As I looked at the skyline of Cebu from the back of the motorized banca, a feeling came over me. It was a feeling that can be summed up with “Cebu is the best place to live a good life.” It’s an island, it’s rural, it’s a city but not cosmopolitan, and in less than an hour, you are speeding away to an island off another island.

It’s not my first time to go island hopping. I was here 26 years ago, on my first year living in Cebu, and a second time when I was already working. Island hopping in Cebu is not an activity that you do alone. It’s a communal activity, it’s a group activity. Much like the boating activities of our forefathers. The word “barangay” which is the basic unit of government in the Philippines comes from the Malay word “balangay” or boat. Early Bisaya were expert boat people and we lived off the waters that surrounded our 7,100 islands.

Island hopping was an activity that pre-dated the Spaniards. Marauders hop from one island to another, so did trade, commerce, and marriages. Ferdinand Magellan was killed in Mactan Island — if he did not hop from one island to another, he would have returned to Spain a victorous man. It is no wonder our favorite past time is island hopping and being at the beach.

Of course, island hopping is not complete without the quintessential beach food: sinugbang baboy (grilled pork), kinilaw nga isda (ceviche), swaki (sea urchin roe), mangga (Philippine mangoes, the best in the world!!!), and saging (plantains).

DIY Island Hopping in Mactan and Cordova

Jump off point for island hopping can take place in several places: Cordova Port, Punta Engano Port, or any beach resort in Mactan. Cordova is a municipality adjoining Mactan Island, but they are not the same jurisdiction. Punta Engano is a part of Mactan. In 2024, the difference between jumping off in Cordova and Mactan is 190 pesos. Cordova charges a 10 peso environmental fee per person, while Mactan charges a 100 peso environmental fee per person.

For a group of 13 adults, we paid a total of 379 pesos for the island hopping: 3,500 pesos for the banca, 10 pesos environmental fee, and 100 pesos for environmental fee for Gihulotongan Island, one of the islands we visited. Our other expenses were transportation: 3,500 for a van that can fit 14 people, 180 for CCLEX toll fee, and 200 each for food.

I’ve rediscovered how enjoyable island hopping is — although I must admit that the activity has become more commercialized, the islanders more enterprising, and the seas dirtier as compared to 26 years ago, when island hopping was really an adventure and not a touristy leisurely activity. I would recommend going to the San Vicente Marine Sanctuary in Olango Island because the marine life is richer in that part of the Mactan Channel.