
Traveling to the southernmost part of the Philippines will surprise you to find some of the most under rated places and some are not even heard before but possesses high potential for tourism. It was only by chance that I accidentally found myself in one of the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines and the name of the place never crossed my head for the last 30 years of my existence.
My original plan was to visit the Tuna capital of the Philippines, General Santos City, but after hearing some rumors from the locals on how relaxing to bathe in the cool beach of Gumasa, I decided to gamble my whole itinerary by visiting the unheard place.
Getting Lost in Paradise
From my work place in San Miguel, Surigao del Sur , I jumped into a 12-hour connecting bus ride via San
Francisco City, Agusan del Sur, then to Davao City .
Reaching Davao Ecoland Terminal, I took
the Yellow Bus Line (YBL) going to General Santos City and alighted at
Robinson’s Place. Tricycles were waiting in front of the mall; I asked the tricycle
driver to drop me at KCC Mall where a van for hire going to Glan City is
waiting for passengers.
While on travel from General Santos to
Sarangani, I took a short nap inside the van to regain energy from my sleepless bus ride the night before . It only took us an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the City of
Glan. Habal Habals (motorcycles) were waiting in the terminal and I asked one
to drive me to Gumasa .
After 15 minutes we were already in Gumasa.
Resorts were not visible at the highway and we have to drive into a pathway towards
the shore. Since that was my first time to visit the area, I asked the local’s opinion
on which resort offers the best view of Gumasa on a very reasonable price. But it turned out we ended in the bitchy resort of White Haven.
The resort has an entrance fee of Php 50.00.
I did not rent a room (php 700 good for 2) since my plan was just to stay there for only a couple of
hours as I can not stand the inhospitable ambiance of the resort. The beach was good but the personnel of the resort was the most arrogant receptionist ever. Opps did I just mention that their resort has the most over decorated resort that truly contradict the beauty of Gumasa . Oh My God. Whoever designed this resort should be sent to study ART and AESTHETICS.
Like a Virgin
So, never minding the resort, I excitedly hit
the beach. I was awed by the panoramic view that seems to be possible only in
dreams. It was a revelation that Sarangani, southernmost province of the Philippines, host a unique place that can't be compared with other places.
The beach has at least 7 km crescent moon shape of a white
sugar powdery sand beach thatis almost untainted by the capitalist civilization that made it more appealing just like any virgin resources, free from any intrusion of mankind.
The place was very serene and the beach was very clean that you won’t find a single human made litter on the fine white coral sands. The place was like a deserted place where there were only few delighted visitors wandering in the new found paradise.
Aside from being a tourist attraction, the beach is also a source of livelihood among the local dwellers. I even saw a young boy wandering at the rocky end of the beach hoping to find something he can serve for lunch to his family.
Aside from being a tourist attraction, the beach is also a source of livelihood among the local dwellers. I even saw a young boy wandering at the rocky end of the beach hoping to find something he can serve for lunch to his family.
Camwhoring Time !
I walked into the whole stretch of the
beach and I have had seen even more appealing
resorts in the area other than White Haven; there was the Isla Jardin del Mar with a better and hospitable staff.
After I got satisfied with the scenery, I went back to the restaurant and had my pre ordered lunch.
They served me Tinolang manok (Native) and 3 cups of rice for 180 pesos .It
maybe a short visit but profoundly contented with this discovery. I left after
I had my meal to proceed to my next destination, the Kalaja Karst of GeneralSantos City.
Getting There
Coming from Butuan:
Take the Bachelor Bus to Davao City. At
the Ecoland Terminal, take the Yellow Bus Line bound to General Santos
City.Alight at Robinson’s Place in Gen. Santos, then take a tricycle to take
you to Glan Van Terminal at KCC Mall.Take the van heading to Glan City.Alight
at the terminal of Glan and rent a Habal Habal to take you to Gumasa.
Tip: Get the number of the driver of the
habal habal to fetch you back from the resort since jeepneys or even available
habal habal are rare in the highway.
Personal
Itinerary:
Time
|
Activity/Destinations
|
Travel Cost
|
5:00p -6:30p
|
San Miguel SDS to Tandag City SDS
|
45
|
7:00p-10:00
|
Tandag City to San Francisco ,Agusan
del Sur
|
150
|
10:00p-2:30a
|
San Francisco to Davao City Terminal
|
260
|
3:00a-7:00a
|
Davao to General Santos City
|
240
|
7:00a-8:00a
|
Breakfast
|
30
|
8:00a-8:15a
|
Bulaong Terminal to KCC
|
15
|
8:15a-10:00a
|
Gen.San to Glan City
|
80
|
10:00-10:15a
|
Glan to Gumasa (v.v.)
|
200
|
10:15-11:30a
|
Beach Beach Beach
|
50
|
11:30-12:00n
|
Lunch
|
180
|
total
|
Php 1,250
|
*heading
back home not yet included
What's next?
Gallery:
so nice.....explore more sir.haha
ReplyDeleteyes sir... hopefully i can join in one of your group's adventure .. keep exploring:)
Deletethis is an awesome post. Nice itinerary too and cost breakdown. Very useful for travelers and backpackers.
ReplyDeleteCheers and see you on the road in Mindanao :)
hope to see you soon here in Mindanao in one of your trips, enjoy and keep exploring the beautiful country-Philippines :D
ReplyDeleteang ganda ng beach at sarap magswimming ,the place is so swrene at ang sinigang ,pahingi naman
ReplyDeleteGumasa Resort is really beautiful. There are indeed a lot of wonders in Mindanao that is yet to be explore.
ReplyDeleteLove the detailed itinerary! yay! Can't wait to go back in Mindanao where my father was born and do the long connecting bus rides, inter-province!
ReplyDeleteTalagang marami pang magagandang place sa Mindanao na hindi pa na-discover. Mukhang masarap maligo sa beach.
ReplyDeleteKung hindi lang ako takot sa mga rebelde sa mindanao siguro pumunta na ako dyan.
ReplyDeletebreathtaking view of the beach over there... The Philippines is really gifted with these kinds of beaches...
ReplyDeletesuch a fantastic view so many great beaches we have here in the counry...
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, nice photos. And that beach, well, most likely a hit for the local and tourists.
ReplyDeleteWow, from Surigao you went to Sarangani ako taga Davao lang but have never been there pa. Thanks for this info, I will try to see this place also one of this days =)
ReplyDeleteWow it is beautiful and awesome!
ReplyDeleteOMYYYYYY I miss Glannnnnnnn! Dito kami nag sampling last 2010 (Animal Ecology) subject. Hahaha
ReplyDeleteI've been in Manila since birth and because of that I super envy yung mga taga-province kasi sobrang daming magagandang lugar na pwedeng puntahan.
ReplyDeletewow student ka pa nung 2010? i am old na talaga:D
ReplyDeletefind time as well to visit the other beautiful islands of the Philippines :D
ReplyDeletecases of insurgencies are isolated in one place .. i can assure you and those people who had been to Mindanao that the tourist destinations here are safe to visit...:)
ReplyDeletewow .. inter province! love the idea ... just make sure you alloted more that a week or two to do that ..(for the whole Island of Mindanao).. good luck and hope to see you here :D
ReplyDeleteThe beach is very beautiful. Our country is so blessed with splendid beaches. I have not been to Mindanao. It's one of my dream destinations.
ReplyDelete3 cups of rice, you must be hungry! I've frequented GenSan while I was still in the audit field but I've never been to Gumasa. It's actually one of the places that I want to visit. Hope I can go there before this year ends. =) Btw, I bookmarked your post. =)
ReplyDeleteang ganda talaga nang place. basta white sand approve ako na itour yan :D thank you for introducing this beautiful place in Mindanao.
ReplyDeletePang Baywatch ang photo ;)
ReplyDeleteAng ganda ng lugar, sana malapit lang yan dito :(
Starfish! I haven't seen one in person :D
it's a lovely place - philippines really has plenty of these lovely places to explore... and good for you to take note of those transpo info...
ReplyDeleteBlue skies and pristine beach sands :) Totally heaven!
ReplyDeleteLife's a beach! Blue skies, clear waters, that's heaven for me. ^_^
ReplyDeleteyou've really been to places, and yes, life is a beach. suya.
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