Santa Cruz Island | Zamboanga Pink Beach

Santa Cruz Island in Zamboanga City is famed for its pink sand beach. But it only allows 400 visitors per day to keep its environment healthy. What if you don’t make the cut?

Many of us are used to visiting holiday islands anytime we want. We always think that if we can afford the trip & if weather permits, there are no reasons to stop us from going. Most of our islands are managed this way anyway, without capacity handling in mind.

More tourists, more money is not how things are done at Santa Cruz Island. Because it is a protected landscape & seascape, the number of holidaymakers on the island is strictly regulated. To add, tourists can only stay between 7AM to 2PM. And absolutely no overnight stays as well as bonfires permitted.

Santa Cruz Island: The getaway for the lucky few

To avoid wallowing in despair, book your trip ahead of time. Or have it arranged through iTravel Tourist Lane like what we did.

Sure, it will cost a little more than DIY, but getting your peace of mind is priceless. Save yourself from the hassles of securing in advance the required permits, coordinating boat trips & preparing the food.

With a tour operator working behind the scene, all you need to do is to relax & enjoy your vacation.

What’s so special about Santa Cruz Island?

Tourists are drawn here for its swath of pink coralline sand. Its lovely hues are from powdered red organ pipe coral mixed with white sand. National Geographic lists it as one of the best beaches in the world, joining the roll of the very few pink beaches across the globe like in Bahamas, Barbados, Indonesia & Greece.

Apart from its velvety beachline, its turquoise water is winsome too! The water is so clean that you can clearly see the seabed.

Another attraction here is the rare chance of seeing the Sama-Bangingi community perform the “pangalay”. It is a traditional dance imitating the movements of nature.

There are actually 2 islands here: the great & the little Santa Cruz. The front beach is the Great Santa Cruz Island. It is where the facilities are like cottages, showers & grilling stations. Small shops also sell pearls, fresh crabs, curacha & uko-uko or sea urchin stuffed with rice.

On the other end of the frontbeach is a serene sanctuary where guests can go an eco-tour around the maze of lush mangrove forest teeming with marine wildlife. Tourists are taken on a slow paddle ride on board the Yellow Boat. Nothing politically associated; the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation is a community livelihood cooperation for seafaring Samas.

This guided tour allows tourists to get first-hand experience of handling rare stingless jellyfish, harvesting seaweeds like lato & agar-agar. This healthy forest is also home to some endemic bird species.

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There is also a tiny sandbar here where tourists get the chance to paddle a vinta on its shallow waters. Vintas are the iconic sailboats of Muslim islanders like the Tausug, Sama & Badjao.

Little Santa Cruz Island is shortly across the big one . It is a highly protected sanctuary for sea turtles & other rare marine life. Beachcombers can only stay here for at most 10 minutes at a time & swimming is discouraged to avoid contaminating the water with sunblock & lotion.

Caring for Nature

Basilan Strait, where Santa Cruz Island is, was once abundant with coral reef. Because of illegal reef mining & dynamite fishing in the past, it lost many of its luminescent underworld wonders.

Zamboanga City is doing immense effort in rehabilitating its ecosystem by enforcing strict regulations that promote ecological preservation & conservation.

By limiting visitor capacity to 400 tourists each day, they are able to saddle the impact that tourism brings to the island. This includes waste disposal, water use & disruption of its ecological features.

Infrastructures & activities on the island are also limited to low-impact effects. So forget about jetski & banana boat because here it’s just you & the wonderfully clean beach.

So don’t be left heartbroken like many other tourists wanting to visit Santa Cruz Island. Plan your trip well because it surely is a rewarding experience to be here.

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Inquire or book your trip with iTravel Tourist Lane
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