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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A coloured postcard of the barracks at Camp Keithley, with hills behind

Places · Memory

Camp Keithley

Marawi, Lanao del Sur

Also known as Camp Marahui

Unknown photographer (postcard, more than 100 years old) · Public domainPhoto by Unknown photographer (postcard, more than 100 years old), Public domain. Open the source file.

Overview

The site of an American army post of 1903 in Marawi, now being excavated by archaeologists.

After the Battle of Bayang in May 1902 and Pershing's campaigns around Lake Lanao, American forces set up a post called Camp Marahui at the foot of Signal Hill in 1903. Later that year Meranaw warriors attacked the camp, killing several American soldiers, among them Private Fernando Guy Keithley. In 1905 it was renamed Camp Keithley, the first military camp named after a private. A monument put up in 1939 was removed during the Japanese occupation in 1942.

The Camp Keithley Archaeological Project of the University of the Philippines School of Archaeology, with the Bangsamoro heritage commission and the tourism ministry, dug 4 trenches in Barangay Datu Saber, looking for old settlements, kota (forts), colonial military structures and conflict sites. Finds shown in Marawi in June 2026 included earthenware, obsidian and chert, glass and metal objects; the project hopes they will also shed light on Meranaw life before Islam.

Food to try

  • Turmeric-yellow kuning rice and grilled chicken pater served on a banana leaf.MaranaoPalapaThe condiment the whole Maranao kitchen is built on — scallion bulb, ginger, chilli, coconut.Photo: Obsidian Soul
  • Piaparan a manok, chicken cooked with turmeric, coconut milk and grated coconut, served on a banana leaf.MaranaoPiaparanChicken or fish cooked in coconut with palapa and turmeric.Photo: Lokalpedia
  • A plate of beef rendang, the slow-cooked spiced beef that Maranao cooks call randang.MaranaoRendangThe slow-cooked dry coconut beef curry, in its Philippine form.Photo: Miansari66
  • MaranaoInatoEveryday Maranao home cooking, served as a set with rice and palapa.

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

Places to stay

Through local contacts, the city tourism office, or MSU. Online listings for Marawi are sparse and not always current.

  • hotel · MarawiRanaw Business HotelBusiness hotel used for MSSD events in Marawi, October 2026Named in 2026
  • hotel · MarawiSamsara Palace Hotel and EventHotel and events venue listed by the Bangsamoro Parliament, July 2026Named in 2026
  • hotel · MarawiSantorini Hotel, Garden Cafe and Events PlaceHotel with a garden cafe and events place, listed by the Bangsamoro Parliament, November 2024Named in 2024
  • resort · MarawiLake View ResortLakeside resort above Lake Lanao; hosted an MPOS livelihood training, May 2024Named 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.

Sourcesbangsamoro.gov.ph