For those who are new to my blog, I'm in the midst of recounting how my North-east Mindanao family vacation went. Our first stop was Dahilayan at Bukidnon and I wrote about it here.
Right after lunch, we left Dahilayan, Bukidnon and headed straight for Surigao. The trip took approximately 8 hours. It would have probably been shorter if we didn't had to slow down because of ongoing road constructions.
We arrived in the evening and stayed at Paper Country Inn. As early as 5:30 am the next day, we headed to the Enchanted River.
It was Easter Sunday and we were warned ahead of time that the place would be teeming with tourists. True enough, it was already packed as early as 6:00am. Fortunately, our group was able to get one of the last cottages.
Entrance free is only P30.
Enchanted River is called so because of the many folk lore and legends about it. In my opinion, it's enchanting enough without the stories.
The Enchanted River is known for it's crystal clear blue waters. What gives it it's color is the combination of fresh and salt water that comes in from the sea, and the fact that it's really really deep. That is why it's highly advised to wear a life jacket. You don't have to bring your own though as the resort offers rental for 15pesos per hour.
What to expect
Here are some little inconveniences that I think I should warn you about.
No signal - This could obviously pose a problem if you are expecting an important call.
Life jackets are substandard - they're enough to keep you afloat but it's better to bring your own gear if you have one, especially if you don't like the idea of using a life jacket that had been hugging somebody else's body.
Flowing water - it's a river after all. Despite the seeming calm, it's actually difficult to swim against the current. I noticed that the current is stronger at the bluest part of the river. Most of the people swimming are at the edge of the river, or at the shallow parts. The guy at the picture above had a hard time swimming.
Getting there is a bit difficult - You either have to ride a habal-habal(public motorcycle) or bring your private vehicle. The private vehicle is obviously the easier option. The road is rough and steep however. We even saw one car that slid back the slope and crashed against the car behind it. The habal-habal is the sort that has extension on both sides so it can accommodate 6 people. It's honestly the craziest type of habal habal I've seen in this country.
But despite all that, the place is still worth the visit. Here are some pictures to show you why:
early in the morning. No one has taken a dip yet.
Man-made stairs
See how clear the water is?
Sorry for over-loading you with pictures of me. This is a beauty blog after all.
Finally taking a swim. People started pouring in at 9am.
Took off my life jacket. It's much much easier swimming against the current without a life-jacket.
sis and me. So those big balls behind us? People aren't allowed to swim beyond that.While it's more shallow in this area, I think it's because it's beyond the area of responsibility of the life guard.
The tide has gone low in this pictures so this part of the river became shallow. This is actually the same location as the one in the picture above where my sister and I are still using our life jacket. In this pictures, you can see the lifeguard here (the one wearing orange and has a neon x-mark on his back) and a bunch of young professionals taking a group picture at the background. 
boats for island hoppingWhere to eat?There's no fancy restaurant around Enchanted River. There are however, stalls right outside the resort where you can buy fresh crabs, shrimps, and fish and have them cooked.
The BEST crabs I've tried EVER! Surigao crabs are fat and full of meat. If you're a serious foodie, these crabs should be enough reason to convince you to visit Surigao. A lot of good restaurants from General Santos City get their crabs from Surigao.
ISLAND HOPPINGI've been planning to make this a separate post but our island hopping was short-lived mainly because we lacked time and also, we weren't listening to the guide. We thought there's only one stop when in fact there are 5 or so. So we walked a little further beyond the boundary line(at the path at the edge of the river of course), and there were boats ready for island hopping. You can rent it for P160 per hour. The boat is able to accommodate 4-5 people.
Our first stop was the fish cage.
Here you can catch your own fish for your lunch. You can also order crabs and lobsters. They also have an overnight accommodation. 
Boats "parked" at the fish cage.
Our next and last stop is a cave that I can't tell you much about because we were too much in a hurry for me to ask around.
sisCave entrance. We didn't get to go further in because it was muddy and slippery and yeah, the time limit again.
The cave has a separate entrance fee of P20
View from inside the cave.
Taken while I was at the boat. Water was so clear and shallow.The reason why we had to go back ASAP is because we still had to stop by Tinuyan Falls in the afternoon.
P.S.
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