Achievement unlocked! I discovered again another piece of paradise in Mindanao! 📍Club Tara Resort
🇵🇭BUCAS GRANDE ISLAND ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Bucas Grande Island, Surigao del Norte:
⏺ Take a plane from Metro Manila to Butuan City (e.g. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific).
⏺ Charter a tricycle to get to the bus terminal in Butuan.
⏺ Ride a bus bound for Surigao City and alight at Bad-as Junction (travel time: 2 – 2.5 hours).
⏺ Transfer to a van or bus en route to Tandag City and get off at Hayanggabon Port in the town of Claver which serves as the jump-off point for island hopping (travel time: approximately 2 hours).
⏺ Charter a boat for island hopping.
⏺ For a cheaper alternative, you may ride the public boat from Hayanggabon Port to the town of Socorro which can be found in Bucas Grande Island (travel time: 1 – 1.5 hours). The port in Socorro will serve as your jump-off point for island hopping. There is also a public boat that leaves Surigao City Port for Socorro Port but the only boat for this route leaves between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM.
⏺ If you are coming from Siargao, there are public boats that ply the Dapa Port-Socorro Port route or if you want to save on time, you may directly hire a boat from Siargao for island hopping in Bucas Grande.
Since 2014, I’ve been meaning to cross Bucas Grande off my bucket list. I just didn’t have the chance right away because I would need travel buddies to share with me the cost of boat rental so I kept on postponing my trip here until my friends from the hiking community and I finally planned this trip to Bucas Grande.After my friends and I had a quick side trip to Lapsay Lagoon in the municipality of Tagana-an, we hurriedly traveled to Hayanggabon Port in Claver. It was early afternoon and we were lucky that there was a passenger boat available en route to the town of Socorro in Bucas Grande Island. 📍Sohoton Gamay ResortThere were only three of us plus another passenger and the boat’s crew but surprisingly, the boat already left the port. We sailed through rough seas and reached Socorro in about an hour and a half. The first thing I noticed as we neared the docking area was the number of people waiting for our boat. I wonder why there were so many people at this time of the day about to get on the passenger boat. 📍Sohoton Gamay ResortUpon reaching our accommodation, we were informed that Socorro was celebrating its town fiesta, hence the crowded streets of Poblacion. We no longer had to worry about our dinner that day as the owner of the resort where we were staying invited us to feast on the dishes they prepared for their visitors. We were very much thankful for the hospitality they showed us. For someone who has been living for years in Manila, I do miss celebrations like this in provinces.
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
Club Tara Resort
Sohoton Cove National Park
Hagukan Cave
Magkukuob Cave
Stingless Jellyfish Sanctuary of Tojoman Lagoon
Cinnamon Island
Tiktikan Lake
Sohoton Gamay Resort
Bolitas and Crystal Caves
Marka-a Island
Bubon Group of Islets
We woke up to a perfect sunny weather the next morning. Our boat directly picked us up from our accommodation since our room is situated by the beachfront of the resort. The sea was so calm that morning which made it seem like we were sailing on a lake. 📍Sohoton Gamay ResortAfter quite some time, we finally reached the jump-off point to Sohoton Cove National Park. Our guide planned our itinerary based on the tide chart that day. The opening to get inside Sohoton can only be accessed during low tide and since the water level was low that morning, Sohoton was our first destination. After orientation and settling the fees for our tour inside Sohoton, we transferred to this smaller boat that could pass through the opening of the lagoon which is relatively smaller for our big boat. The moment I laid my eyes on what’s awaiting inside us in Sohoton, it immediately reminded me of El Nido. It is like a huge network of lagoons zigzagging in different directions. Look it up on the map and you’ll see what I’m talking about. You’ll surely get lost if you get inside Sohoton’s maze without a local guide.First on our list inside the national park was Hagukan Cave known for its luminous emerald water. The light seeping through the mouth of this cavern gives the appearance of a pool that glows in the dark.Because it was still early, we were the only souls in this hollow. Even if it was creepy as our voices bounced against the darkness inside, we still enjoyed swimming by the entrance while taking photos with our action camera.We headed to Magkukuob Cave and braved its short but steep trail inside to get to its diving spot before going here at the stingless jellyfish sanctuary which Bucas Grande has been famous for.I thought that our guide was exaggerating when he said that there were millions of jellyfish underneath. I put on my goggles and took a peek in the water. Boy was I so amazed. It felt like I was looking at the countless number of stars in the sky. They were so many that it seemed as if there was no available space for me where I could swim.I still hadn’t received any formal freediving lessons back then so I could not go deeper to see the world beyond the immensity below. Besides, even if I could, I wouldn’t dare. We gave our action camera to our guide so he could dive and film these little creatures. Gods was it so deep and scary when we reviewed the footage. All I could see was the overwhelming expanse of bluish green color populated with a battalion of jellyfish. And that’s when I knew, I’d rather swim in a coral reef.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 1
7:00 AM ETA Surigao City Airport
8:00 AM ETD for Hayanggabon Port
10:00 AM ETA Hayanggabon Port
11:00 AM ETD for Socorro
1:00 PM ETA Socorro / check-in
6:00 PM Dinner
DAY 2
5:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
6:00 AM Start of island hopping
Bucas Grande
Sohoton National Park
5:00 PM ETA Socorro
DAY 3
6:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast / check-out
8:00 AM ETD for Hayanggabon Port
10:00 AM ETD for Surigao City
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo joiner of public island hopping tours): Php 4,000 – Php 5,000 php (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on the type of accommodation you will avail and personal consumption of food and other necessities.
We bid goodbye to Sohoton Cove National Park and went back to our big boat to continue our Bucas Grande adventure in Sohoton Gamay Resort. This green paradise in this resort enticed me right away for a quick dip.I noticed that even if it was nearing lunch time, Bucas Grande still seemed quiet and we seldom came across other boats for island hopping considering it’s a mainstream tourist destination in Mindanao. It must have been because the majority of locals and visitors were busy with the town fiesta celebration. There was no one at this portion of the resort so I took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the place without the crowd.You’ll never run out of spots where you can swim here in Bucas Grande. The green hues of the water around you create the perfect ambience truly tempting for a refreshing dip.We then sailed towards the other side of Sohoton Gamay where we walked for a few minutes to reach Tiktikan Lake. My bad, I didn’t bother taking photos of it as it didn’t looking promising during our visit so we just explored and shoot photos in this swimming area instead.Tourists can also go to Bolitas and Crystal Caves here at Sohoton Gamay Resort but because our first stop in our tour was Sohoton Cove National Park, we already felt euphoric enough after enjoying the activities inside the national park. It’s as if we were still on a high. That is why we decided that it’s okay even if we no longer included Bolitas and Crystal Caves in our itinerary. I again just enjoyed swimming while my friends rested inside our boat.We proceeded to Cinnamon Island but we skipped it because the place was deserted. Our guide said the caretaker of the island must have been in Poblacion for the town fiesta. So we headed instead to yet another piece of heaven in Bucas Grande. 📍Club Tara ResortJust like the rest of the tourist attractions we previously visited that day, there were no guests here at Club Tara. Talk about being lucky! We ordered lunch from the resort’s restaurant and off we commenced our never-ending pictorial while waiting for our food.We decided to rent one kayak and took our turns to capture our photos. The picturesque cottages make the perfect backdrop for Insta-worthy shots.The water looked so clear that it gave the illusion of the kayak levitating.I learned that the lagoon here at the resort is also a playground for stingless jellyfish so while I was preoccupied and hoping to chance upon these creatures while paddling here at the deeper portion, this was the unfortunate moment I had an accident. Water leaked inside because of a puncture in the kayak. I deliberately got out in time because I would be stuck and it would be much harder to free myself out of my seated position if I was already submerged in water. I tipped the kayak over to prevent more water from getting in. It would be more of a hassle to retrieve it if it’s already deep underwater. I screamed at the top of my lungs so that my friends could call for help. Boy was it so hard to position myself as there was nothing to hold on to and I was treading while still holding the wooden paddle. The overturned kayak could float but the paddle couldn’t! Grrrr, blame buoyancy! I waited but no one came to my rescue. Like I said before, because of the town fiesta, the locals including most of the resorts’ employees were in Poblacion. My friends shouted at me to just let go of the paddle so I could easily swim my way back to safety. But I didn’t want the resort to charge us for it. So I braced myself for a backstroke position while holding the heavy paddle using my left hand then propelled myself using my legs and my right hand as if it were a pectoral fin of a fish. I’m a natural sinker so it was bloody hard for me to maintain this floating position while balancing myself with a heavy wood on the other side of my body. It was so exhausting as I continued moving across the water. I started to feel leg cramps coming in. By the time I was almost near the shore, I heard some footsteps and male voices. My rescue! I thought to myself, “Now? What for?” I heard them uttering, “He could swim anyway.” I was so mad that I was so speechless. Why was there no lifeguard on duty in the first place? Had it been my friend’s turn on the kayak, it would be a disaster since she neither knows how to swim nor even float. They didn’t charge us for the kayak’s rental fee in exchange for what happened. They weren’t even sorry for offering a kayak that shouldn’t be used after all. If someone drowned and died, their resort’s reputation could be tarnished.Right after I regained my composure, it was time to fill our bellies with the food we ordered. We then took our last shots before going to our next destination.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌There are resorts in the islands of Bucas Grande or you may stay in resorts/lodges in Socorro.
📌If traveling alone, you may ask the tour operator if you could join public tours since the boat rental fees for Bucas Grande and Sohoton National Park are expensive for a solo traveler.
📌You may include Siargao Island in your itinerary. You may check out this link for the travel guide in Siargao.
📌Expect rain and rough sea condition during monsoon season (June-February).
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contact:
📌Boat/Tour Guide: Kuya Vincent Tamayo (09308028704)
The first thing I saw when we docked here at Marka-a Island was its crowded shore. There were quite a number of people swimming. Some of them may be locals and relatives of locals who visited Socorro for the town fiesta. This crowded beach might be the best explanation why most of the resorts we visited were deserted. After all, there’s no entrance fee in this island.Because this island’s coastline is quite short, we had to patiently angle our photos so we wouldn’t include people in our frames.We ended our tour here at Bubon Group of Islets. There were a few boats parked and some people enjoying being sun-kissed.We agreed to just spend the rest of our day swimming at one of the islets before heading back to our accommodation. The shoreline of this beach may be small but its fine sand and crystal clear water did not disappoint.It was quite early when we returned to Poblacion. The town was still busy with visitors from other parts of Caraga Region celebrating Socorro’s town fiesta. We washed up and packed up right after eating dinner since we had to wake up early to catch the passenger boat en route to Siargao the next morning.Caraga has always been one of my most favorite regions in the Philippines, considering it has set my standards high for what can be deemed as beautiful and breathtaking ever since my first trip in this region in 2014.
***For other destinations in Surigao del Norte and Caraga Region, you may visit this link.
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