ZamBaSulTa Itinerary: The Great Mindanao Adventure
One of the best backpacking routes in the Philippines is ZamBaSulTa. ZamBaSulTa refers to Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces. The route typically starts in Zamboanga City, which serves as the gateway to other provinces.
This is a great trip because it allows you to experience the unique culture, history and food in Mindanao in a single swoop. The Philippines as a whole is very westernized especially Manila, but these places in Mindanao have kept and nurtured their rich heritage. You can see and experience it in the traditional woven products of the Yakan tribe in Zamboanga and Basilan, the delicious bangbang sug and latal plate in Sulu and the simple, laid-back life of locals in Tawi-Tawi.
I went here with a small group sometime in late 2019. This is without a doubt one of my favorite trips in the Philippines.
So without further ado, here’s our ZamBaSulTa Itinerary and Guide.
Contents
Tips on Planning Your ZamBaSulTa Trip
Here are some things to consider when planning your trip:
- It’s important to coordinate with the respective tourism offices for your trip, particularly in Basilan and Sulu. Just let them know your date of arrival and planned things to do, if any.
- Make sure to plan your work leaves in advance. This route takes as short as 7 days to 10-12 days, depending on the places you want to cover.
- Do not rush your time. I’ve seen people do 1 day in Basilan, 1 day in Sulu, and so forth and this type of traveling is not only exhausting but also often not enough to cover every must-do activity in a given province.
- I have written separate guides for the provinces included in this route, so please read up on them because I have included as much details as possible. The Quick Reference section can be found at the bottom of this post.
10 Days Itinerary in ZamBaSulTa
Here’s a sample 10 days itinerary to ZamBaSulTa.
Day 1- ZAMBOANGA | Arrival in Zamboanga City Check in at accommodation in Zamboanga City Zamboanga City Tour |
Day 2 – BASILAN | Check out of accommodation 6:45AM – 8AM Take first-trip ferry to Lamitan City 8AM – 1PM Lamitan City tour 1PM – 2PM Take bus to Isabela City Check in at accommodation in Isabela City Free time |
Day 3 | Check out of accommodation 8AM – 3 or 4PM Lampinigan Island and Malamawi White Beach Resort 4:30 or 4:45PM – 6PM Take last-trip ferry back to Zamboanga City Check in at accommodation in Zamboanga City |
Day 4 – TAWI-TAWI | Check out of accommodation Take first flight to Sanga-Sanga Airport Early check in at accommodation in Bongao 10AM – 2 or 3PM Take ferry to Sitangkai Sitangkai tour 9PM – 4 or 5AM (next day) Back in Bongao |
Day 5 | Bongao town tour |
Day 6 | Island hopping in Tawi-Tawi |
Day 7 | Check out of accommodation Take flight back to Zamboanga City Open time / Relax / Or day tour to Great Sta. Cruz Island 9PM Take last-trip ferry to Jolo |
Day 8 – SULU | 6AM Arrival in Jolo 7AM Check in at accommodation in Jolo 8AM – 3 or 4PM Island hopping in Panglima Tahil |
Day 9 | 7AM – 11PM Tandu Beach 12PM Check out of accommodation 1PM – 5PM Jolo town tour 8 or 9PM Take last-trip ferry back to Zamboanga City |
Day 10 – Head home | 6AM Early-morning arrival in Zamboanga City Optional: Buy pasalubong in the barter Flight back to Manila |
This is the rough itinerary that we followed. We weren’t able to visit Sitangkai because we only booked for 2 days in Tawi-Tawi. However, it’s a must-see in the province so I included it above.
Below I’ll give an overview of the provinces so you have an idea on how to plan your itinerary.
Zamboanga
The start of this backpacking trip is Zamboanga City. This is a vibrant city with interesting history and culture. You can explore the city on your own to see heritage buildings, see the pinkish-sand beach of the Great Sta. Cruz Island, and island hop in Once Islas. You can also venture outside the city to visit Merloquet Falls.
If you are short on time, I recommend staying here for only 1-2 days. You can always go back here in the future since it has a major airport that is accessible from other parts of the country.
Note: For this trip, I am including Zamboanga City only instead of the individual provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, del Sur and Sibugay.
How to get here:
- From Manila or other airports, take a local flight to Zamboanga.
Ideal stay: 3 days
Basilan
Basilan is known for its white-sand beaches, particularly that in Malamawi White Beach.
Most backpackers only spend a day here to visit Malamawi White Beach Resort. I recommend staying at least 2 days so you can also visit Lampinigan Island and then spend another day in Lamitan City, the former capital of Basilan.
How to get here:
- From Zamboanga City, take a ferry to either Lamitan or Isabela City. Travel time is only 1-2 hours, depending on sea conditions.
Ideal stay: 2 days
Sulu
Sulu is one of the least-visited provinces in the country. During our trip in 2019, we learned that apart from us there were only around 200 visitors for that year.
You can explore Jolo and visit the city landmarks, including the capitol building and mosques. Sulu also has beautiful islands and beaches, so one of the things you shouldn’t miss doing here is island hopping.
Safety is still an important issue in Sulu. As such, the Sulu Provincial Tourism requires tourists to coordinate with them first. They will help with your accommodation, tours and itinerary. They will also provide military escorts during tours.
Personally, I was not terrified about visiting Sulu but the tourism is the one qualified to say whether it’s safe to go. If you’re a foreigner, there are other safer places in Mindanao you can go to.
How to get here:
- The most common way to get here is via ferry from Zamboanga City to Jolo (capital of Sulu Province). Travel time is 7-9 hours. Note: There used to be a fast craft by Weesam Express plying the Zamboanga-Jolo route in only 3 hours, but it is no longer available.
- It’s best to take the overnight ferry so you won’t waste a day in commute. The last ferry leaves at 8-9PM and arrives at 5-6AM the next day. It’s advised to purchase tickets in advance because it can get fully booked; at least in the morning on the date of your departure is fine.
Ideal stay: 2-3 days
Tawi-Tawi
Tawi-Tawi is my favorite stop in our ZamBaSulTa trip so I personally recommend spending as much time here as possible. It’s easy to love Tawi-Tawi because it’s very laid-back, the locals are friendly and the food is delicious. One of the livelihood here is fishing so you can find cheap fresh seafood and also local delicacies.
There are a handful of activities you can in Tawi-Tawi, including island hopping tour to Panampangan Island (considered the longest sandbar in the Philippines) and other nearby islands, trekking, exploring local communities and more.
How to get here:
- The easiest way to get here is to take a local flight from Zamboanga City to Sanga-Sanga Airport in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. Travel time is 45 minutes. There are also ferries available but travel time is long (18 hours).
Ideal stay: 3 days
Budget and expenses
Here are the major expenses you should consider on your ZamBaSulTa trip (Updated as of 2020).
Zamboanga | – Island hopping in Once Islas: P2000 plus other fees (good up to 9 pax) – Boat to Great Sta. Cruz Island: P1000 (good up to 10 pax) |
Basilan | – Lamitan City tour: P1000 via habal-habal or P2400 via private car (good up to 5 pax) – Boat to Lampinigan Island: P2500 (good up to 10 pax) |
Sulu | – Island hopping in Panglima Tahil: P5000 (good up to 15 pax) – Car rental for land tour: P3000 (good up to 5 people) – Tour guide fee: P500 per head (rate is good for the duration of your stay) |
Tawi-Tawi | – Tricycle for town tour: P1000 (good up to 4 pax) – Island hopping: P9000 (good up to 10-15 pax) |
Your final budget will depend on your accommodation, food and activities and how many you are in the group.
Following the itinerary above, in a group of 5, a safe budget would be P13,000-15,000 per person.
Reminders and Tips
Here are some reminders and tips for your trip in Mindanao:
- It’s best to go with other people to share expenses with. There are activities that are budget-friendly and others not so (e.g., island hopping in Tawi-Tawi easily cost around P9000). You can go solo and blindly hope that there are other people on your tour date, but you’re playing a game of chance. Remember that there are few tourists backpacking around Mindanao.
- Be respectful of the communities you visit.
- While Zamboanga City is used to tourists and takes no issue with how you dress, other provinces such as Sulu and Tawi-Tawi may still require more conservative clothing especially for women.
- Don’t forget to tip your local tour guides especially if you’re satisfied with their services.
- Finally: Let’s spread positive experiences about Mindanao!
Contact
For questions, you can contact the following tourism offices:
- (Basilan) Lamitan City Tourism Office: Facebook | Isabela City Tourism Office: Facebook
- Sulu Provincial Tourism Office: Facebook
- Tawi-Tawi Tourism Office: (Provincial Tourism Officer: Mobin N. Gampal) 09271840851
Quick Reference
For quick reference, here are the rest of our posts about our ZamBaSulTa Trip:
Zamboanga:
- Travel Guide to Zamboanga City
- Best Things to do in Zamboanga City
- Great Sta. Cruz Island aka Pink Beach of Zamboanga City
- Island hopping in Once Islas
Basilan:
- Travel Guide to Basilan
- Travel Guide to Lamitan City
- Travel Guide to Isabela City: Lampinigan Island and Malamawi White Beach Resort
Sulu:
Tawi-Tawi:
- Travel Guide to Tawi-Tawi
- Best Things to do in Tawi-Tawi
- Island hopping in Tawi-Tawi
- Trekking Bud Bongao
Has this guide and itinerary to ZamBaSulTa been helpful to you? If you have any questions or comments, let me know in the comment section below.
Katherine Cortes is a long-time backpacker and a freelance writer/editor. She likes beaches, snorkeling trips, and relaxing staycations (preferably with bath tubs!).