short while, we spotted their boat approaching, and they quickly set up their tents.

As the sun began to set, we decided to stroll along the shore, take some pictures, and go for a swim. The sand on this beach was fine-grained and white, and despite the lack of inhabitants, the shore was remarkably clean. Without wasting any time, we immersed ourselves in the sea.

I was pleasantly surprised to find an abundant field of edible seaweed called Lato underwater. Lato are seaweeds that looks like teeny-weeny grapes. Gly2x even picked a sample and tasted it; it was like a wild underwater garden.

While looking back at the photos from that trip, I came across a picture of one of our friends who had passed away due to COVID-19. May his soul rest in peace.

I returned to the small community on the other side and borrowed a snorkeling mask from one of the locals.

As night fell, everyone busied themselves preparing dinner, and we bought some liquor from the local sari-sari store to enjoy the evening.

The next day, we arranged for a boat to take us to La Manok Island and return to Tapilon Port.

The boat picked us up from the shore where we were staying, and without delay, we set off for the next island.

After a few hours, we arrived at La Manok Island for the first time. It was high tide when we got there, and the scorching sun urged us to move quickly.

After capturing all the necessary and obligatory pictures, we departed the island and headed back to Tapilon port.

This trip was somewhat awkward for me as an introvert meeting new people for the first time. Nevertheless, I made new friends on that journey, and we're still friends to this day.

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