ISLANDS BANCA CRUISE: Gilutungan Island & Pandanon Island, Bohol

Before my sister and her family went back to UAE, we had a short trip to Cebu last March 4-7. The highlight of the trip was the Islands Banca Cruise.

There are actually two packages that you can choose from: Islands Buffet (3 islands package) or Islands Banca (2 islands package). We wanted to get the islands buffet package but we were not available on the said dates so we chose the latter instead. Each package is inclusive of the following: Boat Rental, Steward Services, Use of Towels, Life Jackets and Corkage Fee. The total cost is P5,547.00 for  11 persons (9 adults and 2 children).  Please take note that this amount is exclusive of the entrance fees for the islands and snorkeling gear. I also advise that you should book early because we only had an outsourced boat (no bean bags & ipod docks) since we booked late.

Estimated Time of Departure: 11:00 AM

Meeting Place: Kawayan Marine located in between Shangri-La and Hilton Resort in Punta Engano, Mactan. 

Since it was almost lunchtime, we decided to eat first. We were lucky that my aunts bought lechon, liempo, puso and pancit. However, I tried not to eat too much to avoid having an upset stomach.

Eating Time inside the Boat! :D

A few minutes after we finished eating, we finally arrived in Gilutungan Marine Sanctuary. The entrance fee is P100/person. I actually find it funny how there was an entrance fee when we were just in the middle of the sea, hehe. A few of us snorkelled while the rest fed the fishes.

My nephew Nichos and my brother-in-law Ramon


Say hello to the fishes!


Me, myself and I


My sister Larla and I getting ready to go back to the boat.

After that, we had some fun posing for pictures in the boat.

Posing with my mother


My cousin Arvi and I imitating Jack and Rose in Titanic :D

It was quite a distance to Pandanon Island, Bohol but the wait was worth it. The place is really beautiful with its white sand. ^_^ The entrance fee is P150/person.

The boat stewards helping my niece Nichole to go down the boat. :)


My mom and Nichole wore matching hats for the day. :)

When we got to the beach area, I realized how the island is like a private paradise. Though there were many visitors that day, it was still not commercialized and had a genuine feel to it which I really liked. :)

It was a good thing that my sister had an underwater camera so we were able to take some underwater shots like the pictures below.

Nichos


Me

Of course, we also did not forget to take a final group shot before we left the island at 4:00 PM. :)

Though I am not fond of going to the beach, I really had fun that day. I guess part of the reason is that we rarely go on outings like these and going on a banca cruise was a new experience for us. :) I also would like to commend the helpful boat stewards who assisted us in any way that they can. They were very attentive right from the start up to the very end when we docked in Kawayan Marine. ^_^

Kudos to Islands Banca and its wonderful staff! I hope there will be more wonderful trips in store for Islands Banca! :)