Zamboanga City and other places near it are noteworthy additions to your itinerary whenever you plan a trip to Mindanao. I was fortunate enough to visit it when I returned to the region after a long time.
There's plenty to see, do and experience while exploring Zamboanga City.
Travel Guide Budget and Itinerary for Zamboanga City
Located in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga City is highly urbanized. It's one of the biggest cities in Mindanao. You can use it as a hub to explore more of the region. The Spaniards used it as a settlement and as their base to colonize the south of the country. Fast forward to today, it's a commercial, cultural, and industrial hub of the region. It's home to many restaurants, cafes, offices, and others.
How to Get to Zamboanga City
The simplest way to reach Zamboanga City is by plane. There are frequent direct flights from Manila or Cebu. You can also find flights with stopovers from those cities, if you're coming from other provinces in the country. You can also travel by land and sea but that takes a long time. There are buses that travel to Zamboanga City from other provinces in Mindanao. It's possible to combine a trip to Zamboanga City with Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte if you have the time and budget. The city is a regional transportation hub.
Things to do in Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City is a beautiful place to visit. It has plenty of attractions and city life amenities that make it a noteworthy destination. You can easily fill your itinerary even if you just plan on staying in the city.
Sta. Cruz Island Pink Beach
The picture doesn't look exactly pink right? However, if you squint hard enough you'll see a pinkish shade when you are actually there already. It's still a beautiful beach, comparable to the others I've been to around the country. You can do the usual stuff such as swimming, sunbathing, volleyball or simply just relax and unwind.
How to go to Pink Beach: Make your way to Paseo del Mar and look for the port. You can reserve a time slot by sending an email to islasdesta.cruz@gmail.com. I suggest you make a reservation for your group at least a week or two before your arrival.
Little Sta. Cruz Island and Sandbar
Your boatman can include this as a short stop during your trip to Sta. Cruz Island. It's a beautiful island and sandbar.
Mangroves
Vinta Rowing/Posing
One of the symbols of Zamboanga is the colorful vinta. The locals are quite proud of their heritage. As part of our trip to Sta. Cruz Island, the guides brought in a vinta to take pictures with or take pictures of.
Yakan Weaving Village
Paseo del Mar
This waterfront park is a popular spot for both locals and tourists. It becomes lively at night. Restaurants dot the walking paths. It's a great place to watch the sunset, relax, eat, and drink. My sister and I ate at one of the restaurant here a couple of times during our visit.
Fort Pilar
The Spanish colonial government had this fort built during their reign over the Philippines. This 17th century historical landmark is now a museum. You can spend an hour or so here checking out the exhibits and displays.
Zamboanga City Hall
This unique looking government building grabbed my attention as I passed by it.
Sample the Local Cuisine
Merloquet Falls
Day Trip to Basilan
It's convenient to do a day trip to Basilan from Zamboanga City. You can spend an entire day exploring Isabela and Lamitan. We couldn't pass up the chance to visit a new province. We joined a larger group to share expenses with. We went to some of the province's most famous attractions, beaches, waterfalls, and others. If you're planning to do the same thing, I suggest taking the earliest possible ferry departing from Zamboanga City to maximize your stay.
You can read my post here: things to do in Basilan
If you have more time, you can check out these other attractions:
- Camp Limbaga
- Pasonanca Tree House
- Rainbow Mosque
- Once Islas
Getting around Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City felt like any other big city I've been to around the Philippines. There are plenty of jeeps, taxis, vans, and tricycles that can take you to anywhere in the city or outside of it onward to another province or municipality. There are malls (like SM!), fast food chains, and others. The best way to get around is still on foot. Walking is my way of discovering what a city has to offer and to experience a place. You'll need to book a schedule and rent a boat to get to Sta. Cruz Island, if you plan on going on a beach trip.
Where to Stay in Zamboanga City
Zamboanga city is an affordable destination. You can find different types of accommodation within your budget. I often use www.booking.com whenever I travel.
Budget for Zamboanga City
Depending on your travel style, Zamboanga City is an affordable destination. I traveled with my younger sister so I had at least one other person to share expenses with.
Here's a breakdown of our expenses:
5292 - 4 nights stay in a hotel
2526 - Food and drinks
490 - Transportation
250 - Souvenirs
167.50 - Sta. Cruz Island tour (this was for 8 persons)
300 - Lagoon and sandbar tour (this was for 8 persons)
370 - Round trip business class ferry tickets from Zamboanga City to Basilan
1800 - Basilan packaged tour including Isabela and Lamitan (this tour was for 11 persons)
300 - Round trip van ride to Vitali en route to Merloquet Falls
40 - Entrance and parking for Merloquet Falls
400 - Round trip habal-habal ride to Merloquet from van stop
11,935.50 - Total
*Prices and costs may change depending on various things such as inflation and travel style. You can increase or decrease your budget depending on your interests. We decided to include Basilan to this trip because it was a convenient place to visit from the city and it just so happened other groups wanted to go. We were able to save money by joining a group.
Itinerary for Zamboanga City
Here's a sample Zamboanga City itinerary for your upcoming trip:
Day 1
Fort Pilar
Yakan Weaving Village
Paseo del Mar
Zamboanga City Hall
Day 2
Day trip to Sta. Cruz Island and nearby attractions
Day 3
Whole day trip to Basilan
Day 4
Half day trip to Merloquet Falls
Visit other attractions you're interested in or just hang out in the city, buy pasalubong
This is just a rough itinerary which you can customize based on your interests. You can stay longer to visit other provinces if you have the time and budget to do so.
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