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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Aerial view of Sitangkai's stilt-house villages over the sea

Places · City

Sitangkai

Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi

Also known as The Venice of the South

Municipal Tourism Office of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Municipal Tourism Office of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Overview

A town built over open water, where the streets are boardwalks and boats.

Sitangkai is the southernmost town in the Philippines and it is built on stilts over the shallows, with plank walkways instead of roads and boats instead of tricycles. It is a Sama Dilaut town, and the relationship with the sea here is not scenic — it is the entire structure of daily life.

Seaweed is the economy. The racks, the drying lines and the sorting go on everywhere, and the smell and the rhythm of it is the town.

It is a long way from anywhere and the journey is a large part of what you are signing up for.

Things to do

  1. 01Get around town by boat and plank footbridgeBoats are the main way to get around and footbridges link one house to the next, which is why the town is called the Venice of the South.
  2. 02Watch the seaweed being dried and sortedSeaweed racks, drying lines and sorting are everywhere in town; ask before photographing people and their houses.
  3. 03Plan the trip with the municipalityCount on most of a day each way by boat from Bongao via Sibutu, and let the municipality know before you arrive.
  4. 04Browse the canal market by boatMarket vendors line the wide main canal, which serves as the town's high street.
  5. 05Take the Monday, Wednesday or Friday ferry from BongaoA 2026 listing gives Wita Ferries trips from Bongao to Sitangkai via Sibutu on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, about 1 hour 45 minutes; an older account describes a slower passenger boat from Bongao Port taking 5 to 6 hours.

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 ·philstar.com ·janisnarvas.com ·thesmartlocal.ph ·pamasahe.com ·rappler.com