Flight to Tawi-Tawi
After treating myself to a good massage, we boarded Cebu Pacific to take us to Tawi-Tawi.
It was almost an hour before we reached Sanga-Sanga Airport in Tawi-Tawi. Before we went to RnR accommodation, we registered at the Tourism office at the airport to log the number of tourists coming in to Tawi-Tawi Province.
We checked in at RnR Accommodation which was a walking distance from the airport. We just left our bags as we needed to proceed to our first item in the itinerary which is Tawi-Tawi Grand Mosque.
Tawi-Tawi Grand Mosque
The construction of Tawi-Tawi Grand Mosque is ongoing but we were allowed to get inside to visit and take some photos.
Tawi-Tawi Provincial Capitol Hall
After visiting the Tawi-Tawi Grand Mosque and having a quick breakfast, we immediately went to Tawi-Tawi Provincial Hall for a quick photo ops and rest.
The Provincial Hall is located on top of the hill that’s why you can see the towns and barangays nearby if you stay at the view deck.
Baloboc Rock Shelter
The next tourist destination that we visited was Baloboc Rock Shelter. We waited for quite a while as the owner was not around at that time.
The location was quite far and remote to the point that mobile signal was weak to nothing.
Some people from our group went inside Rock Shelter but I decided to stay inside the van as I was starting to feel sick that time.
Time to recharge
My body was aching and I have a fever after visiting Baloboc Rock Shelter. I decided not to join the group who were going to Bongao Peak in the afternoon.
My legs were still in pain after a short trek from Merloquet Falls in Zamboanga so I was sure that I would torture myself if I would push for Bongao Peak.
I went straight to my bed when our van took our group to RnR accommodation. I slept and tried to recover as fast as I could so I could still join the next adventure on Day 2.
Panampangan Beach - the largest sand bar in the Philippines
We woke up early to go for island hopping and the first island was Panampangan.
Panampangan Beach was the place where you can see the largest sand bar in the Philippines. Unfortunately, it was high tide that time so we were not able to see the full sand bar of the island.
Masjid Sheik Makdum - the oldest mosque in the Philippines
We took off from Panampangan Beach after taking our early lunch. Our tour guide prepared us some fresh seafood – sorry, I only recall the sea mantis but the rest, I dot not know the names. Hahaha!
Next in our island hopping was Simunul Island where the oldest mosque in the Philippines is located.
We were allowed by the tourist office to dress like a Muslim and get some photo ops inside the mosque.
Please note that the old mosque is no longer standing. The one that you can see in the photo is the new one but they managed to preserve and display the 4 original pillars.
Papa Bull - The longest living crocodile in the Philippines
On the same island, a few kilometers from the old mosque, we were lucky to have seen the longest living crocodile in the Philippines. His name is Papa Bull. His name came from the name of its capturer, Papa Bull.
The crocodile went out of her cage because of a lightning (that’s what was told by the locals).
Port Simunul
The rain was hard that day when we were in Simunul but it stopped for quite sometime that’s why we managed to take some photos at the port.
Sangay Siapo (temporarily closed to public)
Before going home, we saw Sangay Siapo while in a boat ride. We just took some photos as we cannot dock and stay in the beach as it is currently closed to the public due to renovations.
Is it safe to visit Tawi-Tawi?
The big answer to the question is YES!
ZamBaSulTa Journey
Our 7-day trip to Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi was tiring but it gave us glimpse of hope that Mindanao is once again a peaceful place.
We may not be able to visit some of the tourist attractions but it will be a treat to come back and visit again the beautiful provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
Aside from learning various stories from the locals, meeting wonderful people in the trip, spending some time with these wonderful people was what I love the most.
#TawiTawiMawiwiliKaSaGanda
Thank you Wander Twins for organizing the event! Truly I will cherish this trip forever!
Go, visit and explore the beautiful beaches and meet wonderful people of Mindanao!
