Here is a thing about Camiguin that no other Philippine island can say: within about fifteen kilometres of each other you can soak in water heated by a volcano, swim in a spring cold enough to make you gasp, and float in a pool of naturally carbonated water that fizzes faintly against your skin.
Hot, cold, and sparkling. All within one morning's drive, all costing about the price of a coffee, and all of them completely indifferent to whether it's raining.
That last part matters more than visitors expect. The springs are Camiguin's answer to a bad weather day — and in the green and wet seasons, that's a genuinely useful thing to have in your back pocket.
Written by the family at Txaleta de Camiguin. Last updated August 2026.
The short answer
| Spring | What it is | Fee (approx.) | Best hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardent Hot Springs | Volcano-heated mineral pools in forest, on Hibok-Hibok's flank | ~₱50 | Dusk |
| Sto. Niño Cold Spring | Spring-fed pools of clear, cold water under tall trees | ~₱50 | Midday |
| Bura Soda Water Pool | Naturally carbonated water rising from the ground | small, similar | Midday, in passing |
Fees are indicative and change — bring small cash for each.
The order that works: cold at midday, soda on the way, hot at dusk. Do it the other way round and you'll be sitting in hot water in the afternoon heat wondering why everyone raves about it.
Ardent Hot Springs
The famous one, and the one people get wrong.
What it is: a series of pools set into forest on the flank of Mt. Hibok-Hibok, fed by water the volcano heats on its way up. It's mineral-rich, properly warm, and the setting — jungle canopy, the sound of water, steam in the cool air — is the whole experience.
Why dusk: this is the single most useful thing in this guide. Ardent in the middle of a hot Camiguin afternoon is pleasant. Ardent at dusk, when the air has cooled and the trees have gone dark and the heat of the water finally makes sense against the temperature of the evening — that's the version people come home talking about. It's also quieter then.
Fee: around ₱50 per person.
Practical: it gets busy at weekends with local families, which is part of its charm rather than a problem. Bring a towel and something to change into. There are basic facilities.
And if it rains: even better. Warm water, cool rain, forest. One of the best wet-weather hours on the island.
Sto. Niño Cold Spring
The opposite, and the better one on a hot day.
What it is: spring water bubbling up through sand into clear, shaded pools, over in Catarman on the island's west side. The water is startlingly cold — the kind that takes a moment of resolve — and startlingly clear. Tall trees keep most of it in shade.
Why midday: because that's when the heat is worst and cold water is a revelation. It's also shallow in parts and shaded throughout, which makes it the best of the three for families with children.
Fee: around ₱50 per person.
Practical: there are small nipa huts to rent for the day, food stalls, and a proper local weekend atmosphere. Watch your footing on the wet edges.
Bura Soda Water Pool
The curiosity, and the one most visitors haven't heard of.
What it is: a pool fed by naturally carbonated spring water. Not flavoured, not treated — the ground here produces water with dissolved gas in it, and you can feel it prickling faintly against your skin. Locals drink it. It tastes exactly like you'd expect: like slightly mineral, flat-ish soda water.
Is it spectacular? No, and we won't pretend otherwise. It's a modest concrete-edged pool in an unglamorous setting. It's on this list because swimming in naturally carbonated water is genuinely unusual and it takes twenty minutes.
Fee: small, in the same range as the others.
Where it fits: on the road between the cold spring and everything else. Treat it as a stop, not a destination.
Doing all three in a day
They're spread across the island's west and north-west, so the springs slot naturally into the ring-road loop. Here's the sequence that actually works:
- Morning — Katibawasan Falls. Go early, before the day-trippers, while the light is still coming through the spray.
- Late morning — the western sights. The Sunken Cemetery, the Gui-ob Church Ruins.
- Midday — Sto. Niño Cold Spring. The heat is at its worst and the water is cold. This is the point of the day.
- Early afternoon — Bura Soda Water Pool, twenty minutes, on the way.
- Dusk — Ardent Hot Springs. Air cooling, forest darkening, warm water. Finish here.
That's a full ring-road day with a spring at each temperature, and the total in entrance fees is under ₱200 a head. Our three-day itinerary folds it into a wider trip, and the full cost breakdown has every fee on the island.
What to bring
- A towel and a change of clothes — you'll be wet three times.
- Small cash, in separate notes, for three separate gates.
- Water shoes or sandals with grip. Wet concrete and mossy stone are the main hazard at all three.
- A dry bag for phone and wallet.
- Something warm-ish for after Ardent at dusk — you'll be wet as the air cools.
Don't bring: expectations of a spa. These are public swimming spots, well kept and locally loved, not wellness resorts. That's a feature.
The honest notes
They get busy at weekends. Filipino families use these springs properly — food, music, all day, several generations. If you want quiet, go on a weekday morning. If you want to see the island being itself, go on a Sunday and enjoy it.
Ardent is not a hot tub. It's warm, not scalding, and the pools vary. Anyone imagining a Japanese onsen should reset.
Bura is small. We've said it twice because visitors sometimes drive out expecting a headline attraction. It's a twenty-minute curiosity.
And the springs don't care about the weather. This is their real value. When the sea is too rough for the banca to White Island and the sky has opened, the springs are exactly as good as they were going to be. In the wetter months — see best time to visit Camiguin — that turns a written-off day into a good one.
Frequently asked questions
How much are the entrance fees to Camiguin's springs?
Around ₱50 per person for Ardent Hot Springs and around ₱50 for Sto. Niño Cold Spring, with the Bura Soda Water Pool in a similar range. Bring small cash for each — they're separate gates. Fees change, so treat these as planning figures.
What is the best time of day to visit Ardent Hot Springs?
Dusk. The water is volcanically heated, so it feels far better once the air has cooled — and the forest setting at nightfall is the whole experience. Midday visits are pleasant but miss the point, and it's quieter in the evening too.
Is Sto. Niño Cold Spring worth visiting?
Yes, especially in the heat of the day. It's spring-fed, genuinely cold, remarkably clear and shaded by tall trees, with shallow sections that make it the best of the three for families with children.
What is the Bura Soda Water Pool?
A pool fed by naturally carbonated spring water — the ground produces water with dissolved gas in it, and you can feel it prickling faintly against your skin. It's a modest spot rather than a spectacle, but swimming in naturally fizzy water is genuinely unusual and it takes twenty minutes.
Can you visit all of Camiguin's springs in one day?
Easily. The best order is cold at midday, the soda pool in passing during the early afternoon, and the hot springs at dusk. Add Katibawasan Falls in the morning and the church ruins late morning and you have a complete ring-road day.
Are Camiguin's springs good in the rain?
They're one of the best rainy-day options on the island. Ardent Hot Springs is arguably better in cool, wet weather, and neither the cold spring nor the soda pool is affected by rain. When boat trips are cancelled, this is the day to do instead.
Are the springs suitable for children?
Sto. Niño Cold Spring is the best for children — shaded, clear and shallow in parts. Ardent is warm rather than hot and generally fine, though supervise around the deeper pools. Wet stone is slippery at all three, so bring footwear with grip.
How hot is Ardent Hot Springs?
Comfortably warm rather than scalding — mineral water heated by Mt. Hibok-Hibok, with the temperature varying between pools. Anyone expecting a Japanese onsen or a hot tub should adjust their expectations; it's a warm forest pool, not a thermal spa.
Where are Camiguin's springs located?
Ardent Hot Springs is on the flank of Mt. Hibok-Hibok, inland from Mambajao on the north side. Sto. Niño Cold Spring and the Bura Soda Water Pool are on the western side of the island around Catarman. All three are easy stops on the 64-kilometre ring road.
Do you need to book the springs in advance?
No. They're public swimming spots — you pay at the gate and go in. Only the huts and shelters at the cold spring are worth arriving early for at weekends, when local families take them.
Come home to Camiguin
Three temperatures of water in one day, all of them cheap, none of them dependent on the weather. It's one of the quietly great things about this island, and it's the itinerary we hand people when the sea says no.
Tell us the forecast you've been given and we'll tell you honestly whether tomorrow is a boat day or a springs day — and then arrange either. Afterwards, the pool is open, and it's warm in a different way.
Browse our rooms, book your stay direct, or message us on WhatsApp. Reach us anytime at +63 917 770 4656, or visit us at Purok 6, Puting Balas, Mambajao, 9100 Camiguin.
Come for the views. Stay for the feeling. Welcome home.
More Than a Resort. A Place to Belong. — Txaleta de Camiguin
