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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Mount Makaturing seen from Macadar, Lanao del Sur

Places · Mountain

Mount Makaturing

Butig, Lanao del Sur

Also known as Palaw a Magatoring

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

Overview

An active stratovolcano of 1,940 metres in Butig, whose old eruptions are tied to the history of the Maguindanao Sultanate.

Makaturing stands 1,940 metres high in Butig, with a base about 29 kilometres across, and is one of the active volcanoes of the Central Mindanao Arc.

A travel writer on Cotabato history links an 18th-century eruption of Makaturing to the decline of the Maguindanao Sultanate. On 18 May 1947 a Philippine Air Force C-47 named Lili Marlene crashed on the mountain, killing General Edwin Andrews and 16 others, among them Senator Francisco Zulueta.

Bangsamoro officials visited Mount Makaturing from Barira in Maguindanao del Norte in 2022, while a road linking Barira to Butig was under construction.

Things to do

  1. 01Camp at Hunters' CampThe usual campsite is at about 1,300 metres; the summit is roughly 3 hours above it.
  2. 02Cross the black-sand gulliesThe first day's trail passes through leech-infested forest to gullies of black volcanic sand.
  3. 03See Lake Lanao and Lake Makaturing from the topThe summit looks north over Lake Lanao, with Lake Makaturing, Mount Latukan and the Piapayungan Range around it.

Food to try

  • Smoked tuna on skewers over a long grill in Lanao del Sur.ButigLabas on the way to ButigA 2023 party bought labas, smoked bariles tuna, on the way to Butig and had it for dinner the night before the climb.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 ·langyaw.com ·bangsamoro.gov.ph ·pinoymountaineer.com