Trekking Sumilon Island

Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort offers a lot of interesting activities.  They have fishing, fish feeding, kayaking, and all sorts of water sports. They even have volleyball, book reading, and whale shark watching. But one thing that sets the resort apart from all other similar resorts is this one truly unique activity – trekking. Sumilon is a pretty small island. And the best way to discover every square inch of it is by walking. And I think the management did good in introducing this activity. Trekking not only gives guests a chance to truly experience nature, it also allows them to get to know the island on a more personal level.

Now, who am I to pass up an adventure? I know I haven’t got the best lungs and the most experienced legs, but I was pretty confident that it could do it. Well, let’s just say that I learned a few important life lessons after the whole thing. Haha.

So, come on. Let’s trek Sumilon Island!

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Easy peasy, you say?

The starting point of the trekking trail. Remember, trekking is only from 6 am to 4 pm.

Some important safety trekking reminders.

Walking sticks! Get one if you don’t feel too confident. Haha.

The trail starts with this very interesting feature. Let me call this the suicide cliff. Haha.

But just look at the view below. What a beauty! The lake sure looks pretty from up here.

If you’re afraid that you’d get lost, don’t be. Just follow the blue flags!

Now at the highest peak of the whole island.

Round the bend, there’s this marvelous rock where you can enjoy the view of the lake below.

There are plenty of benches along the trail, too. For those with, you know, weak knees. Hehehe.

Lovely!

There are also markers all over the place. You won’t get lost.

Now, we start to descend. The trail is now just meters away from the water.

Another sign. 850 meters to the sand bar. Can I make it?

Now, this part was a little tricky. You have to be prepared for this.

The rocks can get a little too sharp. So, it would be best if you trek with footwear that could withstand these nasties.

And then there’s another bench. Another selfie opportunity while you’re catching your breath. Haha.

I noticed this pretty looking tree. Reminds me of the trees you see in Greece. Movies, of course.

You can basically dive into the water if you want to. But knowing how sharp the rocks in these parts are, I don’t think that would be a wise idea. Haha.

Another bench!

Now, you can actually touch the water.

I love this part the most. The water is just so blue!

A few more minutes later and I finally saw this. Nice! I was actually beginning to worry about my skin color. Haha.

But, WOW! Who can resist this? I’d rather be charcoal black than not see this. Haha.

But first, a little break. I must say at this point I was already starting to feel tired. Haha.

A different scene. This part is filled with ipil-ipil trees.

I admit. It can get a little spooky, too.

I can finally see the boats. Woohoo! And wow! That’s Santander and the island of Negros!

A few moments later, I saw a trail towards the center of the island. This should be interesting. (Considering how I easily get scared. Haha.)

Cue blairwitch project theme. Hahaha.

And all of a sudden, I saw this guy. He was also trekking on his own. Looks like I’m not alone in these woods after all. Freaky!

But he was just too fast. A moment later, he was gone.

And then I noticed these nice looking plants.

I’ll go ahead and call this poinsettia. Hahaha.

Also saw numerous local flowers along the trail. Really pretty!

Berries? Haha.

And some mushrooms!

These blue flowers are lovely, too.

And hey! Look! Banana! Wow!

Moments later, I saw this sign. I’m finally close.

Spooky part! Haha.

And then I saw this. Finally!

I swear I almost panicked when I looked up and saw something moving. It was THAT guy! No wonder he disappeared without a trace! Haha.

Right next to the lighthouse is the ruins of an old watchtower.

The Baluarte. Baluartes are essential in the early years as they were used to warn against Moro attacks.

These roots are truly fascinating. I hope they don’t suddenly move and catch me.

When the guy was gone, I climbed up the lighthouse. Which was seriously a horrible idea as I realized when I was halfway up that amazingly, I’m aftraid of heights.

When I finally reached the top, though, my efforts were rewarded.

The lighthouse is solar-powered. Really cool.

Satchmo was scared, too.

Can you believe it? I’m actually at the top of a light house!

Scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going down was a lot harder. In fact, when I finally made it down, I couldn’t help but make the sign of the cross. Hehe. Now, after I regained my composure, I saw two different trails. Thank God for these signs!

Just a few meters from the tower, I saw this enormous hole on the ground. Inside the hole, I saw at least 10 geckos! Sadly, one slight movement and they’re gone. Pictured here are rocks under which the geckos are hiding. Haha.

I continued walking for another ten minutes until I finally saw this. Yahoo!

I also saw a sign pointing to a certain Yamashita Cave.

Amazing.

There are numerous caves in the island. And this small one was turned into a grotto.

A small cave which was turned into a grotto.

I followed the paved trail and a few moments later, I reached the starting point of the trail. Whew! What a journey! It took me about an hour to finish the trail. Which is great considering how inexperienced I am. Yey!

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Overall, the trail was really challenging. I know other people think that the trail was easy. But to a non-sporty person like myself, it was definitely  a thrilling, exciting, and a little scary experience. It was not easy. Will I do it on my own again? Probably not. But, with a couple of friends? I won’t say no to it. Hehe.

Lessons learned:

1. Don’t trek alone.
2. Bring water!
3. Bring handkerchief or towel.
4. Don’t climb up light towers.
5. Don’t be overconfident. Haha.
Give Sumilon Island’s trekking trail a try!