When you first hear about a garden, you’d be expecting bushes and grass and possible arrays of flowers, right?
Well, that’s not the case in this garden.
Instead, it was full of mangroves which you can only see through a rickety bridge made of bamboo, cement, and wood.
So, let me give you a brief tour of the Omageica Mangrove Garden -- a “garden” unlike you’ve ever seen before!!
We visited Bantayan Island in early October of 2021. Sadly, it was on a low tide and the weather was gloomy. Probably because it was just days away from a major typhoon in Cebu.
Location
The Omagieca Obo-ob Mangrove Garden is found in Barangay Obo-ob, still in the southern part of Bantayan Island and around 20 minutes away from Sta Fe Proper.
The road going there is concrete and wide enough for a car. But of course, being the tanga that I am (and even dragged my husband this time), we went on a creepy shortcut.
We went through nooks and crannies of people’s houses and in between coconut trees until we reached a sign saying the Barangay Obo-ob was this way.
You’ll know you’re getting near if you start seeing these tall coconut trees and that air just suddenly becomes colder.
Opening hours are from 6 AM to 6 PM.
Best to visit there in the morning or on a high tide to enjoy some of these activities.
Fun Fact!
Did you know? Omageica Mangrove Garden is actually an abbreviation.
I’ve been pondering what OMAGEICA meant and before I got the chance to ask, there it was -- this very large sign (and perfect photo spot) saying what it meant:
Obo-ob Mangrove Garden Integrated Ecotourism Conservation Association
The people in Barangay Obo-ob have this major community project to preserve mangroves and bamboos. What started as a simple vision turned into this beautiful garden that is now a must-visit in Bantayan Island!
This is their restaurant which you can see just when you’re about to enter. It was closed when we got there late afternoon. Not sure if it's temporarily or permanently closed at the moment.
Popularly Known As "Camp Sawi"
If you were looking for Camp Sawi and this place pops up, don’t worry. It’s the same thing! (And that’s what this place is more famous for rather than its name Omageica Mangrove Garden)
This place was featured in one of the romantic-comedy Filipino films where a lot of people can relate. You see, “sawi” means unfortunate or unlucky or miserable in love. Since then, this has been the go-to place for all the heartbroken singles who only takes a picture to show that they are happily single even if they are not.
Sad, I know. But this was supposed to be funny, given our Filipino sense of humor. Lol
Of course, happy couples who seem to have found “the one” can come here to celebrate too! They have this very relatable sign “Camp Wagi” which is another way of saying “Finally! I've found the one and I'm not forever alone anymore!!!”
But before getting there, my husband told me to climb with him. Quite confused, I went along and found ourselves on top of the min-watchtower overlooking the mangroves and a river connecting to the sea!
I look like I’m not scared at all but you have no idea how much I was shaking and how terrified I was of heights and not to mention how difficult it was balancing the tripod with me!!
❗❗ "Tanga" Moment Here (and a little tip for clumsy travellers): Never ever climb rickety towers with a tripod or selfie stick. It's like choosing who would you want to fall: you or your tripod? 😂
This is how the “connecting river” looked. I bet it looks even more beautiful when it’s high tide. And too bad my camera phone didn’t do much justice to its beauty.
We also came across this long walk to the “Camp Wagi” sign which I think was a perfect stop for a photo op.
In our case, I just had to take a few stolen shots of my husband since the leaves and panoramic view added some drama to the photos.
When we were going back, we came across this narrow pathway as if two mangroves were intertwined. The woods looked so dark a bit further. I was a bit scared and hesitant. We were the only ones there and it was so quiet! I didn’t want us to get into trouble. But my hubby knew what he was doing and went first. This is what we saw:
Beautiful mangrove trees growing as tall as they can, making this a beautiful pathway of mangroves and casting just enough shadows to make the entire scenario beautifully cinematic.
We then followed the trail and went back to where we started. And so that ended our little trip in this very peculiar yet magnificent "garden".
Before going home, we had a quick break in one of the stalls and bought some coconut juice. Later did we realize how tiring it was to go around the whole place! Needless to say, it was all worth it -- and I'd certainly go back on a high tide next time!!