The Sights and Wonders of Bislig City, Surigao del Sur

Located on the eastern coast of Mindanao, Bislig City is a charming place surrounded by lush natural forest and industrial tree plantations. The city faces the Pacific Ocean and stretches 40,503 hectares covering 24 barangays, nearly half of which are public forests.

Bislig City is both vibrant and livable and is becoming a leading eco-tourism destination in the Philippines. Described as a booming city on the bay, there are several attractions to keep you busy as you make your way through the easternmost city in the Philippines.

What to see 

Attractions

• Tinuy-an Falls – known as the little “Niagara Falls” of the Philippines.

• Hagonoy Island – a pearl-shaped island facing the Pacific.

• Hinayagan Cave – features an opening in mid-ceiling.

• Lawigan Beach – features pure white sand and crystal clear blue waters.

• Lake 77 – a man-made lake with 77 hectare of land built to provide adequate water supply for paper plant operation.

• Ocean View Park and International Doll House – offers dining with ocean views and also features a collection of dolls.

Festivals 

• Tinuy-an Sayaw Festival – a major festival celebrated every 17^th of September

• Mangagoy Festival – held on the 19^th of July, the feast day of St Vincent de Paul

• Kawadang Festival – held on the 21^st of September

• Poblacion Fiesta – held every 22^nd of September, the feast day of Sto Tomas de Villanueva

Getting here 

By plane 

You have a couple of options in getting to Bislig City:

• You can fly to Davao City (around 129 miles away) from either Manila or Cebu. If departing from Manila, travel time is around 1 hour and 45 minutes while leaving from Cebu takes about 55 minutes.

In Davao, board an air-conditioned van headed for Bislig City at the Ecoland Bus Terminal. Travel time is around four and a half hours.

There are aircon and non-aircon buses from Bachelor Express available that ply the Davao-Bislig route, and some of them leave as early as 2:00 a.m. daily.

• You can fly to Butuan City (around 98 miles away) from either Manila or Cebu. Getting to Butuan from Manila takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes while departing from Cebu takes around 45 minutes.

From the airport, get to the City Integrated Bus Terminal and get on an air-conditioned van headed for Bislig City. The trip will take around three hours.

Bachelor Express has several aircon and non-aircon buses that ply the Butuan-Bislig route, and some leave as early as two in the morning on a daily basis.

By land 

You can get to Bislig City through Davao, Butuan and Tandag. See above for details on how to get to Bislig via Davao or Butuan. In Tandag, head to the City Bus Terminal and get on an air-conditioned van bound for Bislig; the trip will take approximately two hours and a half. Another option is to board a non-aircon or aircon bus from Bachelor Express which has daily trips to Bislig starting as early as 2 a.m.