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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Lake Lanao and the surrounding mountains, seen from Marawi City

Places · Lake

Lake Lanao

Marawi, Lanao del Sur

PeterParker22 · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by PeterParker22, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Overview

The second-largest lake in the country, and one of a handful of ancient lakes in the world.

Lake Lanao fills a highland basin at around 700 meters and covers some 340 square kilometers. It is old — old enough that its fish evolved into species found nowhere else, which is the technical sense in which it is called an ancient lake, and several of those species are now in serious trouble.

It drains through the Agus River to Maria Cristina Falls at Iligan, which is why a lake in Lanao del Sur has historically supplied a large share of Mindanao’s electricity. The lake level and the power system are politically entangled and locally contentious.

For a visitor, the lake is a circuit rather than a viewpoint: the road runs around the shore through Marantao, Tugaya, Bacolod-Kalawi, Ganassi and Binidayan, and the towns are the reason to drive it. Late afternoon light over the water from the western shore is the shot everyone comes back with.

Things to do

  1. 01Drive the shore road round the lake townsHire a vehicle with a local driver for the loop through Marantao, Tugaya, Bacolod-Kalawi, Ganassi and Binidayan, and ask about the southern shore before doing the full circuit.
  2. 02Look over the lake from Angoyao HillsAngoyao Hills in Barangay Sogod, Marawi, is a natural viewpoint over the lake.
  3. 03Go down to Bagang beachBagang beach is 2 km from Marawi's commercial centre.
  4. 04Visit the Polo Barakat Mosque in BinidayanThe provincial tourism office lists this mosque in Binidayan, on the lake circuit, among the province's draws; dress modestly.

Food to try

  • Boxes of browa, the small Maranao sponge cakes, stacked for sale in Lanao del Sur.MarawiMaranao sweets and snacksMaranao foods to look for in Lanao del Sur include amik, dodol, browa, tiyateg, tamongkosi, barobed, soman and apang.Photo: Bangsamoro Information Office
  • 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.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·en.wikipedia.org ·langyaw.com ·en.wikivoyage.org ·bangsamoro.gov.ph ·en.wikivoyage.org