Island Hopping in Port Lamon, Hinatuan - Surigao del Sur

Port Lamon, Hinatuan has been a popular tourist destination in Surigao de Sur because of the Enchanted River that is situated in this municipality. I know the reason why people are drawn to see this magnificent creation of nature because I, myself has witness its beauty. But beyond the river is a portal that will lead tourists to other different gifts from nature to those who wants to extend their exploration to this place. I suggest that people should also try to do island hopping at Port Lamon Bay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. Just continue reading to know why.

How to get there?
Please refer on the direction given on this post - click here.

Sibadan Fish Cage

Game Face on! (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

Our adventure starts at 6:00 am in the morning after our overnight stay in Sibadan Fish Cage (click to read full story). By the way, Sibadan Fish cage is also one of the few attraction of this island hopping blog post. 

Off to other parts of Hinatuan (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

We contracted the same boatman that took us to Sibadan Fish Cage for this Hinatuan island hopping because they treat visitors like us very well and didn't take advantage despite the fact that we were alien to that place. He also knew the impact of taking photos of their place and the power of information superhighway. He also give note to each care taker of the islands we've been through to treat us well because he knew that our feedback when we get back in Manila is a great contribute for their tourism. I hope everybody thinks the way he does because he's right. Kuya Norberto Viola is the name of our boatman. You may reach him by this number just in case you want to do island hopping at Hinatuan - 0949-4646-370. Rate for this island hopping is 160 pesos per hour that can accommodate up to 5 persons. I've said enough of this witty boatman. Let's go island hopping!

Tinago River

A center piece inTinago River

Just a few meters away from Enchanted River lies another enchanting river -- the Tinago River. The name comes from a Visayan word, tinago, which means hidden. Although the water isn't as blue as the Enchanted River, Tinago River has its own beauty. Since it passes through the sea, entering into the wide mouth of this river takes you to a luscious green scenery.

Thinking that time if there were crocs living in this river...

Aside from the lush green forest, another distinct characteristic of Tinago River is its greenish water. This cause by water grass and the reflections of profuse forest that surrounds the river. This is simply nature at its finest! Since this river is hidden, the view to expect here are island and islets, houses on stilts, fishermen on their small boat, trees, trees, trees and more trees. It's really a peaceful place that all we could hear that time was the motor of our pump boat.

Our tour in Tinago River ends as we exit to the mouth of the river.

Common scene in Tinago River

Sarzosa Ponta Cave

Let the Sarzosa cave exploration begin! (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

Another pit stop for this island tour is the Sarzosa Ponta Cave which is managed by the Sarzosa Family. This cave is situated in an islet in Port Lamon and it is a cave by the sea that is open for all visitors to explore. For the price of 5.00 pesos per head, one can enter the island. While for those who wanted to explore the cave, there will be a 150 pesos fee which covers tour guide fee. Sarzosa Ponta Cave is just a small cave and it can be trek for about 20-30 mins. Well it actually depends on how fast your pacing is and your photo op inside the cave. Caving gears will be provided by the tour guide. It includes boots, a helmet and a flashlight. The statue of the Virgin Mary denotes the beginning of this caving adventure.

Spelunking at Sarzosa Ponta Cave (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

During our visit, this cave is in the process of rejuvenation. It is healing now from an almost destruction caused by treasure hunters who dig holes and detonated the cave through the use of dynamites just to find hidden treasures in this cave. It was believed by the locals there that Japanese soldiers used this cave as a camp so treasure hunters pushed their luck digging up into this cave to see if there are still precious remains from the past.

Look at those bats in the ceiling of this cave (Photos from Byron Cantonjos)

Now, treasure hunting has stop and the Sarzosa Ponta Cave is slowly regaining its life. Stones such as stalagmites and stalactites are starting to form. Bats are visible and already started to reside in the cave. Most specially, people are now aware that they should take care of this place for future generations.

My travel buddy on this Surigao del Sur trip - Baron (author of Baron the Explorer) and our cave tour guide

Pangasinan Pacific Shore

Welcome to Pangasinan Pacific Shore!

Next in line is an island resort in Port Lamon, Hinatuan - the Pangasinan Pacific Shore. A fee of 5 pesos is needed in order for a visitor to explore the whole island. That will serve as an entrance on Pangasinan Pacific Shore. It's pretty cheap, huh?

From afar as we approach on this island, a wooden structure caught my attention because of its striking look. This wooden structure serves as a docking area where they receive their visitors. On a closer look, I admired it more because it was built in a way that it is pleasing to the eyes or maybe I just adore patterns because it is a good background for taking photographs. Simply refer on the photos below.

Docking area of Pangasinan Pacific Shore

Patterns and lines are good to photograph :] (Photos from Byron Cantonjos)

Another thing that I like about Pangasinan is that islets are visible to its beach shore. It can also be swim because some of them is really near the resort. Again, this is also a good back drop for taking selfie. Hahaha.

Emo... lol (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

Poser? Aw... tsk (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

Margarett Island Peak Resort

With our bankeros. Landed at Margarett Island Peak Resort (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

And we finally come to the last spot of this island hopping blog post. And kuya Norberto saved the best for last - the Margarett Island Peak Resort. Well as per my opinion this is the best spot among all our pit stops. Why? It is because of the rock formation on the side of this island, the fine and almost white sand, the view that this resort can offer to its visitors and lastly the very accommodating care takers. These makes up Margarett Island Peak Resort the best spot among this Hinatuan Island  Hopping.

Just a random shot

As I stated above,  this resort can offer the a breathtaking view to its visitor. Simply because it is the best vantage point that shows a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Cool right? Photographers and hobbyist will definitely like this part of the resort. But in order to reach the view deck, one needs to climb up a 100++ staircases. Sounds tiring but it will be paid off as you reach the viewing deck of Margarett. That's an assurance.

100++ Steps will be worth it seeing the view on the right photo 

Pacific Ocean on top of Margarett Island Peak Resort (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

After our photo op at the top, we had a little conversation with the care takers of Margarett Island Peak Resort while drinking fresh coconut juice. Since we didn't stay there for an overnight, I asked their ratings. Entrance fee here is 20 pesos. Cottages at 100 pesos and overnight cottages starts at 500 pesos. Coconut juice is at 20 pesos but we bargain it for 10 pesos. Kudos!

Before we bid farewell on this island, we had another photo op. This time we done it at the beautiful beach shore of Margarett Island Peak Resort.

Camera timer gone wild... Lol! (Photo from Byron Cantonjos)

This island hopping including photo op, talked with the care takers, and spelunking lasted for almost 5 hours. It ends as we head back to Enchanted River.

Tip: There are lots of starfish along the way. You may ask your boatman to stop in the middle and dive for it to have it photograph. Take note, get it just for the purpose of photographing it... and not keeping it.

We put them back to the water after this shot (Photos from Byron Cantonjos)

Kuya Norberto's contact number: 0949 4646 370

Breakdown of Expenses:
Boat Rental - (160 pesos x 5 hr) 800.00 PhP / 2 = 400.00 PhP per pax
Sibadan Fish Cage entrance fee (for non lodging visitors) - 5.00 PhP
Entrance fee at Sarzosa Ponta Cave - 5.00 PhP
Spelunking at Sarzosa Ponta Cave - 150.00 PhP / 2 = 75.00 PhP per pax
Pangasinan Pacific Shore entrance fee - 5.00 PhP
Margarett Island Peak Resort entrance fee - 20.00 PhP
Coconut juice - 10.00 PhP

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Sibadan Fish Cage of Port Lamon, Hinatuan - Surigao del Sur

After a long drive from Butuan City to Hinatuan and by that I mean 4 hours straight drive, my friend, Byron, and I were searching for an accommodation/hotel to settle for an overnight stay. During that time, we have 2 factors that we need to consider in a hotel we're looking for. What are they? First, it should be affordable and cheap. We were only two in this Surigao del Sur trip and having a fancy hotel was too costly for backpackers like us. Second, it should be near the Enchanted River. In our itinerary, we planned to spend the next day at Enchanted River. Therefore, we need an accommodation that is near the place to save time in terms of travelling. So what we did were to ask the locals of Hinatuan for some advice. We told them the 2 factors I stated above and they recommended us to try out Sibadan Fish Cage.

Sibadan Fish Cage is a popular side trip in Hinatuan. Simply because it is near the Enchanted River. It is reputed as a floating restaurant in Port Lamon Bay that serves fresh seafood dishes to their customers but what we didn't know is that they also offer lodging rooms. As we heard that from the locals, we finally decided to go to Sibadan Fish Cage and spent the first night of our Surigao del Sur visit there.

The equation: 3 Persons + 1 motorcycle + baggage + rough road + 12KM = a worth it ride

How to get there?
From Bancasi Airport, ride a jeepney going to Langihan Premium Terminal. As you arrive at the terminal, look for the bus with a signboard of Mangagoy. Travel time is about 4 to 5 hours which costs 210 pesos. There are also vans available there that offer cheaper transfer. We avail the van instead of taking a bus and bargain its price with the van conductor. At the end, it only costs us 180 pesos going to Hinatuan. Just give your driver a heads up that you are going to Enchanted River. You will be dropped at the crossing going to Enchanted River where you will be renting a habal-habal (a motorcycle). It is the only public transportation going to Enchanted River so don't be picky. Habal-Habal rental costs 200 pesos/motorcycle. It is a 12km bumpy ride so be prepared and just enjoy the view going there. It is also a perfect time to ask question from your Habal-habal driver the must visit places in Hinatuan. From our talked with our driver, he told us that we can have island hopping at Port Lamon Bay. So we have an addition to our itinerary the next day. From Enchanted River, ride a pump boat going to Sibadan Fish Cage. The fare is 160 pesos per hour/boat.

Sibadan Fish Cage of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur

The location of Sibadan Fish Cage is in the middle of Port Lamon Bay so expect poor signal during your stay. Going back... As we land at Sibadan, we were approached by a smiling attendant. We ask for lodging and she gave us a tour and show us their rooms. Their rooms are really cheap. We got a room that is good for two for only 300 pesos. Though it is a fan room without a personal comfort room, we still find it fair enough on the money we spent and it's spacious for two people. By the way, there is a 5 Php entrance fee for non-lodging visitors.

Docking area of Sibadan Fish Cage

After putting our things in the room, it's time to check the place and have some chill time. We found Sibadan Fish Cage a plain and a simple place. It is a resort made of kawayan and woods in the middle of the bay. Fresh air and away from city noise. Perfect place for relaxation. Just imagine during a night stay here.

More rooms...

At the center of Sibadan lies a large pond/aquarium. The only amenities of this place that I could think of are fishing and snorkeling. Customers may do fishing and snorkeling to get their freshly sea creature cooked by the staff of Sibadan. Price of the catch will be determined by weighing in all the catch of a certain customer. After the weigh in, the attendant will suggest you what kind of dish they can do with your catch. You may also ask them if you have something in mind. Cook charge is 30 Php per dish. Cheap isin't it? Alternative to fishing and snorkeling is buying seafood straight from them. Sibadan sells wide variety of seafood. Just pick and tell them what kind of dish do you want to do with it. Us, we just brought 1 kilo of "Kasag" (small crabs) for ONLY 50 pesos and 1/4 kilo of Dano fish for 120 pesos. We requested to make a sweet and spicy Kasag and "sinabawan" for the fish. There's also a sari-sari store in Sibadan which sells canned goods, mineral water, alcoholic beverages, etc...

Other visitors of Sibadan that day. Fishing time!

Our dinner. Yum!

The only con that I found on Sibadan was there bathing water. I believe it is also a beach water so your soap, shampoo, facial wash will not bubble as you take a bath. Hahahaha. Overall, our stay at Sibadan has been a great experience. Lodging in the middle of the bay is an experience I didn't imagine on this trip.

Breakdown of Expenses:
Bus (Butuan Terminal - Hinatuan, Enchanted River) - 180.00 PhP
Habal Habal (Crossing - Enchanted River) - 200.00 PhP / 2 = 100.00 PhP per pax
Pump Boat (Enchanted River - Sibadan Fish Cage) - 160.00 PhP per hour / 2 = 80.00 PhP per pax
Fan Room (good for 2) - 300.00 PhP / 2 = 150.00 PhP per pax
Kasag (crab) - 50.00 Php (1 kilo) /2 = 25.00 Php per pax
Mang Tomas Sauce = 45 PhP (1 bottle) / 2 = 22.50 PhP per pax
Dano (a fish name) - 120.00 Php (1/4 kilo) / 2 = 60.00 PhP per pax
Cooking charge - 30.00 PhP (for kasag and fish) / 2 = 15.00 PhP per pax
Service Charge - 48.00 PhP / 2 = 24.00 PhP per pax
Mineral water - 30.00 PhP (1 liter) x 2  = 60.00 PhP / 2 = 30.00 PhP per pax
Nescafe Coffee & Nestea Iced tea - 15.00 PhP each
Rice - 10.00 PhP
Hard boiled egg - 15.00 PhP

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