The Maldives of the Philippines and Dolphin watching- Bais, Negros Oriental.
The best time to visit Manjuyod is early morning, we arrived in Bais around 6:30am then we went to the market to buy Bangus and Liempo for our lunch.
From Dumaguete to Bais fare is Php 60 ($1) for non-air-con and Php 70 ($1.50) for the air-conditioned bus.
Tricycle from Bais city to Capiñahan Wharf. is Php 100 ($2) one way.
The sand bar is not that visible when we visit because according to the tour guide, the best time to visit and to see the whole sand bar is during the dry season, we are lucky enough to see some of it since when we arrived it’s still low tide.
Tip: Contact tour guide and boatman 2 weeks prior to your visit to check the Tide Forecast. The best time is from March to May to see the 7 km stretch of powdery white sand.
We contacted a private boat for our tour because it’s cheaper- please make sure to visit Bais tourism office before going to Capiñahan Wharf.
Our boat rental cost Php 2,000 ($40) for 3 people but usually, they charge from Php 2,500-3,000 ($50- $60) we had a discount because a couple joined us during that trip.
So first stop, is the sandbar to see some of it since in just a few hours it’s gonna get high.
Before we leave the sandbar area – we bought half a kilo of wild oyster for Php 150 ($3).
Eat this raw with vinegar. Yum!
Kuya cocoy and one of his guys -also cooked lunch for us with no extra charge, we also shared our food with them.
Tip: While in bais, buy all the things you need like puso (rice), water, fish, liempo, etc. Although some small boats sa may cottages area also offer fish and they will cook it din for you but with charge and you have to wait for it and if they have a lot of customers then you know what will happen hehe! so it is still better if you buy from the bais market then Kuya cocoy will cook for you again they do not charge extra for that it’s kinda part of the tour package. The majority of the boat has grilling materials and also they have a toilet.
After sandbar, we went to Tañon Strait for the Dolphin Watching. From 6am to 10am in the morning, the chances of seeing dolphins and whales in Bais are great.
Well, it’s not easy to see them during this season especially with the habagat so the waves are extra big, we literally need to chase them ha ha! I don’t have a nice picture so these photos below are screenshots from video clips.
We spend almost 1 1/2 hr in this area! hehe, it was a great experience seeing these dolphins in the wild.
After dolphin watching, we went to the area where the floating cottage is located: By the way as far as I know Bais Tourism offers the cottages I am not just sure with the rates. I tried to contact them via email about 2 monts before this travel but unfortunately, they do not respond. The tide is a little bit high na by this time so the sand bar is not really that visible. In this area, there are some locals offering ng banana boat and other water activities.
Talabong Mangrove Forest – This one is close na daw sa public. Sayang! But here’s a photo for your reference.
If you don’t want to wake up early you can always stay sa Bais, there are also hotels in the area.
We finished around 12nn and headed back to Capiñahan Wharf. We reached Dumaguete around 2pm just in time to take a rest before our flight.
Definitely, a must on your list when you visit Dumaguete.
For Boat Tour contact:
Kuya Cocoy- 09972295841
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