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Panampangan Island: Tawi-Tawi’s Finest White Beach

Posted on April 17, 2012 by journeyingjames 80 Comments
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Ask me what’s the finest white sand beach I ever saw and hands down I will say aloud- Panampangan Island, off the coast of Tawi-Tawi. Panampangan Island White Beach is actually part of the Municipality of Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi. Some also call this the “virgin beach” because only a few go here. We are 10 in the boat and 9 on us are first-timers. See, how lucky I was thinking that all of them are locals of Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.

Tawi-Tawi’s Finest White Beach- Panampangan Island

I believe I’m the first travel blogger who was able to checked this island out, if I’m not the first one, please let me know. I was trying to google this island and only text results are available plus some small photos from Flickr.

One of the police escorts that we have, we actually have 3 policemen with us in the boat

Going to this island white beach is not that hard. In fact, its just an hour and 15 minutes away from Bongao town. I think if you are renting a boat, it would cost you Php2,500-3,000. Don’t forget to coordinate with the local police for escorts. Although its very peaceful in Tawi-Tawi, having a police escort is very much recommended.

Yeah for off-the-beaten-path travelers!

Spell PARADISE: P.A.N.A.M.B.A.N.G.A.N.  I.S.L.A.N.D. This is the first time I ever walked on white beach that my feet sinks because of the fineness of the sand. Really, really amazing! I believe Tawi-Tawi has lots of these kind of beaches too, but for now let me call this the finest white beach Tawi-Tawi has to offer (meaning I will be back to explore some more). Come, tag along with me next time!

The northwestern tip of the island

I was lucky enough when I was in Tawi-Tawi because I went here for FREE. Ohh yeah, I just taggeed along Sir George, a businessman in Tawi-Tawi who is having a picnic and fishing trip in Panampangan beach through the help of Col. Rodelio Jocson, the Provincial Police Director of Tawi-Tawi. Thanks Rhye for connecting me to Col. Jocson. See, I’m may not be rich in material possessions but I’m sooo rich with friends.

Sir George on white shirt and BM Renil brown longsleeves

Anyway, the picnic trip was filled with laughters, food and booze. The gang was having all kinds of jokes, cowboy din. I was really blessed to have joined this trip with big time people in Tawi-Tawi, among them is Board Member Renil Samsuya. So I feel a big time narin! 🙂

JourneyingJames set foot on Panampangan Island during Day 76 of #ISANGDAAN Journey (April 16, 2012)

This is what I want to emphasize in traveling, you don’t need to be rich to experience the beautiful places in the Philippines, you just need to be ‘out there’ always ready should opportunity knocks. 🙂

I also met the 2 caretakers of the island, the brothers Han Malah and Abdul Samad Malah.

Han Malah and Abdul Samad Malah

 

Where is Panampangan Island on the map?

The encircled island- that’s Panampangan in Tawi-Tawi, Philippines

 

Note: The photos are intended to have that white matte effect so as not to be used without any written permission. Please respect copyright. Thanks

___ ___ ___

I visited Panampangan Island during Day 76 of my ISANGDAAN Journey. Thank you so much Sir George and Col. Jocson for letting me join the excursion to this paradise. After this we even visited the Oldest Mosque in the Philippines- Masjid Sheik Makdum in Simunul.

#ISANGDAAN is a personal journey and challenge to backpack around the Philippines the cheapest way possible for 100 days.

If you want real time updates, you can check my facebook page: www.facebook.com/journeyingjames or follow me on twitter: @journeyingjames

If you want to follow my steps, I have an interactive map- ISANGDAAN Journey map.

 

Related Posts with Thumbnails
This entry was posted in 100 Days, Featured Posts and tagged 100 Days Challenge, Panampangan Island, Sapa-Sapa Island, Tawi-Tawi White Beach. Bookmark the permalink.

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80 thoughts on “Panampangan Island: Tawi-Tawi’s Finest White Beach”

  1. mela said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 8:38 am

    3 words, awesome, beautiful, astig-ness..uhm another word, kakainggit!!!!

  2. Natthan said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 8:43 am

    Tsk. Napakaganda!

  3. Camz said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 8:43 am

    Wow! Beautiful 🙂 Mas gusto ko talaga mga places na di masyadong commercialized. Kaso mahal naman if we went there on our own. I might plan a trip for me and my friends, parang mas gusto ko dito kesa sa Boracay

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:31 am

      agree! maganda pumunta dito barkada, its safe naman. oo naman, walang sinabi boracay dito.

  4. Marky said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 8:44 am

    Hot off the press, ngayon lng to ah. Congrats for a wonderful find, if we’re in the 13th-15th century natalo mo na si Magellan and Columbus. Blinding white sand indeed! #wowTawiTawi

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:30 am

      yep, natulog lang ako tapos publish na.
      haha sa magellan comment mo pre. #WOWTAWITAWI talaga!

  5. Sonyboy Fugaban said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 9:01 am

    Panalo talaga ang “100 Days of Backpacking the Phillippines- The Cheapest Way Possible” mo, Sir James. I wish I could check this place out too in the future.

    Kudos!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:29 am

      yes sir, astig talaga. didnt know that it will be like this.
      i hope you really do

  6. Budz said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 9:05 am

    Lupit mo James!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:26 am

      haha! mas malupit kayo sir, 2 kayo ngttravel e

  7. Elal Jane Lasola said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 9:22 am

    A paradise, indeed. I love to go to the beaches na ganito. Not very commercialized but pretty amazing!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:10 am

      i know you will find more beaches like that. go elal! or pwede ka sumama next time pagbalik ko

  8. lauvee said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 9:28 am

    If my recall serves me right, there’s an island in Tawi-Tawi they called Turtle Island because it serves as the breeding place for sea turtles. pansin ko lang, mostly ng mga beaches in southern part of the Philippines is white and very fine sand. can I tag along the next time you visit Tawi-Tawi? 🙂

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:09 am

      yes, there is and im planning to visit that next time i go to tawi-tawi. why not? ipon na lauvee!

      • RJ said:
        Reply
        August 13, 2015 at 8:05 am

        Hi, pwede po ba maki-join pag pupunta kayong Turtle Island? 🙂 pwede ko po ba makuha contact detaiLs nyo?

        PS, seryoso po ako.

        • journeyingjames said:
          Reply
          August 18, 2015 at 9:01 am

          yes, why not? but i still dont know if i will be in tawi-tawi anytime soon

        • Lee said:
          Reply
          September 14, 2015 at 6:45 am

          Hi!! im goin to explore the tawi2 this october 6-9 if u want u can join me, solo lang ako, heres my number 09174149867

  9. Glen Villar said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 9:52 am

    Nice, ang swerte mo naman bro. Ang ganda ng lugar na yan at parang masayang kasama ang mga bigating kasama mo. ^_^

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:08 am

      yes, they are really good host. very very down-to-earth sila

  10. manilacitizen said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 9:55 am

    This is an amazing find. Mindanao has a lot of promises.

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:07 am

      indeed!i really love mindanao!

  11. TheFrugalWanderer said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 11:16 am

    Nice! I fell in love with Tawi-Tawi the first time I saw an aerial picture of its white beaches online. I wonder if it’s safe for female travelers though? Sayang ang potential tourism in the area.

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:06 am

      yes it is safe for females too! next trip i will tag along females so as to encourage more girl travelers

  12. zandra said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 11:18 am

    wow james the place is so amazing.. let me know when you will come back there!! 🙂

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:04 am

      yes, i will announce on the blog or facebook page, keep posted

  13. Edmar | EDMARATION said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 11:34 am

    Spell PARADISE: P.A.N.A.M.B.A.N.G.A.N. I.S.L.A.N.D I Love it! Exactly the way it is !! :))

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:03 am

      can i say more? haha speechless

  14. Maya said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 11:51 am

    Wow!Indeed a paradise James!Will include it on my list 😀

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:02 am

      ohhh yeah! it SHOULD be on your list

  15. Biboy said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2012 at 2:28 pm

    Wow! I was so amazed that there’s such place like this in the country. It’s really a satisfaction to discover and visit each island of our own archipelago 🙂

    Kindly visit also my photoblog
    Adobo Photoshop

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:01 am

      and there’s more to discover and explore. thanks for dropping by biboy

  16. Earl said:
    Reply
    April 18, 2012 at 2:22 am

    Tama ka bai..Mahihiya ang Boracay dito. The best!!!!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 6:59 am

      eeeeew ang baracay! haha joke, boracay is boracay but the truth is panampangan beats them all

  17. Arisse said:
    Reply
    April 18, 2012 at 4:51 am

    i would love to tag along..chos!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 6:57 am

      why not?! tara

      • Arisse said:
        Reply
        April 21, 2012 at 4:20 am

        tara!

  18. Will - Gap Daemon said:
    Reply
    April 18, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Sweet post mate. Love the photos too!

    Your journey to travel around all those islands sounds incredible. I’m envious of you mate. I’m stuck here in rainy old Europe dreaming of the kind of paradise you’re waking up to on a daily basis.

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 6:55 am

      thanks will! haha, indeed im waking on a different paradise every single day for 79 days now.

  19. julius said:
    Reply
    April 18, 2012 at 11:49 am

    Hi James! pki post nalang lhat ng pic sa fb ksi a lot of my shots are blurd due to the water proof case of the camera. thanks

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 6:54 am

      yes bosing! i will post and tag you.

  20. kitot said:
    Reply
    April 18, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    ohmann! kuy, nice one here! amazing. thousand of things to marvel about the Philippines, gusto ko na umuwi.

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 6:53 am

      yes kit! when you get back here, lets visit tawi-tawi and go to your dream destination- turtle island

  21. chyng said:
    Reply
    April 19, 2012 at 7:00 am

    galing james! =) swerte naman they escorted you.
    congrats!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 19, 2012 at 7:04 am

      thanks chyng! ako pa! hahaha
      i was reading your tawi-tawi post a week ago and was thinking of that when i was here, i found it! haha

  22. carm said:
    Reply
    April 19, 2012 at 9:53 am

    travel like a boss lol. XD

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:24 am

      yep, like a VIP! haha thanks to sir george talaga

  23. Micamyx|Senyorita said:
    Reply
    April 19, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Ganda nga! Wow! Wanna go there soon! 😀

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:24 am

      soon? go na mica!

  24. rhye said:
    Reply
    April 19, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    At naunahan mo tlaga ako. hehehe..
    The rumor is indeed true.. Pano na kya ung iba??
    Hmmm…. hahahaha
    Hope makasabay ka nmin the next tym na bumalik
    kami jan… Feeling ko kc you need to stay a year jan
    and own a speedboat to see everything in Tawi-tawi. LOL!
    Ms. Medina “the master” wasn’t wrong to include the place to her
    top 10 list. (* v ^)

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:24 am

      ako pa! hahaha thanks again rhye, if not for your help, di ko rin narating yan.
      tara, lets go back to tawi-tawi!

  25. nie said:
    Reply
    April 20, 2012 at 2:52 am

    Ang ganda! Sana mapanatili ang kagandahan niya para ma-enjoy ng marami!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:20 am

      yep, konti lang kasi nagpupunta

  26. Amrie said:
    Reply
    April 20, 2012 at 12:52 pm

    Wow! This is such a beautiful place. Maybe the next time that you explore Tawi-Tawi, I can tag along. 🙂 I have a list of places here in the Philippines that I want to go to, but the farthest that I listed is Northern Mindanao. But thanks to your posts, mas naappreciate ko iyong ibang parts of Mindanao na hindi naman pala ganoon kagulo compared to how they are portrayed by media. 🙂

    Great job, James, in this “Isang Daan” Project. Nakakainspire ka mag-travel 🙂

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 21, 2012 at 6:18 am

      sure thing! yes, it is a very beautiful place, its just sad that most medis demonize the place and say things that are second-hand informations

  27. Nathalie said:
    Reply
    April 25, 2012 at 5:59 am

    Amazingly Gorgeous! sana makapuntin din ako dito. 🙂

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 25, 2012 at 2:11 pm

      sabi ko sayo eh, dapat sumama ka 🙂 gorgeous talga!

  28. Charmaine said:
    Reply
    April 27, 2012 at 5:13 pm

    So nice!!! james lapit na matapos 100 days challenge mo! see yah!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      April 28, 2012 at 5:09 am

      yep, lapit na nga.

  29. The Wanderer said:
    Reply
    May 2, 2012 at 11:41 am

    The waters are just unbelievable! To be so clear even so far from the land

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      May 3, 2012 at 8:04 am

      yep, as we are just approaching the island, the color of the sea was unbelievable, green, blue, seagreen, dark blue, bluish white, it was a display of blue. just awesome!

  30. [Con Tour Blog] said:
    Reply
    May 2, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    Ito yong sinabi mo james na talagang white sand at finest pa. :-). Timing talaga. Di kelangan na may malaking baon ka para ka makarating dito.

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      May 3, 2012 at 8:01 am

      timing lang talaga sir. salamat sa mga contacts natin

  31. ken | fullpacked.com said:
    Reply
    May 3, 2012 at 3:03 am

    unexploited area,less people visited = More beautiful!
    ang ganda!
    pwede magsnorkeling jan sir!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      May 3, 2012 at 7:26 am

      yep, pwedeng pwede. maganda din daw mag dive ken

  32. hana banana said:
    Reply
    May 30, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    *envy*

  33. Jayson said:
    Reply
    July 27, 2012 at 8:15 am

    ASTIG! james ask ko lang, kung pupunta kami dto as a group like 4 or six persons, magkano ang gagastusin kasama na yong police escorts? ormay iba pa bang beach and other attractions sa Tawi2x maliban dito? thanks james!

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      July 30, 2012 at 7:14 am

      Php3000/boat. police escorts are free, just request from the police dept. bud bongao is a tourist attraction too. you can visit the tourist dept in bongao, tawi-tawi too.

  34. Gail said:
    Reply
    August 5, 2012 at 1:27 am

    Definitely one of Philippines’ finest beach!!! Unfortunately, my friends do not have enough sense of adventure to go with me there so i guess i’ll just tag along with u journeyingjames when u go back to Tawi-tawi, if that’s ok with u. 🙂

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      August 16, 2012 at 5:18 am

      sure thing gail! although, i dont know when ako balik

  35. vykers said:
    Reply
    August 14, 2012 at 1:53 am

    Hi…there…what a beautiful island,,i just wanna ask if there any possible to make this island famous in South East Asia..?as for your information i met some of the family MANULON here that the owner of the island. They said if got any investor they want to publish this island to the world

  36. pinoiinvegas said:
    Reply
    November 11, 2012 at 4:34 am

    Pwede kaya makitira don ng 1 month?ala survivor……

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      November 12, 2012 at 7:51 am

      why not! but it would be better if you go around the islands

  37. cha said:
    Reply
    January 25, 2013 at 3:50 am

    hi james! i’ll be on a solo trip to tawi-tawi, sulu, and basilan this coming aug 21-26. i’ll be reading more of your blog as i continue my research. you, ms gael, and ms chyng reyes inspired me to go to these often misunderstood places. thanks:-)

    and if i do finish coming up with an itinerary, i hope i could share it to you and ask for your suggestions. thanks 🙂

  38. Elnora V. Troncoso said:
    Reply
    March 9, 2013 at 1:21 am

    I’ve been there. Thanks for promoting our nearby island.. every May we used to go there for the celebration of the Feast of St. Joseph.. but now no more since am here in Jolo to pursue my studies. I hope you can go to Mapun as well. Maganda din po dun… 7hrs. away from Taganak if u would ride by boat.

  39. cri said:
    Reply
    March 13, 2013 at 11:13 am

    you’re such an inspiration to me…someday, i want to explore the Philippines and the world to see God’s great workmanship.

    God bless your humble endeavor and passion! 🙂

  40. cha said:
    Reply
    September 1, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    this post brought me to panampangan. thanks alot james. 🙂

    • journeyingjames said:
      Reply
      September 17, 2013 at 8:29 am

      glad you were able to visit that island too. grabe noh, super ganda!

      • cha said:
        Reply
        September 18, 2013 at 4:26 pm

        sobra! the best indeed!

  41. Earl Pitman said:
    Reply
    December 25, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    I am a foreigner from South Florida, USA, and I have been traveling to the Philippines every year for three weeks for the past 9 years. Every time I come to the Phil, I explore it’s outer islands. I first visited Tawi-Tawi in Nov 2010, this place is amazing, like going to a new frontier. I didn’t get a chance to visit the surrounding islands because it wasn’t recommended then. However I can’t wait to revisit Tawi-Tawi and explore further based on your story. Thanks dude…EARL P.S. Another place of interest is Tarzans Beach Resort, Dagohoy, Hinatuan Island, Dapa, Siargao…Not to be consfused with Surigao…to different places.

  42. monalin said:
    Reply
    April 17, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    PANAMPANGAN ISLAND
    I stayed here for almost a year(1996-97)MANULON CLAN/ISMAEL
    super ang ganda even walang electricity we used solar charging.Sagana ang lamang dagat Jan fishes to shell..gz3m
    Marami ring turista ang pumupunta Jan,,

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