“Tatay, the beach is not pink at all!” exclaimed our toddler as soon as we disembarked from the boat and touched sand at Zamboanga City’s Great Sta. Cruz Island—the home of the so-called Pink Beach in the Philippines. And indeed, if you take a glancing look, our son, cannot be more right. The beach does not look pink at all, but looks rather like any other white sand beach in the country. But, why is it dubbed as one of the few pink beaches not only in the country, but in the world? Is Zamboanga’s Pink Beach really pink? Well, let’s find out.
UNDERSTAND ZAMBOANGA STA. CRUZ ISLAND
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| A BOAT CROSSING THE WATERS BETWEEN MAINLAND ZAMBOANGA CITY AND STA. CRUZ ISLAND |
Santa Cruz Island is located four kilometers south of mainland Zamboanga City along the Basilan Strait. It’s so close, about fifteen minutes by boat, that it can actually be seen by the naked eye from Zamboanga City’s Pueblo, or downtown area. It’s also the backdrop for the annual Regatta De Zamboanga boat race held at the R.T. Lim Boulevard during the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival.
It is divided into two islands—the Grande or Great Santa Cruz Island, which is the main island, and the Little Santa Cruz Island, a small islet northwest of the main one.
HOW TO GET TO STA. CRUZ ISLAND ~ BOOKING A TOUR
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND FROM AFAR |
Getting to Zamboanga’s Pink Beach is, as our son says, easy peasy. There are two ways to go about booking a tour at Zamboanga’s Santa Cruz Island, where the Pink Beach is located.
The first one is the DIY method. You may contact the Zamboanga Tourism Office to reserve a tour, or simply head over to the Zamboanga Tourism Office in Paseo Del Mar at least one day before your tour date.
But, if for some reason, you were unable to reserve a slot a day before your tour date, you can chance on a slot by going directly to the tourism office in case they have still available slots for the day. Note that only 400 visitors are allowed to visit Sta. Cruz Island a day.
Zamboanga Tourism Office: islasdesta.cruz@gmail.com | +63 (062) 975-6341 | Booking time 7:00AM to 5:00PM, Daily
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| REUSABLE WATER JUGS FROM ITRAVEL TOURIST LANE, SHUNNING THE USE OF PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES |
The second one is by booking a tour via accredited Zamboanga tour agencies. We had ours via iTravel Tourist Lane. This is the easiest way to go to Santa Cruz Island, they will handle everything from reserving a tour slot, paying for all the fees, and preparing a sumptuous lunch. Our Once Islas Day Tour was also booked through them. Highly recommended.
iTravel Tourist Lane: +63 (995) 699-3274 | +63 (917) 722-6410 | +63 (917) 392-9474 | info@itraveltouristlane.com | Facebook
STA. CRUZ ISLAND FEES
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, ZAMBOANGA CITY |
Like most island tours in the Philippines, there are fees tourists need to pay when accessing the island. These are used in maintaining Santa Cruz Island and giving livelihood to the locals living there.
• Entrance Fee: ₱30.00
• Terminal Fee: ₱5.00
• Ferry to Santa Cruz (10pax): ₱1,000.00
• Boat Transfer to Lagoon or Sandbar (10pax): ₱200.00
• Yellow Boat for Lagoon Tour (2pax): ₱300.00
• Sandbar Tour (10pax): ₱100.00
• Small Cottage (10pax): ₱100.00
• Medium Cottage (15pax): ₱200.00
• Pavilion (30pax): ₱500.00
STA. CRUZ ISLAND DO’S & DON’T’S
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, ZAMBOANGA CITY |
Before going to Santa Cruz Island, you will have to personally attend a briefing at Paseo Del Mar. They will discuss what you can and cannot do, and what you can and cannot bring on the island.
Read and know this ahead of your scheduled trip, as this will help in planning your trip to Santa Cruz Island, especially their policy regarding single-use plastics.
• No overnight camping
• No taking of sand or seashells
• No leaving of trash on the island. Garbage in, garbage out.
• No single-use plastic bags and bottles. Put your food in microwavables or Tupperware packaging, and drinks on reusable tumblers.
• No vandalism of any kind is allowed.
• No climbing of trees allowed.
• No pets allowed.
• No alcoholic drinks allowed.
• No smoking or vaping allowed.
• No fishing allowed, fishing rods are prohibited.
• No washing of dishes on the beach allowed.
• No nudity allowed.
• Grilling of food is only allowed on designated areas.
• Loud speakers and videoke machines are allowed but need prior permits.
• Tours are from 7:00AM to 2:00PM, Daily.
STA. CRUZ ISLAND TRAVEL TIPS
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| A VINTA AT SANTA CRUZ ISLAND’S MANGROVE AREA |
Know before you go. Here are some tips for things you need to know before going to Santa Cruz Island.
• Go early, as there is a first-come first-served rule in case the island tour is overbooked. They only allow 400 guests a day.
• The best time to visit Santa Cruz Island is during the summer months of March to May.
• Bring enough cash for souvenirs and trinkets, there are shops manned by locals selling tourist souvenirs right on the island.
• You can bring food and drinks, but be sure to put it on microwavable or Tupperware containers as they don’t allow single-use plastics on the island. For drinks, put it on reusable jugs or tumblers—single use pet bottles are not allowed.
• Bring a snorkel with you. Zamboanga’s Pink Sand Beach is a good snorkeling area. Just be careful with the current, as it gets strong at times.
• Bring aqua shoes if you have, the Pink Beach is littered with crushed corals that’s uncomfortable to the feet.
• There is no changing area in Pink Beach, but you can still bring a change of clothes just so you’d be dry on the way back to Zamboanga City.
• Bring a hat, sunblock, and other sun-protecting things especially when visiting the Little Santa Cruz Island Sandbar, as there is no shade on the island.
STA. CRUZ ISLAND DAY TOUR
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, WITH MAINLAND ZAMBOANGA AT THE BACKGROUND |
I was actually surprised that there’s more to visiting Santa Cruz Island besides Zamboanga’s Pink Beach. My initial impression was that you go to Santa Cruz Island just for the Pink Beach. Well, I was wrong, there’s more to touring Santa Cruz than just the famed beach.
LITTLE STA. CRUZ ISLAND SANDBAR
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| THE SANDBAR AT LITTLE SANTA CRUZ ISLAND |
Depending on the tides, the sandbar at Little Santa Cruz Island may be your first or last stop on your Zamboanga Santa Cruz Island tour. If the tide is low during the early morning, like when we visited, then it’s gonna be your first stop.
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| THE SANDBAR ALSO HAS THAT PINKISH HUE |
The sandbar is about half a kilometer long and stretches from the sea up to the Little Santa Cruz Island. The sandbar is mostly made up of broken or crushed corals, remnants of dynamite fishing in the area from years past. And even at this sandbar, you can see hues of light pink on the sand, like that of the Pink Beach at the Great Santa Cruz Island. This is from crushed red organ pipe corals that litter the sand.
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| A RED ORGAN PIPE CORAL |
Note, however, that as beautiful as its waters are, swimming is not allowed on the sandbar due to very strong currents. And stepping foot on Little Santa Cruz Island is off limits to tourists since it is an official Philippine military camp.
STA. CRUZ ISLAND MANGROVE FOREST LAGOON, STINGLESS JELLYFISH, VINTA BOAT RIDE
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| YELLOW BOATS USED IN TOURING THE SANTA CRUZ MANGROVE FOREST |
A tour of the Great Santa Cruz Island’s mangrove forest lagoon can be included with your tour of Zamboanga’s Pink Beach. It actually was our second stop. After the sandbar, we boarded a boat to the Badjao community, where we transferred to smaller Yellow Boats for a very serene boat-paddled tour of Zamboanga’s mangrove forest lagoon.
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| UMBRELLAS ARE PROVIDED FOR TO SHADE AGAINST THE SUN |
Each boat comes with a guide that rattles off information about the mangroves interspersed with lively jokes. He also harvested fresh lato or sea grapes, to our toddler’s delight—it’s one of his favorite food. He quickly made a snack of it as we pushed along the mangroves.
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| STINGLESS JELLYFISH AT SANTA CRUZ ISLAND |
Another unique feature of the Sta. Cruz mangrove is the proliferation of upside-down jellyfish of the genus Cassiopea, which are surprisingly stingless. Our guide invited us touch it, with careful instructions in handling it properly.
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| TRYING TO RIDE A VINTA |
And before exiting the mangrove forest, a colorful vinta boat awaited us for a ride. We all took turns, paddling the boat around an area of the lagoon, taking more than a few photos for posterity, before heading back to the Yellow Boat docking area.
GREAT STA. CRUZ ISLAND PINK BEACH – IS IT REALLY PINK?
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND’S PINK BEACH |
And finally, it was time to visit the main draw of the tour, the Pink Beach. But before we delve further, let’s get the truth out, is Zamboanga’s Pink Beach really pink?
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| NOT REALLY BRIGHT PINK |
I saw several photos of Zamboanga’s Pink Beach around the Internet with the sand being portrayed as bright pink. If you believe it’s that pink, then you’d be disappointed—those are heavily photoshopped images.
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| OFTENTIMES, IT LOOKS LIKE ANY ORDINARY WHITE BEACH |
Upon first glance, the Pink Beach is hardly pink. It actually looks like an ordinary white sand beach, as my son says. But look longer, especially on the foreshore area, where the water rushes on and off the sand, and you’d notice a very subtle shade of pink. You’d also notice this on the beach itself when the sun hits it on certain angles.
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| CRUSHED RED ORGAN PIPE CORALS AT ZAMBOANGA’S PINK BEACH |
Look closer and you’d notice why, you’d see specks of red sand—crushed red organ pipe corals (Tubipora musica)—interspersed with regular white sand. I’ve seen these on all the pink beaches I’ve visited—Subic Beach Sorsogon, Duyos Beach Dinagat Islands, and Komodo Island in Indonesia.
And now that’s over with, let’s check out what the Pink Beach has to offer for tourists.
GREAT STA. CRUZ ISLAND PINK BEACH
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND PINK BEACH’S SHADED TOURIST AREA |
Zamboanga’s Pink Beach stretches for around 360 meters. It’s actually longer than that, but most tourists stay within that main area as the huts and pavilions are located on those front.
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| THE SAND AT THE PINK BEACH IS FINE, BUT HAS BROKEN CORALS |
The sand is quite fine, though not as fine as those in Boracay White Beach, and is mixed with bits of broken corals that can be painful if stepped on. The seabed has a relatively steep slope so swim close to the shore if you’re not good at swimming. Also, during our stay, the water current was pretty strong, so take caution when snorkeling far from the shore.
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| PINK BEACH’S I ♥ ZAMBOANGA SIGN |
There’s an I ♥ ZAMBOANGA sign on the western side of the beach, which is a popular spot for selfies in the Pink Beach. And I also saw vintas being rented out to tourists near the area.
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| VENDORS SELLING JEWELRIES AND TRINKETS ON PINK BEACH |
On the center of the tree-covered part of the beach are stalls selling jewelries, trinkets, and souvenirs.
SEAFOOD LUNCH
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| OUR LUNCH HUT AT ZAMBOANGA PINK BEACH |
Aside from bringing your own food in Santa Cruz Island, DIY travelers also have the option of buying lunch at the seafood vendors on the island. There is no restaurant, but these vendors can grill the food for you.
Us, we booked our Santa Cruz Island tour via iTravel Tourist Lane and lunch was already bundled with it.
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| SUPERB SEAFOOD LUNCH PROVIDED BY ITRAVEL TOURIST LANE |
Upon returning to the hut reserved to us after swimming, we were greeted with a generous spread of steamed shrimp and crabs; grilled fish, chicken, and squid; fresh fruits; and, Alavar sauce for dipping that really elevated the dishes. I can honestly say that it was one of the best seafood meals I’ve had in Zamboanga.
OLD BADJAO BURIAL GROUNDS CEMETERY
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND OLD BADJAO BURIAL GROUND |
Before heading back downtown, we visited the Old Badjao Burial Grounds on Santa Cruz Island. It was a few minutes away by foot on the eastern side of the Pink Beach.
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| WOODEN EFFIGIES AS GRAVE MARKERS |
Located just right by the beach, shaded by balete and calacuchi trees, the cemetery silently sits. Covered with a thick carpet of dry leaves, it has no crosses or images you’d associate with Christian cemeteries since Badjaos, before converting to Islam, were pagans. The burial grounds are marked by wooden effigies, some of them on boats—signifying their kinship to the sea as a nomadic seafaring tribe. A few of the effigies have cloth on their heads, marking them as a high-ranking individual.
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| A NON-BADJAO GRAVE IN THE CEMETERY |
There are also some stone and concrete grave markers, which are not associated with the Badjaos, but probably from Tausug and Sama Bangingi tribes.
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| AN OLD WOOD INSCRIBED WITH A SYMBOL |
As of now, the oldest existing grave with inscription hasn’t really been declared yet, while the newest one is from 1974. The local government, wanting to preserve the cemetery, has since disallowed the use of the burial ground, giving the Badjaos a newer burial ground on another area on the island.
STA. CRUZ ISLAND MAP
STA. CRUZ ISLAND ITINERARY
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| SANTA CRUZ ISLAND MANGROVE AREA |
07:00AM • Arrive at Paseo Del Mar in Zamboanga City
07:30AM • Sta. Cruz Island briefing and orientation
08:00AM • Depart for Sta. Cruz Island
08:15AM • Arrive and explore Little Santa Cruz Island Sandbar
08:30AM • Arrive at Yellow Boat docking area
• Explore Mangrove lagoon
• Eat sea grapes
• Sail on a vinta
09:30AM • Arrive at Zamboanga Pink Beach
• Swim and snorkel
• Lounge on the beach
• Explore the beach
• Buy souvenirs
12:00PM • Lunch
01:00PM • Explore Old Badjao Burial Ground Cemetery
02:00PM • Depart to Zamboanga City Downtown
iTravel Tourist Lane Zamboanga Tours
Address: Mayor Jaldon St., Canelar, Zamboanga City
Contact Number: (0917) 724-3199
Email: info@itraveltouristlane.com
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