Conquering Northern Mindanao: Old Church Ruins and Walkway to the Old Volcano

This is the sixth part of our 4-days-3-nights Conquering Northern Mindanao trip.

OLD CHURCH RUINS
Just near the Sunken Cemetery is another famous tourist spot, the Old Church Ruins. It is one of the oldest structures found in Camiguin Island and is located in Brgy. Bonbon, Catarman, Camiguin. It was built during the 16th century and its walls are made of coral stones. This was also part of the devastation brought about by the Mt. Vulcan Eruption last 1871. Today, it is now known as the Old Church Ruins of Gui-ob.

Inside it, you would see a small unfinished chapel which still holds masses. Surrounding that is a lushful of greenery with trees lining parallel to each other. It was a very beautiful place. I don’t know if they kept the chapel unfinished so that it would really look like a ruins or the government doesn’t have enough budget to finish it, but it actually adds to the charm of the place. Of note also would be the local children selling candles around the chapel. We bought some candles and took pictures with them, it was a really nice experience since we have a language barrier so we were just acting out what we wanted to say and laughing because we just couldn’t understand each other.

The Old Church Ruins

The Friendly and Cute Local Kids

WALKWAY TO THE OLD VOLCANO AND STATIONS OF THE CROSS
After that, we went to the Walkway to the Old Volcano.

Walkway to the Old Volcano and Stations of the Cross

The Walkway to the Old Volcano and Stations of the cross is a series of steps on Mt. Vulcan (Old Volcano). It is located in Barangay Bonbon, Catarman, Camiguin. It is a very popular tourist destination during the Holy Week when the Panaad Festival happens. Along the way up the steps, there are 14 Stations of the Cross which are life-size and is painted white. By the way, you have to pay an environmental fee of 5php/person before trekking on.

White Statues Depicting the Stations of the Cross

White Statues Depicting the Stations of the Cross

Our original plan was to get to the top in a maximum of one hour. But after only about 4 stations, we gave up haha. The distance between 2 stations are far away. At the start of the trail, it was still very relaxing since there are cemented pathways/stairways going up and lots of trees to hide you from the sun. But then the trail disappeared as well as the trees so you could really feel the sun already. That’s when we decided to just call it a day.

The Cemented Walkway going up

After, we went back to Paguia’s Cottages to get our things and headed off to buy some pastel and lanzones (very very very sweet and yummy!). Side note, pastel in Camiguin is not cheaper compared to CDO. They are just the same price and the same taste LOL. So if you’re still going to go around CDO, buy pastel there and save yourself the trouble of bringing back boxes of pastel from Camiguin.

We left Camiguin at around 1pm and arrived at our hotel at around 7 pm. We stayed at Victoria Suites which was very near Divisoria so no hassle in finding foods or things to buy. The room is OK, wifi is a bit slow. But there is free breakfast every morning.

That concludes the Camiguin Part of our Northern Mindanao Trip. In general, Camiguin is a very peaceful place and full of history. With 7 volcanoes surrounding it, there are a lot of stories to tell and discover about this place. When in CDO, never miss an opportunity to trudge on to Camiguin and experience this unique island.

Up next, White Water Rafting in CDO!

Victoria Suites
Tirso Neri Street, Cagayan De Oro City
Contact Nos: (088)309-2222, (088)847-4447
Mobile No: 0922-8219728
Email Address: info@victoriasuitesonline.com


Read more:
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Getting to CDO and Camiguin
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Katibawasan Falls at Camiguin
Conquering Northern Mindanao: The Different "Springs" in Camiguin
Conquering Northern Mindanao: White Island Beach at Camiguin
Conquering Northern Mindanao: The Sunken Cemetery in Camiguin
Conquering Northern Mindanao: White Water Rafting in Cagayan De Oro City
Conquering Northern Mindanao: DIY City Tour of CDO
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Food Tripping at Limketkai Mall
Conquering Northern Mindanao: How To Go To Bukidnon
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Dahilayan Adventure Park
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Eating Fresh Pineapples in Bukidnon
Conquering Northern Mindanao: How To Get To Iligan City
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Maria Cristina Falls
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Tinago Falls
Conquering Northern Mindanao: Summary of our Trip