Imagine a tourist destination in North Eastern Mindanao that blends accessibility and affordability with white-sand beach, crystal clear blue waters and lush green scenery of the mangroves, a hidden paradise known to most Surigaonon as Day-asan.
Known as the gateway to the farthermost tip of Northern Mindanao, Surigao City to this day lives up to its reputation as the city of island adventure as local tourism continues to thrive amid the limitations and constraints imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
While the massive tourism industry of Surigao City was crippled after the emergence of travel restrictions brought by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, residents in Surigao City and those living in the towns of mainland Surigao del Norte province started looking for alternative tourist destinations once quarantine restrictions eased within in the province.
My adventure brought me to one of these destinations, the coastal village of Day-asan, known to locals as a floating village as most of the houses are made of stilts situated within a mangrove area about 9 kilometers from the busy city center of Surigao.
This is not the first time that I visited the floating village, but a lot has changed over the past decades. While there are more houses and the population has certainly increased within the water’s edge, several new tourist destinations have emerged within the area, such as the resorts on stilts constructed within the water bordering the mangrove trees and the several white-sand beaches among the mangrove islets in the area.
In search for something different, I discovered something I did not expect to find within the vast mangrove cover of Day-asan, the white-sand beaches traversing the numerous islets which are connected by shallow crystal clear waterways.
A boat ride to the island and the resorts on stilts can be accessed from the Tourism Pavilion situated on the small village fishing port which is managed by the city tourism office.
From the port, a boat charges P500 for a boat ride that can accommodate up to five individuals with the required social distancing in place. Food can also be brought along for the trip, but the tourism office discourages one time use disposable plastic bottles and containers as fines are in place to penalize would-be violators.
One of my recommended places to visit would be an island covered with lush vegetation of mangrove and an amazing white-sand beach known to locals as Birok situated in the eastern part of Kabo island.
The beach on the southern tip of Kabo island is where the cottages are located and where you get to experience fine white sand with crystal clear waters that is almost undisturbed by waves as it beach is facing another mangrove inlet.
With a group of friends or for a lone traveler, small open cottages are available for rent for P500 for an entire day while enjoying the waters or enjoy a nearly two-kilometer hike while exploring the rest of the island.
Visitors of the island can also enjoy casting their makeshift fish lines as the waters are teeming with life.
Other white-sand beaches are situated in the other mangrove islets, but the sand is not as fine as those found on the Birok beach.
After a draining but refreshing day in the sun, sand and blue waters of Birok, a cool down time watching the sunset in the horizon would be best enjoyed along the terrace of one of the five resorts in the area.
One of the resorts that offer good, affordable food, Instagramable cozy ambience and a good bed for a good night’s rest is La Isla Resort.
In the resort, you can still enjoy the quick dip in the water while drinking a good cocktail or beer as the sun sets on the horizon. The place has a fine comfortable dining ambience with the bamboo rattan themed chairs and tables. If you want to drain and slowly melt away into the night with the cool breeze while enjoying the stars, a 2nd floor balcony area is the best place to be.
I haven’t fully explored much of the other islands and resorts in the area, hopefully my return to Day-asan would give me more than the adventures I’ve been eager to experience but surely a place I will have to return to.
Article and Photo originally posted by Business Mirror last March 13, 2021.
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