Mactan Island Hopping to Three Islands with Snorkelling and Lunch

Mactan Island and the Olango channel

Mactan is the low coral island just east of Cebu City, linked to the mainland by bridges and home to Cebu's international airport and many of its beach hotels. To the east, the shallow Olango channel is scattered with small islands and protected reefs, which makes Mactan island hopping one of the most popular things to do in Cebu and an easy half-hour boat ride from the shore.

Your day starts with hotel pickup in selected areas of Mactan, then a short transfer to the boat. Traditional outrigger boats, known locally as bangka, have bamboo floats on each side that keep them stable in the gentle swell. The crew handles the boat, the guide handles the snorkelling and timing, and you simply enjoy the breeze and the turquoise water.

San Vicente Fish Sanctuary, Olango Island

The San Vicente Fish Sanctuary lies off the village of San Vicente on Olango Island, a quiet island best known for its wetland wildlife sanctuary, a Ramsar wetland of international importance where migratory shorebirds rest between their northern breeding grounds and southern wintering sites. The marine sanctuary protects a healthy patch of reef where fishing is banned, so fish are abundant and relaxed.

This is the main snorkelling stop of the day. Expect shoals of sergeant majors and fusiliers, parrotfish, butterflyfish, giant clams and patches of hard coral in clear, shallow water. Look without touching, and please do not feed the fish, as feeding changes their natural behaviour and harms the reef. Allow about an hour in the water, depending on the tide and sea conditions.

Hilutungan Island Marine Sanctuary

Hilutungan Island, also spelled Gilutungan, is a small island off Cordova with one of the best-known marine sanctuaries in the Mactan area. A coral garden slopes from the shallows to a steeper wall, and the protected water is home to large shoals of reef fish, sea urchins, starfish and the occasional moray eel peeking from the rocks.

Snorkelling here is easy for beginners, with the boat moored near the edge of the sanctuary and the guide in the water nearby. Visibility is usually excellent on calm mornings. Wear a rash guard or reef-friendly sunscreen, and keep your fins off the coral if you bring your own; fins are not included but masks and snorkels are. On windy days the guide may switch the order of stops to find calmer water.

Lunch on Nalusuan Island

Nalusuan is a tiny island surrounded by a protected reef, famous for its long wooden boardwalk that stretches over the shallow water to the edge of the drop-off. From the boardwalk you can watch fish swirl below without even getting wet, and the colours of the water shift from pale turquoise to deep blue.

Lunch is a buffet served on the island, typically with grilled fish, chicken, rice, noodles, vegetables and tropical fruit. Halal-certified food is limited in Cebu outside the city, but seafood, chicken and vegetable dishes are usually on the buffet; tell us your dietary needs when booking and we will advise. After lunch there is time to swim, rest in the shade or snorkel once more from the platform.

Caohagan Island

The last stop is Caohagan, a small inhabited island with a fishing village, white-sand beaches and shallow lagoons that drain at low tide to reveal seagrass and starfish. It is known for its colourful handmade quilts, sewn by women of the village and sold in a small community shop, which makes a meaningful souvenir.

A gentle stroll through the village shows island life at its simplest: wooden houses, children playing on the sand and nets drying in the sun. Please ask before photographing residents, and bring a little cash if you would like to buy a quilt or a snack. From Caohagan the boat returns to Mactan in the afternoon, about eight hours after pickup. The order of the islands may change with the tide.