Imagine a long stretch of white beach where everywhere you step, your feet sink into soft white sand. The water is clear and sky-blue, sparkling in the daylight. Your options of drinks and snacks are endless, and you get to enjoy your refreshments beachside.
Stop imagining, because you can live this for real at Bounty Beach!
Located in Malapascua, Bounty Beach is the main beach of the island, boasting pristine and powdery white sand alongside glittering waters stretching out into the horizon. This about 800-meter stretch of pale pretty sand is where most of the bars and restaurants are located in the island, making it the best destination for a relaxing time by the beach.
If you’re up for a bit more adventure, there are also a couple of dive shops awaiting guests, where you can snorkel or even deep dive into the magical waters of Malapascua!
The Beach
Bounty Beach runs along the southern edge through the southeastern end of Malapascua, measuring around 860 meters long and about 30 meters wide at its widest. The whole stretch of beach is covered with a thick layer of powdery white sand and finely-crushed sea shells. If you ask me, spending an hour or two to walk down Bounty Beach is one of the best ways to spend your time!
The beach has multiple access points, with roads connecting the beach to the main roads and paths to the island. If you ever find the sea calling you while you’re in Malapascua, just head south! All the locals are also familiar with the locations of the all the beaches on the island, most especially Bounty Beach.
Along the coastline you can find dozens of bars, resorts, restaurants, and dive shops.
Beachside Lounging
Bounty Beach houses a lot, if not most, of the island’s bars and restaurants. Every day, the bars host Happy Hour – first every sunset, and second every evening around 7PM to 9PM. The bars serve cocktails and snacks, best enjoyed by the beach in their many lounging areas and chairs.
Locals in Malapascua fish for their livelihood. You can find fishermen casting their nets from their boats early in the morning and even late at night. Their catch, if not shipped or sold in the mainland, is immediately cooked at the nearby market and establishments. That’s a guaranteed fresh catch-of-the-day meal!
When not in use, the parked boats also add character to the beach. Malapascua Island is already a peaceful tropical island with a completely laidback feel. The boats parked on the sand remind us of the simple joys and add to the idyllic environment in Malapascua.
Malapascua is also known to be one of the best sunset spots in Cebu. As the day lazily passes (and boy does time flow slowly in the island!), make sure you get a comfortable spot in Bounty Beach to enjoy a vivid and colorful sunset over the island.
The Diving Scene
The beach is also lined with dive shops offering lessons and tours. From island hopping to deep dives, there’s something for everyone with every level of experience.
All around the islands of Malapascua, the sky-blue seawater glitters and sparkles in the sun. Bounty Beach is not exempt from having such magical waters! Boating, snorkeling, and diving all are highly enjoyable because the waters get so clear up close, it’s almost like looking through liquid glass!
The quality and clarity of the water really shines the most when you go diving. You’ll get clear views of thresher sharks, manta rays, and all kinds of fish. The Monad Shoal is one of the most famed dive spots, accessible by a 25-minute ride from Bounty Beach. The shoal is an underwater island 20 to 30 meters deep that is a treasure trove for marine life sightings, including hammerhead sharks and eagle rays.
OTHER INFORMATION
Day Use:
- Entrance Fee: none
- Open hours: The beach is 24 hours open, but the bars and restaurants will close late at night.
HOW TO GET THERE?
Exact location: Bounty Beachfront, Malapascua Island, Daanbantayan, Northern Cebu — approx. 4-5 hours away from the city (with boat/ferry ride).
BY COMMUTE: From the North Bus Terminal, take a bus bound to Maya. The trip costs ₱230 and should take 3.5 to 4 hours. Alight at Maya Port then ride an outrigger boat to Malapascua.
A one-way boat trip costs ₱1,500 split between 15 passengers, making it ₱100 per person at full capacity. If the boat isn’t full, you can opt to pay the boat fee, albeit being more costly per passenger. Boat trips are scheduled hourly between 6:30AM and 4:30PM, 7 days a week.
Upon arrival at Malapascua, you can then hire motorcycles to take you to Bounty Beach, or book one to be your ride for the day for ₱300 per day. Alternatively, walking can take you anywhere in the island. The island is about 2.5 km long and 1 km wide, small enough that you can walk from one end to the other in an hour.
BY CAR: Navigate with Waze or Google Maps and set your destination to “Maya New Roro Port” in Maya, Daanbantayan, Cebu.
