Description

A few kilometers southeast of Cebu Island lies Mactan island – an island surrounded with some of the best diving spots in the Visayas region. The island is part of the Province of Cebu and is divided into Lapu-Lapu City and the municipality of Cordova.

The island is connected to Cebu by the two bridges one of which is the Marcelo Fernan Bridge (Mactan II Bridge). The Mactan-Cebu International Airport, the country’s second busiest airport of the country, is found on Mactan Island. Mactan is also the site of the Battle of Mactan, the first battle between native Filipinos and Europeans.

In this battle, which occurred in 1521, the explorer Ferdinand Magellan met his death at the hands of the tribesmen under the local chieftain Lapu-Lapu, for whom Lapu-Lapu City was named. The island is popular for its locally made guitars and ukeleles, and of course, white sand beaches and premiere diving spots.