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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Basilan Peak at sunrise, seen across the Basilan Strait

Places · Mountain

Basilan National Park

Lamitan, Basilan

Also known as Basilan Peak, Puno Mahaji

Aldous Mariano Cariño · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Aldous Mariano Cariño, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Overview

The forested heart of Basilan, dominated by Basilan Peak at around 971 metres.

Basilan National Park covers the eastern part of the island's remaining public forest, between Isabela City and the municipalities of Lamitan, Tipo-Tipo and Sumisip. Its highest point is Basilan Peak.

The Yakan's old name for the island, Uleyan, comes from this peak, which traders crossing the Celebes Sea used as a landmark.

It is one of the few densely forested areas left in the province, with many endemic species.

Basilan's highest point, Punu Ulayan, rises to about 1,000 metres and is the highest point in the Sulu Archipelago. Long a passage for the Abu Sayyaf, it was opened to hikers with the first official climb on 14 September 2025, after Basilan was declared free of the group; hikers are advised to arrange a vehicle to the trailhead, make a courtesy call at the military camp and register through the provincial tourism office.

Things to do

  1. 01See Basilan Peak from Lamitan or from the seaLocals advise visitors to stay in the city centres rather than go into the interior, so view the park's forested peak from a distance.
  2. 02Climb Punu Ulayan from MahatalangThe trail starts at about 600 metres on a rough road in Mahatalang, Sumisip, and follows an old logging path into forest; the first official party took just over 2.5 hours up and about an hour down.
  3. 03Look for pitcher plants above 800 metresHigher up the forest turns mossy, with pitcher plants, sunbirds and the Zamboanga bulbul.
  4. 04Respect the grave on the second summitThe first summit is marked by a giant tree and the slightly higher second one by the grave of a village ancestor; keep it quiet, and bring no alcohol.

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

Phone, Facebook, or the city tourism office. Very little is listed online.

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 ·langyaw.com ·pinoymountaineer.com ·pinoymountaineer.com