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Cebu & Eastern

Includes  Why Go? City...... 277 Battered but not broken by duelling natural disasters in Malapascua Island...... 292 2013, this region showed that it’s more than just a glori- ...... 295 ous island playground. It’s also incredibly resilient. Less than a month after an earthquake levelled ’s historic Camotes Islands...... 302 Spanish churches and denuded its iconic , Bohol...... 304 super-Typhoon Yolanda (international name Typhoon Hai- ...... 304 yan), flattened large parts of , and Cebu. The Panglao Island...... 308 heaviest-hit areas are still very much in recovery mode. Yet Chocolate Hills Loop...314 the message from the people was one of optimism: We’re open for business, visit us, hear our story, help us heal. Leyte...... 317 Meanwhile most of this region’s prime attractions – the Island...... 327 coral reefs and white-sand beaches of Bohol and Cebu, the Maripipi Island...... 329 waterfalls of Camotes and Biliran, the waves and caves of Samar...... 330 Samar and Leyte – were unaffected by the disasters. They Catarman...... 330 remain as wonderful as ever, and ripe to be explored. Borongan...... 335 Guiuan...... 336

When to Go Best Beaches Cebu ¨ ¨Malapascua (p292) °C/°F Temp/Humidity Rainfall inches/mm ¨¨Bantayan (p295) 40/104 20/500 16/400 ¨¨ (p308) 30/86 ¨¨Anda (p315) 12/300 20/68 8/200

10/50 Best Places 4/100 0/32 0 to Stay J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨¨Nuts Huts (p314) ¨¨The Henry (p285) Jul–Sep Barring Apr–May Flat Jan The coolest a typhoon, Samar waters for divers month, plus the ¨¨Mike & Diose’s Aabana and Leyte are in Bohol, Cebu and Sinulog festival in Beach Resort (p293) dry while most of Southern Leyte. Cebu. ¨¨Abacá Boutique Resort & country is sopping. Restaurant (p291)

Guiuan Island Calicoan S E A S E Island SURIGAO Island Dinagat DEL NORTE Surigao

Homonhon

Borongan t

P H I L I P P I N E P I P L I H I P Surigao Strai Surigao San Ricardo R SAMAR EASTERN Hinunangan Butuan (whale sharks) of of sharks) (whale Island Liloan Panoan SAMA n Leyte Gulf Snorkel with the gentle with the gentle Snorkel Go scuba-diving amid the Go scuba-diving Calicoan Island in at Calicoan Drop LEYTE Basey S E A Pintuyan SOUTHERN Sogod (p337), Samar, the country’s the country’s Samar, (p337), . after surf spot best 7 8 6 tiki-tiki Southern (p326), Pintuyan Leyte. (p311) off Bohol. off (p311) Balicasag Island Balicasag of reefs coral Abuyog B O H O L Bay Padre Sogod Burgos Catbaloga Baybay Maasin Bato SAMAR Hilongos Tacloban Mambajao Catarman NORTHERN Ormoc Calbayog LEYTE Anda Ponson Ubay Palompon Sea Poro Naval BILIRAN o San Isidr LEYTE Island Camotes Biliran BOHOL n Alle Freedive with the Freedive Experience the fine Experience

Isabel

Jagna o

(p333) in Catbalogan Samar. Western museums, pulsating nightlife nightlife pulsating museums, of restaurants and emerging City (p277). Cebu 5 4 swirling vortex of sardines off off sardines of vortex swirling (p297). Moalboal in d

Bohol

Getafe

t trai

nar ISLANDS

S r CAMOTES de Oro Cagayan SAMAR Carmen Island

Tubigon San Be San Bogo Island Maya Mactan Bulan Malapascua Tagbilaran Matnog Danao City Hagnaya Cebu Pilar Lagundi Tabuelan Island Balicasag Ozamis; l Santa Fe CEBU Island Milagros Bantayan

CEBU xperience close close xperience Dumaguete Bantayan S E A San Jacinto San Take in tarsiers, chocolate chocolate in tarsiers, Take E Swim, scramble and slog scramble Swim,

Sipaway Island Tangil Toledo Islands Gigante Moalboa Masbate encounters of the thresher- of encounters kind on chilled-out shark (p292). Malapascua through the caves around around the caves through 3 2 1 Cebu & the Eastern Visayas Highlights hills and rice terraces on a tour on a tour terraces hills and rice (p304). mainland Bohol of V I S A Y A N V I S A Y A N Sagay

Sibulan Oslob Claveria

MASBATE Mandaon

astern Visayas &Escalante the Eastern Visayas Highlights

Cebu & E

276

Balud MASBATE

ILOILO Bato

NEGROS

Iloilo

Tampi Cadiz

San Carlos

Roxas

Roxas

Roxas

Cajidiocan Guihulngan