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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Rice fields and mountains in the upland town of Upi

Places · Nature

The Upi uplands

Upi, Maguindanao del Norte

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

Overview

Cool highland country, and the heartland of the Teduray.

The road climbs out of the coastal plain into Upi and South Upi and the temperature drops with it. This is Teduray country — one of the region’s indigenous non-Muslim peoples — and the landscape of rolling upland farms is unlike anywhere else in the province.

The Meguyaya Festival is the moment the culture is most visible: Teduray dress, music, and the agricultural thanksgiving the festival is built around.

It is also simply a good drive, with views back down over the plain towards Cotabato City.

Things to do

  1. 01Go for the Meguyaya Festival in DecemberMeguyaya, the Teduray harvest thanksgiving, is held every December with street dancing that shows the Teduray, Maguindanaon and settler cultures, cultural nights and a trade fair.
  2. 02Drive up from the coastal plainThe road climbs into cool farm country with views back over the plain towards Cotabato City; the last stretches are rough after rain, so a high-clearance vehicle helps.

Food to try

  • Ears of corn roasted over coals until blistered.UpiRoast corn at the Maisan Na grillsDuring Meguyaya a long line of grills is set up beside the road, where everyone roasts corn together.Photo: Aerous
  • Banana-leaf parcels of pastil, one opened to show shredded meat over steamed rice.MaguindanaonPastilRice and shredded meat in a banana leaf — the region’s breakfast, and its icon.Photo: Obsidian Soul
  • A mound of yellow turmeric rice, the kiyoning or kuning of Moro tables, topped with chicken in palapa.MaguindanaonKiyoningTurmeric rice, yellow and fragrant, cooked in coconut milk.Photo: Obsidian Soul
  • Lacy discs of tinagtag, the fried rice-flour snack sold at Ramadhan stalls in Maguindanao del Sur.MaguindanaonTinagtagA lattice of fried rice-flour batter, crisp and sweet.Photo: Bangsamoro Information Office

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

Places to stay

Phone or Facebook for the coastal places; local contacts and the LGU for the uplands.

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 ·bangsamoro.gov.ph