Zamboanga City is known for many things, and among them is the Pink Beach of Santa Cruz Island. The 1st and last time we visited the island was 8 years ago, and I was just delighted that island reopens December 26, since the lock down just in time for our arrival on the 23rd.
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| Sand Bar |
The tint on the sand is from the crushed red corals abundant in the area and is more prominent during the summer months.
It is the local City Tourism that regulates the activities of the island and pre booking is required to visit. Even before our arrival, actually while waiting for boarding on our flight, I already expressed our interest to visit. To book, you may reach the PAMO with the following details:
Zamboanga City, Protected Area Management Office
Email:
Globe: 0905-601-6316
Smart: 0951-939-0114
As a displaced tourism professional myself, I look for opportunities to help local guides regain their livelihood, and hopefully this visit would do just that.
Immediately, I received a response with attached documents on what to expect and forms to accomplish. They encourage minimal interaction, and pre registration allows them to manage the arrivals, which is limited to 150 per day. I figured, an early visit would allow us to see how the island coped or recovers from the break in tourism activities.
Among the forms you would need to accomplish are the following:
- Health Declaration
- Commitment Form (In response to the Island Do’s and Don’ts)
- Manifest Form
The other attachments would be the government-imposed fees for the activities, which can be customized to your length of stay and the Do’s and Don’ts.
There are 3-departure times to choose from, 7AM, 8AM and 9AM. You are asked to be present 30 minutes before, but we got to the Check In Desk an hour early on the day of our schedule and left as soon as we made the necessary payments.
Our guides ushered us to our picnic hut where we settled our things.
A few minutes later, we were invited back to the boat for the 10-minute visit to the Sand Bar. The Sand Bar is actually part of the smaller Santa Cruz Island and is visible most of the year.
Unfortunately, we were not able to do the lagoon tour because of the tide condition. We scheduled our departure at noon, just as when the water is rising. Nevertheless, it just gives us reason to come back.
The rest of the morning was spent on exploring the beach, swimming, and taking photos. With a beautiful island as your backdrop, you will never ran out of Instagram worthy images.
By noon, we were ready to go back to the mainland.
The Local Tourism was very efficient with their controls and the visit was worth it. The Do’s and Don’t’s was helpful in ensuring responsible tourism and has kept the island clean.
We will definitely come back!
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