Hello and howdy lovely people of this beautiful community!🤗 Hope you've been enjoying your holidays so far. Did you seize the opportunity that the yuletide season brings and find yourself an experience that's worth remembering?
Well, one thing I look forward to during Christmas is spending the vibrant holiday with family and friends. Christmas parties are everywhere and how we celebrate Christmas with my colleagues is the topic of today's blog.
A Quick But Unforgettable Island Hopping Adventure to the Funtastic Island of Gibitngil, Medellin!
It was one weekend last December, 2023 that we had this island hopping adventure with my colleagues as part of our itinerary in celebration of Christmas and or Teambuilding activity this year.
With more than 30 of us including some of our family members we brought along for the Christmas party, we rented 3 boats to take us to the island. It was already half past 1 o'clock when we left for our island hopping adventure and taking a pump boat once again after how many years was a mix of anxiety and excitement for me not to mention I was bringing along with me my little girl, Yani. Whew!
However, I thought it was perfectly fine weather not to enjoy this once-in-a-blue-moon experience. It would be my first time to visit this island paradise and so without hesitation, I had our names (mine and Yani's) listed in the manifesto! My little girl also loves adventures, too!
There were more of us in our group (about 13 of us including 4 children) so we had to take the boat bigger than the other two boats with two engines which cost ₱150.00 per person (or $2.71).
The Adventure Begins
As the boat's engine started to run, I felt more excited than worried. The waves undulated gracefully, moving in a rhythmic dance with the sea breeze as we were halfway towards the island.
I tried to be calm and relaxed while enjoying the magnificent view right before my eyes. It was excellent weather that cooperated with our eagerness to cross and reach this small but lovely island of Gibitngil.
I was not sure what the purpose of this colorful structure floating with the waves was but it surely was eye-catching and noticeable in this spot.
The entire boat ride going and coming back from the island could bring you into its entire facade. With the beach area on the western side, the boat will give you a tour going in this direction and take the eastern side upon returning to the mainland, Medellin.
This tour will enable tourists to discover the whole view of the island and see that most of the island has huge rock formations surrounding the place.
As we drew closer, these white structures looking like cottages and concrete walkways built on a group of rock formations welcomed us. They were the cues we already reached our destination.
The blistering heat plus the emerald green clear water seemed to beckon us to jump and cool ourselves off as we reached the shore. For us to enjoy this splendid view of the Funtastic Island resort as well as refresh ourselves by taking a plunge into this crystal clear water, we paid ₱20.00 as our Entrance fee! We did not plan to stay longer so we did not rent a cottage. My bad I was not able to ask how much it cost as of this time! Tsk Tsk
The array of white and colorful boats made this shore alive but peaceful. Oh, how wonderful the sight it was!
There were also other guests/tourists on the island which meant Gibitngil Island is one chosen tourist destination when visiting the Northern part of Cebu.
The next photos will show some captures I did while on Gibitngil Island!
And of course, after taking several souvenir photos of the island to share with you in this blog, we could not afford to just leave the place without enjoying the rhythmic lull of the tides, the playful dance of seawater droplets, and the warm kiss of the sun on the skin through swimming.
The dazzling dance of refracted beams of the sun also makes this a perfect place for snorkeling! If you love more fun activities, you can try cliff jumping here, too!
If you happen to come to Northern Cebu, you might as well visit Gibitngil Island!
How To Get There
From Cebu City, take the bus bound to Kawit, Medellin and you can get a boat from Medellin port. You might as well want to stay at a resort across the island called Paradizzo Beach Resort and boats are also available there, too. Gibitngil Island just a 15-20 minute boat ride from the resort.
In our case, we spent our Christmas Party at Paradizzo Beach Resort so we took a boat from there.
According to Eleanor Roosevelt, "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
As we start the new year, may we all have a richer and more wonderful experiences ahead of us!
That's it for my first blog in 2024 dear Hive friends. Thank you for reaching this far and see you again in my upcoming blogs.Until then.....