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Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit

I spent 9 days in Zamboanga City. I visited my girlfriend’s hometown and also toured the area in the process. I was a little worried in the beginning because I left on the day that Typhoon Pablo entered the Philippines. However, Zamboanga was one of the few destinations where scheduled flights still pushed through.

For the sake of having a new blog post, here are a few highlights about this trip. I’ll be writing more detailed accounts about these places soon.

Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit
December 2-10, 2012

Zamboanga International Airport

Sta. Cruz Pink Island

I read about the Sta. Cruz Island (also known as Pink Island of Zamboanga) through Chyng’s blog post. The island is called such because of the crushed red corals that have sort of “mixed” with the white sand. We were also escorted by an armed soldier for security purposes.

Blog post here: Picnic at Sta. Cruz Island aka Pink Island

Sta. Cruz Island aka Pink Island

The day before I left Zamboanga, I was able to visit the gorgeous Merloquet Waterfalls in Barangay Sibulao. This was one of the main highlights during my trip to this side of Mindanao known as Asia’s Latin Cty.

Merloquet Waterfalls in Zamboanga
December 9, 2012

Merloquet Falls in Zamboanga

I initially thought there were only two of us going to Merloquet. Jana and I were planning to take a bus to the junction, and then hire a motorcycle (habal-habal) to the falls. Fortunately, Jana’s family also expressed interest. We hired a jeepney from the city to the destination instead.

The 2-hour trip to the junction was a scenic route of plantation fields and mountains. I also noticed that there were many Philippine National Police (PNP) checkpoints for security reasons.

riding a jeepney

going down

During my trip to Zamboanga City, I was able to visit the gorgeous Merloquet Waterfalls and spend the day at Pink Island. I also made sure to check out different food places to eat. Aside from these, here are other spots you can visit in Zamboanga City.

Zamboanga Trip: Pasonanca Tour, Fort Pilar, Paseo del Mar and City Hall

Pasonanca Tour

It was pretty hot in Zamboanga City and one way to cool off was to head to the upper area of the city. Going on a tour of Pasonanca is a good place to relax and walk. You can find the Pasonanca Park there. During my trip, Jana and I only dropped by the La Jardin de Maria Clara Lobregat which has different flower and butterfly species surrounding the garden. I wasn’t able to take pictures of the place because it was already night time.

metal teepees in Boy Scout Grounds

Boy Scout Grounds in Pasonanca

I had nine days to spend in Zamboanga City. Aside from visiting tourist spots, I couldn’t wait to have a food trip adventure. I didn’t spend my money by going to different restaurants everyday, but I made sure to taste the specialties of Zamboanga.

Zamboanga City Food Trip
December 2-10, 2012

Foodtrip in Zamboanga

The best way to travel in the city is by tricycle. These trikes don’t have a route so be ready to pay a minimum of 50 Php per ride, depending on the destination.

best to travel by trike

Aside from the Merloquet Waterfalls adventure, I was also excited to visit the famous Pink Island of Zamboanga. Aside from wanting to spend a day on the beach, I was curious how “pink” the sand was.

Zamboanga Trip: Sta. Cruz also known as “Pink Island”
December 7, 2012

I was told that the corals before were bigger compared to these corals now.

Prior to the trip, we went to the Department of Tourism (DOT) to inquire about the day tour to the island. I’ve heard that tourists need security escorts to avoid unfortunate incidents like kidnapping. To be honest, I was a little hesitant because of this; but we were assured that it’s safe so long as we had these military men with us.

We registered our names at the DOT for reservation. Alternately, you can directly go to the port in Paseo del Mar as walk-in clients.

security escort with his rifle to Sta. Cruz Island

nice day to be at the beach!

Zamboanga City Highlights: Things to Do, Places to Visit

Sta. Cruz Pink Island

Zamboanga Trip: Gorgeous Merloquet Falls

Zamboanga: Pasonanca, Fort Pilar, Paseo del Mar and City Hall

Pasonanca Tour

Zamboanga City Food Trip

Zamboanga Trip: Picnic at Sta. Cruz Island aka Pink Island