Negros - Malatapay - Kookoos Nest

Kookoos Dive Shop Tombobo Bay, Negros Kookoos is a great little dive shop owned and run by 2 Brits near Dumaguete, Negros. It's located on a beautiful remote beach on the southern end of the island. The kids paddle by on their way to school across the bay in the mornings. It was kind of cool because the kid in the bow of the banca (outrigger canoe) was providing entertainment with a harp while the back 2 kids did the paddling. It is really a peaceful to have a cup of coffee or tea early in the mornings while looking out to sea. Kookoos has a good selection of music and the small but attentive staff are on hand to make sandwiches or full meals if you want. (There's also plenty of Beer) Occasionally visitors rent one of their tents and camp on the beach if their rooms are full. Nikki and Jamie make trips to the popular Apo Island but I opted to do a few dives and some snorkeling right in front of the resort. Nikki showed me some big gorgonian coral fans and a beautiful red frogfish. A school of red tooth trigger fish kept us company on the dive. These were nice low intensity dives and very relaxing. If you dive Apo Island the dives are a bit more demanding but great fun while zipping along in the current. If you are just getting certified to dive, the bay in front of the resort would be a good place to practice your skills under mild conditions. The resort itself is a few kilometers past Malatapay, the town where the boat rides to Apo Island originate. From Dumaguete you can take a jeepney to the junction at Zamboangita.  There will be road signs pointing the way. From that intersection you will have to organize a hubble hubble (dirtbike with extra long seat) to the resort. If you have your own wheels you can drive all the way there and park at the top of the hill and then walk down the 100 steps to the beach where the bungalos are. If you have the time, the Wednesday market at Malatapay is worth a look. If you are going to Apo you can go to the pier and organize a boat trip across from there. There are a few yachtsman that keep their boats in the protected Tombobo bay just past Kookoos. You might be able to find some useful information chatting up some of these folks. The diving in front Kookoos is seasonal due to weather conditions. It is also rather remote so you might want to keep that in mind when deciding how long to stay there. There are very limited options within walking distance but if you have wheels (rent a bike in Dumaguete) and enjoy a secluded setting, the  Kookoos Nest would be an ideal to stay for a few days. Jamie and Nikki Ingram Antulang Tambobo Bay, Zamboangita Negros Oriental, Philippines Tel. +63 (0)919 6958085 +63 (0)926 7081188 This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it http://kookoosnest.com.ph/ 2006  www.dutchpickle.com

 

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