Camiguin’s most famous landmark is not a building but a cross. Standing on a small concrete platform in the sea off Bonbon, in the municipality of Catarman, a giant white cross marks the spot where the old town’s cemetery slid beneath the water during the volcanic upheaval of 1871, when Mount Vulcan rose out of the ground a short distance inland.
The cross was put up in the 1980s and has become the island’s emblem. On land there is a small park, a viewing deck, souvenir stalls and boats waiting to ferry you out to the platform; under the water, divers and snorkellers can still make out traces of the old graves among the coral.
What to see and do: Sunken Cemetery
Watch the sun set behind the cross
Catarman faces west, so the cross stands against the evening sky. Arrive an hour before sunset, walk the shore path and stay until the light goes — it is the island’s signature photograph.
Take a boat out to the platform
Small boats wait at the shore to take visitors out to the cross for a few minutes on the platform. The ride is short; the fee is set locally and paid on the spot — check the current rate at the counter.
Snorkel or dive over the old graveyard
The sea around the cross is a popular snorkel and dive site, with coral growing over the remains of the graves. Dive centres on the island run trips here; snorkel only in calm conditions and with a buddy.
Combine with the church ruins and the Old Volcano
The Gui-ob church ruins and the walkway up the Old Volcano are a few minutes away along the same stretch of road — together they tell the story of 1871.
How to get to Sunken Cemetery
- On the island’s circumferential road in Bonbon, Catarman, on the west coast — roughly half an hour by motorbike or multicab from the Agoho–Yumbing beach strip, depending on stops.
- Every land tour of the island stops here; it is also easy to reach on a rented scooter.
- Public multicabs run along the coast road; ask to be dropped at the Sunken Cemetery.
Insider tips
- Sunset is busiest; for an empty viewing deck, come in the morning.
- Bring cash in small notes for the entrance, boat and any snorkel rental.
- If you dive, arrange it through a dive centre rather than going alone — currents vary.
- Be respectful: it is a memorial to the dead of 1871 as well as a tourist sight.
Tours that include Sunken Cemetery
These GetYourGuide experiences are the easiest way to see Sunken Cemetery without arranging your own transport:
Private land tour from €102 Camiguin: Land Tour with Tongatok Viewpoint
A private day around the island by road, taking in its best-known natural and historical sights — the Sunken Cemetery, the church ruins of Gui-ob and more — with a stop at the Tongatok viewpoint. The lowest-priced Camiguin day tour on GetYourGuide when we checked.
- The Sunken Cemetery cross
- The old Spanish-era church ruins
- Tongatok viewpoint over the coast
Private full-day tour from €231 Camiguin: Full-Day Island Tour & Optional Island Hopping
The most complete single day on GetYourGuide: a private ten-hour tour that can combine the land sights — falls, springs, the Sunken Cemetery and a turtle sanctuary — with island-hopping to White Island and Mantigue. Also the most expensive, so it suits small groups who want everything in one go.
- White Island and Mantigue Island
- A turtle sanctuary, falls and springs
- The Sunken Cemetery
Guided full-day tour from €110 Camiguin: Full-Day Adventure Across the Island Born of Fire
A guided full day around the island’s ring road: waterfalls, springs for a cooling (or warming) swim and the historic sites left by the 19th-century eruption, with time to enjoy the forested interior on the way. Listed under Tuasan Falls on GetYourGuide.
- Scenic landmarks around the loop road
- Swims in cold and hot springs
- Historic sites from the 1871 eruption
