I was planning to go back early to Siargao but decided to take it easy. Spent the morning at the Puting Bato beach and enjoyed some down time at Sohoton Bay Resort. Before making my way back to Siargao, Sir Ed suggested we visit one of the attractions that was to open this April 2018 – the Giant Mangroves of San Roque. These rainforest of the sea have always fascinated me. They are one of the indication how healthy the environment is so I try to see them when there is one in the area.
Enter Sitio Sabang
I packed my bags and boarded our small boat aptly named by the resort’s caretaker couple “Clear and Chin”. I thought my stay was quite short. I promised myself I would be back for a longer stay. Our boat threaded the same path we came. A squall came in but disappeared shortly as our boat entered the large inlet leading to the mangrove forest.
The river zigzags through the healthy growth of mangroves. The pathway gets narrower as we made our way deeper. I have been to several mangrove forest and I want to see what makes this one unique. The mangrove forest here spreads 50 hectares wide. At least half, 26.5 hectares, in baranggay San Roque are considered as primary growth forest. It is also where the giant mangroves are located.
Giant Mangroves of San Roque
I continued tracking our location through my phone’s GPS and found ourselves deep into the island already. We passed through beautiful tunnels of mangrove trees. Got in shallower waters where we had to turn off our boat motor and paddle through. I could tell the trees here are old with its large roots spreading tall, 4–5 feet high from the ground up. And finally we found the newly installed boardwalk so visitors can commune closer with these gigantic trees.
I looked at our location and was surprised we are near the Tiktikan Lagoon. I could image that if we climbed the high rock wall nearby we could end up looking at the lagoon on the other side. The board walk was still under construction and could go farther where it ends now but what we saw are indeed fascinating. Towering mangroves, some of the tallest I’ve seen. Aside from that, I could see a lot of potential with this place. I thought paddling would be a great activity here using kayak or a stand-up paddle board. And maybe there are even fireflies here at night. Who knows? Bucas Grande kept surprising me until the last minute. Such a wonderful place offering a diverse nature attraction.
My Bucas Grande Island tour is organized by Island Vacation Travel and Tours
Island Vacation Travel and Tours
Bucas Grande Island, Socorro, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
Contact: +63917.677.7010
Email: [email protected]
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
