Bud Bongao (342m) | Tawi-Tawi’s Last Bastion of Biodiversity

October 5, 2022October 8, 2022 Rex Lim Lim 2022, ADVENTURE, BLOG, BUDGET, GUIDE, HOW TO, ITINERARY, MOUNTAIN, TOURIST SPOTS, TRANSIT PINAS, TRAVEL GUIDE

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Bongao, Tawi-Tawi: It is almost impossible not to see the towering limestone pillars of Bud Bongao once you step out of the aircraft at Sanga-Sanga Airport. This mountain demands attention as it dominates the whole landscape of the town of Bongao.

Tawi-Tawi is the southernmost province in the country that is nearer to Malaysia than the PH mainland. Moreover, this comprises 107 islands that share sea borders with Sabah, in Malaysia and North Kalimantan in Indonesia.

Guardians of Bongao

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Bud is from the Sinama dialect which translates to the word mountain, so Bud Bongao means Mt. Bongao. Towering among the flatlands of Bongao and Sanga-Sanga, the mountain, in its own solitude is revered and is a sacred place where Muslims and Christians alike climb to pray, meditate, and ask for blessings.

Tambisan Peak (317m).Photo from www.wewander.ph

It is a must-visit when in Tawi-Tawi and your trip wouldn’t be complete without hiking this iconic peak. The hike takes around 1-2 hours depending on your pace.

Moreover, the trail from Brgy. Pasiagan is made up of a 1.6-kilometer-long cobblestone pathway that goes all the way to Tambis Peak which will take you around 3,608 steps to finish.

Along the way, hordes of wild monkeys who live in the forest will welcome you. The Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are considered as the guardians of the mountain.

Tourists are generally advised by the locals to bring some bananas on their way up. Albeit this defeats the LNT Rule of respecting wildlife, which states that one should not disturb their natural way such as feeding or establishing contact, the local culture says otherwise.

Last Bastion of Biodiversity

Bud Bongao Peak Ecotourism Park is also a point of biodiversity. The 250-hectare forest of the mountain is considered one of the last remaining moist forests in the Sulu Archipelago.

The red dragonfly, orange albatross, mangrove blue flycatcher, and Philippine pitta are found on the mountain. Bongao and its surrounding islands—Sanga-Sanga, Simunul, and Tawi-Tawi—are also home to the vulnerable Tawi-Tawi forest rat and the Philippine slow loris.

Once you reach the jump-off area and finish the registration process, you can also get some ribbons at their office to tie at the Pagbaggut locations near the peak. Pagbaggut is a practice in which a ribbon will be tied to a knot at the summit after making a wish and to ask for safe passage.

The mountain has also become a sacred site having two tombs located along the cross-trail to Simunul and Tambisan peak which is called the Tampat Rocks.

In addition, they are said to be the followers of Karim ul-Makhdum, an Arab Sufi Muslim missionary who brought Islam to the Philippines in 1380, this was 141 years before the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan.

Not the Highest in Tawi-Tawi

Once at Tambisan Peak (317m), a rewarding view of the Sanga-Sanga Island will welcome you. Also, the most photographed spot is just below the view deck, where the limestone peak of Tinondakan flanks the right side of the panoramic view.

Bud Bongao is actually a mountain comprised of six peaks, namely Tambisan (317m) where the Bud Bongao signage is located that fronts the airport, then this is followed by Bongao (230m), Sibutu (342m), Simunul (328m), Tinondakan (309m), and Pajar (260 MASL).

The limestone peaks of Bud Bongao. Photo from www.s1expeditions.com

Each peak serves as a viewpoint of the islands they are named after. However, the whole mountain is collectively known as the “Bud Bongao” to identify the cluster of limestone columns of the sacred mountain.

Contrary to popular belief, Bud Bongao is NOT the highest peak of Tawi-Tawi but only the province’s second out of 37 peaks. Moreover, the highest one is Mt. Sibangkat (550m) of the Central Tawi-Tawi Island Mountain Range in the town of Languyan, followed by Bud Bongao (342m) in Bongao and by Mt. Binuang (366m) in Panglima Sugala.

How to Get There

Bud Bongao is located in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi with Brgy. Pasiagan is its main jump-off point.

Sanga-Sanga Airport in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi operates daily Cebu Pacific flights from Zamboanga City. (5J839)
- ZAM-TWT: Departs at 11:10 AM, Arrives at 12:10 PM (1 hour)
- TWT_ZAM: Departs at 12:40 PM, Arrives at 01:35 PM (1 hour)
- Consequently, Cebu Pacific Air flies to Zamboanga from Manila
  - MNL-ZAM: 4x daily. (As of September 26, 2022)

The park is open from 06:00 AM to 04:30 PM daily. They don’t allow anyone to stay for the night. At 05:00 PM, everyone is expected to descend and leave the premises.
Walk-ins are accepted, but guides are not mandatory.
The entrance fee is 20php per person
There are no water sources along the trail. But there is a store at the jump-off point for snacks and refreshments. Bananas for the monkeys are also available there.
The monkeys are generally harmless unless they feel threatened or provoked. Feed them but don’t try to touch or get close to them. Respect wildlife.

There is no public transportation that goes to Bud Bongao. The only way to get in and out is through a private vehicle or chartered tricycle. From the town, around 300php to 500php roundtrip will do.
Follow LNT Principles, respect the local tradition and culture