Information about Maniwaya Island

Maniwaya Island

Located in the town of Santa Cruz in Marinduque, Maniwaya Island is the most popular island in the province. It is situated in the middle of the Polo Island and Mompong Island. People often flock Maniwaya to see and enjoy the white sand beach. It has a kilometer stretch of shoreline each in the southwest side and northeast side. The southwest side is now slowly being commercially developed by the locals. They offer affordable accommodations and water sports activities like snorkelling and free diving. The northeast side of Maniwaya is where the sand bar called Palad can be found. Because of its prime location, the island also gives a good view of both sunrise and  sunset.

Nearby Islands

Like Maniwaya, its neighboring islands offer a fun, different experience, too. Polo Island, which is the nearest island from the Buyabod Port in Santa Cruz, has the largest forest. Said forest covers almost half of the island's size and is home to local and transient birds, monkeys, fruit bats and marine flora and fauna. Back in the year 1900, Polo served as the island prison site of captured Filipino revolutionaries during the Filipino-American War. Mompong Island, the farthest among the three, is where the distinct geological formation known as Ungab.

Package Deal

When visiting Maniwaya Island, most locals would recommend visiting the nearby must-see attractions like the Palad Sand Bar and Ungab Rock Formation. The sand bar is a stretch of crushed coral sands in the middle of the sea which only appears during low tides. Visitors usually do snorkelling to see the beautiful coral garden beneath the sand bar. Ungab Rock Formation is one of the natural and iconic landmarks in the province. The rock formation that looks like an arch or a bridge has been formed through years of erosion. Under this formation is a cave that only few have dared to explore.