Panampangan Island, Tawi-Tawi | A Glimpse of an Elusive Paradise

October 4, 2022October 8, 2022 Rex Lim Lim 2022, ADVENTURE, BLOG, BUDGET, GUIDE, HOW TO, ITINERARY, TOURIST SPOTS, TRANSIT PINAS, TRAVEL GUIDE

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Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi: If you’re going to ask me what is the most beautiful island I have ever been to, Panampangan Island will always be my answer without any second thoughts. It is famed for its sandbar that is PH’s longest at three kilometers, it is like the forbidden fruit that is truly hard to resist!

Lunch with Team *#HavingYouNorly* on Panampangan Island

Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree?

The southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi has always been my dream destination and we failed to visit it two years ago because of the imposed ECQ of April 2020. As the restrictions slowly lifted, we braved and flew to the farthest province notorious for armed conflicts and kidnappings. Later on, we realized that Tawi-Tawi is a paradise that dares you to discover.

Chinese Pier

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We took the earliest pump boat from Sanga-Sanga Island (pronounced Sang-ga Sang-ga) that traverses through Badjao stilt houses before passing by the Chinese Pier in downtown Bongao.

The Chinese Pier as its name suggests was historically a trading port with Chinese and Malaysian nationals where they exchanged goods with Filipinos. Today, this bustling port is the center of commerce in Bongao.

The pier is filled with old rickety boats, zooming “Tiririts”, unique “Lantsas” and cargo vessels where you can also find passenger boats if you are planning to visit Sibutu and Sitangkai.

Panglima Sugala

Just 13 nautical miles from Panampangan Island, we stopped by a Barter Market in Brgy. Batu-Batu of Panglima Sugala to buy some fresh catch at insanely low prices. Full story HERE.

Panam-pangan

If you want to visit Panampangan Island, renting boats comes with a hefty price tag. Moreover, pump boats (3-3.5hrs from Sanga-Sanga) start at 9,000-10,000php, and speedboats (1hr to 1hr 15mins from Sanga-Sanga) are at 15,000-18,000 for a day tour.

Panampangan came from the word Sampang which means “sundo” or “to welcome”. In hindsight, the white sand beach welcomed us with the stunning sandbar stretching from the tip of the island that sits on top of the Basibuli Shoal.

Not sure if those birds were actually seagulls flocking at the tip of the sandbar, but as we neared the shores of Panampangan Island, it is truly the stuff of tropical dreams.

Under the late morning sun, the waters glimmer against the long strip of fine white sand. A large Panampangan Island signage waited for us as it is shaded by tall coconut trees that provided shade. Stationed marines are also the ones in charge of guest registration.

Forbidden Paradise

There are huts where you can have a sumptuous lunch of Tausug delicacies and freshly grilled fish. It is advised to bring potable water as there is no source of it on the island, only a small well for bathing.

Arguably, there are lots of sandbars in the country, but most of them are made up of crushed white corals.

However, Panampangan’s sandbar is leagues away from the rest for its sandbar is made up of fine white sand. To add, the ones extending from the main island have a swimmable shore and we are not warned of any rip currents. Also, the shallow sea bed had sea grass and lots and lots of starfishes.

On a low tide, the longest sandbar is accessible and is said to be 3,128.37 meters long, which we only saw when we were on our flight back to Zamboanga City.

If I only had it my way, and my vacation leave told me otherwise, I would have stayed on this island for days and swam at my heart’s desire. Also, I even imagined what the celestial sky and the Milky Way look like in the southernmost part of the country.

I wished one time for time to move slower when everything feels better, and Panampangan seemed to grant that wish. Time seems to stand still on this island, even if we had the island to ourselves for quite a while, it feels like we had our fill and a lifetime of stories to tell about this elusive paradise.

How to Get There:

Panampangan Island is located in the province of Tawi-Tawi

This island is 13 nautical miles from Brgy. Batu-Batu is in the municipality of Panglima Sugala, the closest mainland port.
Cebu PacificFlies daily to Tawi-Tawi via Zamboanga.
Philippine Airlines now also flies to Tawi-Tawi via Cotabato

You can contact Nursida Nurrullaji or known by many travelers as “Ate Sidang” to assist you on your Tawi-Tawi tour through her Facebook Page HERE