When you’re so ecstatic that you’re singing Coldplay’s Paradise while frolicking by the Philippines’ longest sandbar. I still hadn’t reached the end of it even after an hour of taking photos and walking on its powdery sand. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-Sapa
🇵🇭TAWI-TAWI ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Tawi-Tawi:
⏺ Take a plane from Metro Manila to Zamboanga City (e.g. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific).
⏺ Fly via Cebu Pacific from Zamboanga City to Bongao Airport, Tawi-Tawi.
⏺ Alternatively, you may ride the ferry from Zamboanga Port bound for Bongao (travel time: 16 – 18 hours depending on sea condition).
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
⏺ Sibutu, Sitangkai, Simunul and Saluag (Sikulan) Islands
📌These are the southernmost islands of the Philippines.
📌You can ride the public ferries from Bongao to get to these islands (travel time: 4 – 5 hours).
📌Alternatively, you can hire a speedboat if you are traveling with a group (travel time: 1.5 – 2 hours).
⏺ Panampangan Island of Sapa-Sapa
📌It would take less than an hour to get to this island via speedboat.
⏺ Bud Bongao / Bongao Peak
📌Hire a tricycle that will take you to the jump-off.
📌You will be climbing stairsteps to get to the top which would take about 1 – 1.5 hours depending on your pace.
⏺ Badjao Village of Bongao
📌Hire a tricycle that will take you to the stilt houses of Badjao village.
My childhood dream of exploring the Philippines’ northernmost province came true in April 2016, while it was October of the same year when I set foot in the country’s southernmost. 📍Bud Bongao / Bongao PeakThe moment our plane landed at Zamboanga Airport, I sent my parents a text message right away that my friends and I were already in Zamboanga. Then I sent another one informing them of my connecting flight to Tawi-Tawi. The truth is, I didn’t inform them of my real plan to visit this province or else they wouldn’t allow me. It was a surprise after all. No matter how many times I assured them that we would be safe since we were accompanied by our military escorts, it’s pretty much natural for old-school parents like them to worry. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaUpon reaching Tawi-Tawi, it honestly felt like I was in another country. I immediately noticed that the majority of products here come from Malaysia. Predominantly Islamic, this province is a plane ride away from Zamboanga Airport. You may also opt to take the public ferry that plies the Zamboanga-Tawi-Tawi route. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaThe first thing we did when we arrived was eat at a local eatery serving traditional Moro pastries. The delicacies seemed odd to me as it’s my first time trying them out but they all turned out to be delicious. 📍Bud Bongao / Bongao PeakBefore lunch time, we hopped on our speedboat that would take us to the southernmost municipalities of the country which are much closer to Malaysia. We could have taken the public boat but renting a speedboat would save us time although it’s expensive. Good thing we were quite a huge group because this was an organized travel event so we would be sharing the expenses among the joiners in this trip. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaTogether with our military escorts, we first headed to Sitangkai, known as The Venice of the South, as the town does not have a network of roads for vehicles but canals instead so locals here use boats as their means of transportation. My bad for not taking any photos. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaIt was late in the afternoon when we departed for Sibutu where we would be spending the night. This picture of the famous stilt houses of Tawi-Tawi was captured in this municipality.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 1
6:00 AM ETA Zamboanga Airport
7:00 AM ETD for Bongao
8:00 AM ETA Bongao Airport
9:00 AM ETD for Sitangkai
12:00 PM ETA Sitangkai
3:00 PM ETD for Sibutu
4:00 PM ETA homestay
DAY 2
5:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
6:00 AM Explore the town of Sibutu
7:30 AM ETD for Saluag
8:00 AM ETA Saluag
9:00 AM ETD for Simunul
10:00 AM ETA Simunul
12:00 PM ETD for Panampangan Island
2:00 PM ETA Panampangan Island
5:00 PM Head back to Bongao
6:00 PM Check-in
DAY 3
6:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
7:00 AM ETD for Bongao / commence trek
9:00 AM ETA Bongao Peak
11:00 PM Start descent
12:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM ETD for Badjao Village
3:00 PM Head back to lodge
DAY 4
6:00 Wake-up call / breakfast
8:00 AM ETD for Zamboanga Airport
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo joiner of a travel event): Php 8,000 – Php 10,000 php (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on the number of participants of the organized event (for sharing of costs), type of accommodation you will avail and personal consumption of food and other necessities.
The next day, right after visiting some more spots such as Saluag Island, which is the southernmost island of the Philippines, we set off for our journey back to mainland Tawi-Tawi before lunch time. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaOur boat ride was definitely an unforgettable one when we were welcomed by rough seas in the middle of the open sea. All I could see was the blue sky coupled by the towering swell of the angry ocean. We didn’t have any life jackets and we were cramped inside the speedboat with our heavy backpacks as well. Our ordeal pretty somehow reminded me of my boat rides in Batanes. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaOur rollercoaster ride didn’t last long and we safely docked in Bongao. We bought snacks before continuing our journey to the highlight of our Tawi-Tawi adventure. 📍Panampangan Island, Sapa-SapaAboard our speedboat, we cruised for only about less than an hour before finally saying hello to this piece of paradise. Welcome to Panampangan Island, dubbed as the longest sandbar in the Philippines.We were fortunate that the tide was low. We immediately got off our boat for our pictorial.This is the only downside if you’re in this portion of the island during low tide. You won’t be able to swim as everything you will see is its wide sandbar. It’s like a ginormous desert in the middle of the ocean.Being a non-mainstream destination, you wouldn’t expect tons of tourists flocking to the islands of Tawi-Tawi. We were lucky to be the only visitors in the province during our visit.Panampangan does not have any resorts or restaurants so it’s much better if you have packed food before you go to the island.There’s no doubt that this pristine island has one of the finest grains of sand among the beaches in the country. Just like Punta Sebaring of Balabac, there were actually portions where your feet will sink the moment you step on them.We lost track of time as we took our shots. Considering its length is about three kilometers, we actually got tired of walking. The water level was also beginning to rise so we hurried back to the shoreline near the station of the marines.My friends opted to swim but I just chilled out at this spot as I waited for the sunset while being photobombed by a curious cat.I set up my camera the instant the sun sank below the horizon. The interesting formation of the clouds against the fiery color of the sky that day made the moment memorable and priceless.Thank the gods the sea was calm as we sailed in the dark on our way back to Bongao. We checked in at our accommodation and washed up as we waited for our dinner.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌Expect rain and rough sea condition during monsoon season (June-February).
📌It is much better if you are traveling with a group so the cost of boat rental will be shared among the participants of the tour. Hiring a speedboat would be expensive but it will shorten your travel time to reach the southernmost islands. The schedule of the public boat going to Sibutu is also not fixed.
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contact:
📌Tour Guide: Nursida Jaluddin (09091427989) – she can also help you with arranging your boat service for island hopping and your accommodation.
The next day, the first activity in our itinerary was scaling this mountain known as Bud Bongao or Bongao Peak.The hike was relatively easy as you’ll mostly climb stairsteps to get to the top. The thick vegetation inside the eco-tourism park was our perfect cover against the heat of the sun during our ascent.Bongao Peak gives its visitors the perfect vantage point overlooking Celebes Sea and some of the islands of Tawi-Tawi and even of Sabah, Malaysia.Once we’re back at the town proper, one of the exciting activities that we did in Bongao was buying souvenirs at the market. There were loads of selections where you can buy malong and other Muslim accessories. We also got to visit Badjao Village in Bongao in the afternoon.The next morning, we flew back to Zamboanga Airport and ended our Tawi-Tawi trip with fulfilled hearts from our epic adventure. I will certainly cherish this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of seeing this beautiful province in the flesh. Back when I started my backpacker journey in 2011, it never crossed my mind that I would be able to check this province off my bucket list. It felt surreal indeed.
***For other destinations in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), you may visit this link.
