Enough with the Bali Indonesia series, I will be shifting now in promoting my very own country Philippines, this time let me present to you Surigao del Sur located in the Caraga Region in Mindanao facing the Philippines sea to the east, one of the provinces in the Philippines that is endowed with stunning and magnificent beaches as well as natural resources like copper, gold, chromite, cobalt, nickel and other metallic minerals. Aside from that, Surigao del Sur is also one of the suppliers of rice, banana, and other tropical fruits, it is also famous for producing seafood and sea by-products.

Just a little information about Surigao del Sur’s Mineral resources before I will proceed to two main tourist attraction which I will be highlighting here, although there are still some other tourist spots which similarly famous, I will focus on these two where my daughter and her friends were able to visit last year.

In Carrascal and Cantilan, there were more than 4,000 hectares which is used for mining activities, small-scale mining activities are found in other municipalities.

Another significant fact about Surigao del Sur is their population which is more than 258 thousand in 1970, such figure was doubled in the year 2000.

Now going back to the main destination intended for this blog let me introduce to you one of the favorite tourist destinations in Hinatuan, the Sibadan Fish Cage, particularly located in Barangay Portlamon, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.

What is a FISH CAGE?

Sibadan Fish cage is literally a cage where fish are cultured. But the owner of this cage just made the place a wonderful place to stay and a mush sought visit place for tourists.

In the cage which is substantially huge, you can find resto-bar, sleeping rooms, a dining area (with various selections of seafood on the menu), and other amenities. Their main attraction is a huge Manta Ray named Brenda. They also sell various gift items, perfect as gifts to your friends and loved ones in going back home at the same time as a keep-sake for you to remember your visit to the cage.

According to reviews visiting this place is indeed a unique experience and everyone who was able to visit the fish cage will surely recommend everyone to visit it too.

HOW TO GET TO SIBADAN FISH CAGE (From Butuan City)

When you are from Cagayan de Oro, you have to take around 4 hours of travel before you will reach Butuan City. And at Butuan Bus Terminal, you will take a bus bound to Mangagoy although you have to drop at Dugmanon junction for Enchanted River (I will talk about this in the second part of this blog, I’m sure this is another exciting place to see and visit.)
Bear in mind that that you should not reach as far as Hinatuan Terminal because the junction is located before that, remember that when you reach the Tagbina Terminal already that means you are close to the junction where you should alight the bus. Here it the travel will cost you around 190 pesos (4$) for another 4 hours of travel.
At the junction you have to take a habal-habal (motorcycle) where you will traverse into 12 kilometers of graded dirt road for 150 pesos (3$).
When going to the cage you are actually passing through the Enchanted River, so you need to pay the entrance fee (30 pesos only), the staff will direct you to where you can take a boat to the Fish cage. You will be amazed of how cheap it is to go there because it will only take you around 20 pesos (less than .50$)

COST OF FOODS

The price of their food is reasonable, not really that expensive, the good thing is you can catch different kinds of fish from the cage, meaning you are really will be eating fresh food that is why it is advisable not to eat anywhere along the way.

There are also available rooms for only 300 pesos (6$) if you want to have a good night's sleep or to have a place where you can keep your belongings while enjoying yourself around.