I once sent a photo of this natural wonder to a British friend of mine. I told him that it is known as Enchanted River. He was like: I don’t need to ask why it is named “enchanted”. For me, it’s enchanting and creepy at the same time. It really felt as if you were being pulled by an unseen force lurking in its deep blue hole.
🇵🇭HINATUAN ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur:
⏺ 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 or van bound for Mangagoy, Bislig City and alight at the town proper of Hinatuan (travel time: 3.5 – 4 hours).
⏺ Hire a motorcycle that will take you to the tourist spots of Hinatuan.
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
⏺ Enchanted River
⏺ Island Hopping in Port Lamon
Margarett Island Peak Resort
Vanishing Island
Sibadan Fish Cage
Tinago River
⏺ Kahusan Spring
📌Trek for about 15 – 30 minutes to reach the spring.
📌You will pass by an unnamed and unexplored cave before reaching the spring.
My friends and I were on our second to the last day of our backpacking trip in Mindanao and I made sure to cover the municipality of Hinatuan in our itinerary. 📍Enchanted RiverTinuy-an Falls was closed to the public during this adventure leg since the construction of a concrete road leading to the waterfall was underway. Fortunately, Hinatuan could still be included in our original travel timetable. 📍Enchanted RiverI learned about Enchanted River years ago when I was still a travel noob. The first time I saw photos and videos of it online, I immediately got a strong urge to see it in person.Enchanted River is so unique that there aren’t many natural attractions in other parts of the globe which are very much similar to this magnificent river. Its blue hole is its most distinct feature and the river’s depth up until now is still unknown.I first visited this municipality in 2014 but I did not cover the off-the-beaten-path spots in Hinatuan just like this one in the photo. 📍Tinago River, Port LamonWe also availed of the island hopping tour during my first visit but we were not able to swim in this sandbar. 📍Vanishing Island, Port LamonOnly a very few blogs actually include Vanishing Island in their travel guides so it was imperative that we include it in this itinerary I made.This 2018 trip also led me to being one of the first tourists to see this hidden spring in the flesh. 📍Kahusan SpringThis was not really part of our itinerary but Kahusan Spring turned out to be an add-on to our list so why not grab the opportunity?You won’t see any information about this spring online so I am really thankful that our guide took us here. Aside from revisiting the famous Enchanted River, I got the chance to see more of what this municipality has to offer its visitors.My friends and I just finished our half-day island hopping tour in Britania that day. Our rented tricycle picked us up from the resort where we had our lunch then took us back to the national highway to hail our ride to the town of Barobo.Our waiting ordeal actually took longer than I anticipated. Had we been able to catch our ride much earlier, we could have explored some of Barobo’s natural attractions. I guess that calls for a comeback in the future.We were finally saved by a passenger van. It was almost full but we tried our best to squeeze in. It was too much inconvenient considering we got huge backpacks but we couldn’t be choosy. We didn’t want to waste more time waiting for a spacious bus.We reached the integrated terminal of Barobo in less than an hour then transferred to a multicab en route to Hinatuan.Because my “school bus” was a multicab back in high school, I was already used to the feels of riding one. Our travel from Barobo to Hinatuan made me feel nostalgic as I was listening to my travel playlist, coupled by the windy overcast ambience. It felt as if it was a chill road trip due to the moderate speed of the vehicle.We were picked up by two motorcycle drivers at the terminal in Hinatuan. They dropped us off at Marky’s Hostel which would serve as our accommodation for two nights. Right after checking in, we explored the town proper to find eateries where we could eat.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY (Surigao del Sur):
DAY 1
12:00 PM ETA Butuan Airport
2:00 PM ETD for Barangay Salvacion, San Agustin
6:00 PM Check-in
DAY 2
6:00 AM Start of Island Hopping (Britania)
12:00 PM Wash up
1:30 PM ETD for Bislig
5:00 PM Check-in
DAY 3
6:30 AM ETD for Enchanted River
8:00 AM Enchanted River
9:00 AM Port Lamon Island Hopping
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Free time / swimming
4:00 PM Head back to accommodation
DAY 4
6:00 AM ETD for Kahusan Spring
7:30 AM Kahusan Spring
9:00 AM Hinayagan Cave
12:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM Tinuy-an Falls
5:00 PM Head back to accommodation
DAY 5
7:00 AM ETD for Butuan
12:00 PM ETD for Butuan Airport
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler exploring Surigao del Sur): Php 8,000 – 10,000 (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on the type of accommodation you will avail and personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the boat rental fees for island hopping and tricycle/motorcycle transfer and tour rates.
If my memory serves me correctly, we were already on our way to Enchanted River before 7:00 AM the next day. I had to remind our guides to pick us up early in the morning so we could take photos of the river without the crowd.As expected, it was still closed when we arrived. Boy were we so early. Obviously, we were the first visitors that morning.A few more minutes passed and the waiting game was definitely worth the wait. I saw Enchanted River again with my own eyes for the second time. I was finally back after four years.This picture was taken in 2014 and this scenario is what welcomed us. One of my friends was like, “So where is Enchanted River?” I replied, “I think you’re looking right at it.” I could still remember his stunned face. The rain also ruined the mood. Boy was he disappointed. So was I.One of the staff guarding the place said that the photos online are actually real but they were taken during low tide. The tide was still high when we arrived, hence it looked different than what we were expecting. The river should have been dark blue in color just like in this photo. The staff suggested for us to wait it out but we couldn’t due to the time constraint.That’s why in this 2018 backpacking trip of mine, I allotted one whole day for this natural wonder so we could adjust our itinerary depending on the tide chart. After all, this amazing blue color of the river appears when the tide is at its lowest.Since the river doesn’t look as promising in our photos yet that morning (our shots were also captured against the light just like this photo), we decided to go on an island hopping tour first at Port Lamon while waiting for the water to subside.If you’re facing Enchanted River, just turn right then walk along this path leading to the boats that offer island hopping tours. You can also ask your guide for directions.You will pass by this portion of the river radiating aquamarine color on your way to the boats. This surreal spectacle was possible as the sunrays that morning made the water glisten.We then took another shot of the river from this angle as we were nearing the parked boats.The island hopping rate is paid by the hour so if Port Lamon is just a quick side trip to visiting Enchanted River, you’ll get to visit these tourist sites without breaking the bank. 📍Margarett Island Peak Resort, Port LamonWe sailed through the calm waters of Port Lamon Bay facing the Pacific and reached our first destination, Margarett Island Peak Resort.The resort was deserted when we arrived. We weren’t surprised to be the only tourists as it was quite early.The shoreline of this beach is quite short but its interesting feature that really struck me was the quality of its sand. It may not be as fine as some of the beaches I have visited in other parts of the country but the sand granules of this beach are so consistent. It actually felt good as I walked on it. When you take a closer look at its sand, you’ll notice that they look like miniscule eggs of beige color.This beach doesn’t also have the usual creamy white sand that other Philippine beaches have but we still had a fun play by its shore. After all, we got the place all to ourselves.This was also my second time on this island hopping tour in Port Lamon but during my 2014 trip, we first headed to Sarsoza Ponta Cave and we missed Margarett Island Peak Resort. I could never ever forget my quick ordeal against a giant ginormous humongous spider inside the cave while I was on my way out (okay, I’m a bit exaggerating; I was used to playing with spiders when I was a kid, collecting and putting them inside matchboxes for spider fights with my friends but a titan spider is a different story).So this time, I told our boatman right away to skip the cave but according to him, the cave was no longer maintained by its caretakers so it has been removed from the tour. The sand here at Margarett Island also reminded me of the beach connected to that cave because of its granules similar to the sand of this resort.I’ve read blogs about the tourist destinations which are usually covered in this island hopping tour but there’s not much about Port Lamon. Besides, most of them were written aeons ago when Sarsoza Ponta Cave was still part of the tour. While researching for our itinerary, I’ve come across some posts on Facebook with photos of a sandbar here in Hinatuan. Luckily, we could include it in this tour. 📍Vanishing Island, Port LamonWe bid goodbye to Margarett Island Peak Resort and leisurely sailed to our next stop. The water was so calm as if we were on a lake. Thank the gods we were given the perfect weather for this trip.We reached the sandbar after a few minutes. Yes, you read it right. Vanishing Island is actually a sandbar. You might be wondering, “So where is the sandbar?” Since it was high tide, it’s still covered in water. That’s why it’s called Vanishing Island considering this only appears during low tide. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to wait for the lowest level of low tide because we would miss seeing the bluest blue of Enchanted River. It’s as if Mum Nature was asking us to choose. Low tide at Vanishing Island or low tide at Enchanted River. Of course I would choose the latter.Vanishing Island does not have creamy white sand so the water’s color is not as turquoise compared to other beaches I’ve seen in the country.Oh my, I never wanted to leave. I could float here all day. There are no sea grasses and rocks, just plain soft sand and clear undisturbed water.My friends were too lazy to take a swim so we proceeded to Sibadan Fish Cage. It’s a floating lodge and restaurant where you can also swim with huge live fish and stingrays.My friends definitely had fun taking photos and frolicking with the stingrays. Back in 2014, we had our lunch at Sibadan Fish Cage so I was already familiar with the place. After a while, we agreed to proceed to our last stop, Tinago River.Because there’s no available islet where we could dock, we just had a quick river cruise inside the large network of Tinago River, zigzagging and forking out in different directions. Boy was it so overwhelming.Our pump boat sliced through the dark green shade of its tranquil water which generated ripples as the only thing we could hear amidst the vast river was the sound from the engine of our boat. It was a very peaceful atmosphere worth savoring. This place may be beautiful but I could never imagine myself swimming in bodies of water that look like this. I always have this paranoia that crocs or any other flesh-eating monsters are hiding underneath.Our Port Lamon island hopping trip only lasted for like two hours. After capping off our tour at Tinago River, our boat made its way back to the mouth of Enchanted River. The noises from laughing and talking were evident that a lot of visitors already arrived. Fortunately, the destinations included in the tour are close to each other. You would only spend a couple of minutes sailing to get to the next attraction.We walked back to one of the cottages by the entrance where our guides were and asked them where we could have our early lunch. The tide was still high anyway.We headed to an eatery a few hundred meters away from Enchanted River. We still got a few hours left before the river finally revealed its true beauty.We hurriedly went back right after lunch and we were just right in time to witness the fish feeding. Tons of fish swam to the surface to get their share of food given by the staff taking care of the river resort.We hurriedly went back right after lunch and we were just right in time to witness the fish feeding. Tons of fish swam to the surface to get their share of food given by the staff taking care of the river resort.All the tourists gathered in front of the river while adoring the spectacle as the hymn of Enchanted River was being played in the background.After the noontime fish feeding, we decided to take a dip here at the swimming area. I wasn’t feeling well because of my cough at that time so I only swam for a few minutes. My friends stayed in the water while waiting for the highlight of our trip.Some of the tourists remained enjoying the refreshing water by the swimming area but some of us decided to go back to this platform as the tide was already at its lowest. The river finally showed its breathtaking splendor.This photo of the bluest and deepest part of Enchanted River (the most photographed angle of the river) however is off limits to people who want to swim.During my visit in 2014 (my bad for the low quality of the image), visitors were still allowed to swim, snorkel and freedive here but because the management wanted to preserve its beauty, swimming is no longer allowed in this portion. You can only take pictures though.We took hundreds of pictures at the same spot (quite obvious from the number of Enchanted River photos in this travel guide) since we were just overwhelmed with how surreal yet magical this experience was. We were truly enchanted!We bid farewell to Enchanted River before 5:00 PM. We ended our tour that day filled with unforgettable memories and photographs from a very unique natural wonder.The sun was still above the horizon when we arrived at our accommodation. We washed up and scouted around the town again for dinner.Our adventure leg was not yet finished. We still got awesome attractions to visit the next day. But for that day, our trip to Enchanted River was definitely a mission accomplished.
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