104 places · 7 areas

Places of the Bangsamoro

Islands and white sand, lakes in the highlands, mosques, falls and the old forts and houses of the sultanates: what is there, how to get there, and what to know before you go.

Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Beaches 6

Islands 11

Mosques 10

Lakes 5

Falls 5

Mountains 7

Nature 21

Heritage 22

Museums 5

Cities 2

Markets 2

Memory 8

Every place is traced to the pages it came from, and the guide’s own entries are the travel workspace’s. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons or English Wikipedia under free licences, each credited on the photo. 7 areas: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area.

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The wooded limestone cove of the Balobok Rock Shelter on Sanga-Sanga, seen from the water.

Places · Heritage

Balobok Rock Shelter

Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

Also known as Balobok Cave, Bolobok Rock Shelter

National Museum of the Philippines · Philippine government workPhoto by National Museum of the Philippines, Philippine government work. Open the source file.

Overview

A cave on Sanga-Sanga that holds some of the oldest evidence of people in Southeast Asia.

The rock shelter at Lakit-Lakit, on Sanga-Sanga island in Bongao, housed one of the oldest human settlements in Southeast Asia, dated to between 8,000 and 5,000 years ago. Bones, jars, shells and other artifacts have been recovered from it.

It was recognized as an Important Cultural Property in 2016, and a bill filed in the Bangsamoro Parliament in 2022 proposed recognizing the area as a regional heritage zone. In the 1970s the cave served as a shelter for the Moro National Liberation Front.

There is nothing built for visitors here. The interest is in standing where people lived thousands of years before anything else in this guide existed.

Things to do

  1. 01Visit the shelter with the municipality or tourism officePeople lived in this cave between 8,000 and 5,000 years ago; nothing is built for visitors, so arrange a visit and touch nothing.
  2. 02Watch wooden boats being built on Sanga-SangaLarge wooden prahu boats are built by hand around Sanga-Sanga, mostly by Sama-Bajau craftsmen, and each one takes about a year.
  3. 03Watch the cliff divers at Lakit-LakitGuides pair the cave with a nearby spot in Lakit-Lakit where locals go cliff diving.
  4. 04Stop at Yanas Farm for the viewA 2022 itinerary stopped at Yanas Farm in Lakit-Lakit for its sunset view, paying PHP 50 each.

Food to try

  • A bowl of near-black beef soup beside a red onion and dried chillies.TausugTiyula ItumBlack beef soup, colored by burnt coconut.Photo: Nurfadzrie Abubakar
  • Tausug satti: grilled meat skewers with a bowl of spiced sauce and ta'mu rice cake in woven coconut leaf.TausugSattiSkewered meat in a hot red sauce, with a block of rice — the breakfast of the archipelago.Photo: Anak 1 at en.wikipedia
  • TausugKulmaA mild peanut-and-coconut curry, close to a korma.
  • TausugPianggangGrilled chicken in burnt-coconut sauce.

The food is halal. Named eateries come from dated listings, so check they are still open.

Places to stay

By phone or Facebook page, or through the provincial tourism office, which is the single most useful contact in the province and will also arrange island trips.

  • MimiAhid · CC0 1.0Photo by MimiAhid, CC0 1.0. Open the source file.resort · BongaoBihing Tahik ResortBeach resort in Bongao; hosted an MIPA consultation, February 2025Named in 2025
  • hotel · BongaoRachel's PlaceHotel and restaurant in Bongao; hosted an MPOS and UN Women training, April 2024Named in 2024
  • resort · BongaoDanmar Beach ResortBeach resort listed as a Bangsamoro Parliament venue, July 2026Named in 2026
  • hotel · BongaoMayan HotelHotel listed as a Bangsamoro Parliament venue, May 2024Named in 2024
  • resort · BongaoDahuwan Tampeh ResortResort registered with the Bangsamoro Board of Investments in 2024; a Parliament venue by October 2025Named in 2025
  • inn · BongaoBeachside Inn and RestaurantInn and restaurant; the MOLE Tawi-Tawi field office gives it as its addressNamed in 2024

Each is named in an official or dated source; none could be checked against an accreditation list. No prices: rates change quickly, so confirm and book directly before you go.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·en.wikipedia.org ·en.wikipedia.org ·janisnarvas.com ·transitpinas.com