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.

Sibutu Island seen from the sea

Places · Island

Sibutu Island

Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi

Hisakazu HAYASHI · CC BY-SA 3.0Photo by Hisakazu HAYASHI, CC BY-SA 3.0. Open the source file.

Overview

A large low island near the Sabah border, home to boat builders and an important site for nature conservation.

Sibutu covers about 109 square kilometres and lies some 14 kilometres from the coast of Sabah. Its people are mostly boat builders, and they also trade seaweed, firewood and stone.

Four small uninhabited islands lie 3.5 to 6 kilometres south of it, ending at Saluag, the southernmost island of the Philippines. The island is counted as an important site for nature conservation.

Through an error in the Treaty of Paris, Sibutu and Cagayan de Sulu stayed under Spain after the rest of the country passed to the United States, until the Treaty of Washington was ratified in 1901. It is also the waypoint on the long boat journey from Bongao to Sitangkai.

Things to do

  1. 01Watch boat builders at workMost people on Sibutu build boats, and a wooden prahu built entirely by hand takes about a year.
  2. 02Break the boat journey from Bongao to Sitangkai hereSibutu is the stop on the long crossing to Sitangkai; let the municipality know before you arrive.
  3. 03Look for the carved wooden grave markersWoodcarving is common on Sibutu, and ornate wooden markers are a frequent sight.
  4. 04Go on to Saluag, the southernmost islandFrom Tandu Banak or Sibutu town, take a habal-habal to Tandu Owak and charter a boat for the 30-minute crossing to Saluag, which has an old and a new lighthouse.

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

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.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·rappler.com