Mindanao's Enchanted River

               On one sunny Saturday, our team decided to unwind after a very tiring series of farmers’ meeting. Our destination was on one of the Filipinos’ sought-after places in Mindanao; the Surigao del Sur’s Enchanted River.  From Trento, we traversed the road going to Bislig City. It was a string of winding roads. As of that moment that track was somehow very wearing to be travelled because most of the roads are under repair. So if you will travel via that road, I suggest you travel only in the morning. Avoid traversing that road at night. The other way to get into enchanted river is to travel via San Fransico, Agusan del Sur.

                The enchanted river is a part of Hinatuan, one of the municipalities of Surigao del Sur.  From the highway, you will travel couple more kilometers to get into enchanted river.

Pasalubong and souvenir stores in the right

                After 2 hours of travel, we have finally arrived in Enchanted River. In the entrance, you will find stores for pasalubong and other souvenir items. Just our luck, we arrived just before the feeding time.

Everyone's keeping their eyes on the fish on feeding time

                Feeding time for the fish in the enchanted river is scheduled during 12 noon, 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock in the afternoon. During feeding time, everyone is asked to rise from the water. No one is allowed to swim during those times.

                If you wonder why it is called enchanted river, folks out there share common stories. According to them, the river was called enchanted because no one knows where the source of water is. Also, there has been no one who was able to get into the basest part of the river. One time, a diver tried to locate the source of water, but he only died trying. He ran out of oxygen and was trapped underneath. Also, some people say that the fish out there can’t be touched. Maybe, just maybe, the river is protected by other life forms not like us.

Fleet of boats waiting for passengers

                Aside from the river’s enchanting deep, blue and clear water, there's a lot more in store for tourists in enchanted river. On the edge of the river, where the river and the sea meet, tourists can go boating. The boatmen will lead you to the place where they call the “vanishing island”. According to them, the island sometimes does appear but sometimes it also vanishes. Added to that, they can also lead you to an underground adventure. There’s a cave where you can enter. The cave houses many stone formations, bats and other species living underground. But beware, during our underground adventure, we were able to encounter baby king cobras. Fortunately, they were asleep that time. According to the people there, the cave was once a hideout of the Japanese troops during Japanese-American war in the Philippines. There were also treasures hidden underneath, but no one is allowed to hunt for those treasures.

Inside the cave

                The day was really short for us that time. How I wish I could extend the length of the day to extend our adventure as well. The enchanted river really is very enchanting. The place is very rich with mystery and history. It enchants you to come back for more. The next time I visit the place, I will make sure to allot more time for extreme escapade.

yours truly :)