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.

Get involved

Public records get betterwhen people check them.

Spotted an error, or have a document worth adding? Every correction and every source makes the record stronger — and the official source is always right where we are wrong.

Boats on the waterway at the Chinese Pier, downtown Bongao

Places · Market

Bongao Chinese Pier and public market

Bongao, Tawi-Tawi

Also known as Chinese Pier

Crow1997 · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Crow1997, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Overview

Downtown Bongao's old pier, where boats leave for the outer islands, next to the town's public market.

The Chinese Pier is the busy waterfront of downtown Bongao. Public boats leave from here for Simunul, Sibutu, Sitangkai, Sipangkot and Liyaburan, and painted motorboats tie up beside colourful lepa boats.

Guides pair it with a walk through the public market, where jeepneys leave daily for Panglima Sugala and Languyan.

Things to do

  1. 01Walk the market and the pierGuides suggest a walk around the market and the old Chinese Pier.
  2. 02Catch a public boat to the islandsPublic boats run from the Chinese Pier to Simunul, Sibutu, Sitangkai, Sipangkot and Liyaburan; other islands need a hired boat.

Food to try

  • BongaoMardo's, if you are not in a hurryThe busy downtown cafe on the Circumferential Road warns on its menu that patience is a virtue; Tawi-Tawi kitchens can ask for 4 hours' notice for specials such as kinilaw.
  • Empanadas in a shop's display case at the Bongao public market, near the portBongaoPastries at the port-side cafeA small cafe by the port puts a plate of pastries in front of every customer, and you pay only for what you eat.Photo: LuzViMindaLife
  • BongaoCuracha and lobsterGiant curacha crabs and big lobsters are caught around Tawi-Tawi and are much more affordable here than in other fishing towns.
  • BongaoTarambulan at the Ramadhan food marketDuring Ramadhan the food market comes alive in the late afternoon; tarambulan, a folded pancake heaped with chocolate, is a favourite. The provincial Ramadhan Night Market at the Masjid Raayat complex runs 6 pm to 11 pm.
  • 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.

Sourceslakwatsero.com ·transitpinas.com ·rappler.com ·garage.com.ph ·en.wikivoyage.org ·nomadicexperiences.com ·janisnarvas.com ·bangsamoro.gov.ph