As the first of the series of coves came into view, I can't help but get excited on what lies on the second cove of the Tuka Marine Park, the hidden secret of the municipality of Kiamba, Sarangani Province.
En route to the coves, I marveled at how crystal clear the waters are, with the corals and fishes very visible from where I was sitting on the motorized boat that will bring me to the second cove of the marine park.
There are four protected coves in the the Tuka Marine Park and only the beach on cove number 2 is open to the public which is commonly referred to by the locals as the Tuka Beach.
As the boat made its final turn towards the second cove, my jaw dropped at this magnificent view which almost seemed picture perfect!
The only fast, safe and scenic route to take when going to the coves is by sea. I learned later that an alternative would be hours of hiking through a series of hills from the town proper or walk through the rocky the beach sides during low-tides .
If you want solitude and serenity but still enjoy the little comforts of modern day life, then this place is for you.
There are no vendors nor hawkers around. No noisy tricycles nor smoke belching jeepneys. I did not even see any presence of dogs around.
This place has been developed and maintained by the local government of Kiamba with the initial assistance of the Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao who happens to be the Congressman of the province with his wife, Jinkee, the current vice-governor. Vice-governor Pacquiao came from one of the barangays of Kiamba. Kiamba is around two-hours by land travel through a concrete highway from General Santos City.
Guests can rent one of the rooms (aircon and non-aircon) of the Pacmans Beach House. A few feet from the house is the exclusive private beach house of the boxing-champ.
There are no restaurants in the park, so guest have to bring their own provisions of food and snacks and especially drinking water.
You book through the local tourism office at the children's park at the beach-front. They can arrange for your transportation and accommodation.
As for the food, there are several 'carenderias' near the plaza which would be a good source for packed snacks or meals.
The long stretch of beach front is perfect for sun-bathing or just simply basking under the sun.
With the crystal clear waters and the abundance of corals and fishes in the waters around, snorkeling should never be missed. Of course for the more adventurous, scuba-diving.
For those who would want to venture out to the deeper part of the waters, there's kayaking and canoeing with a banca. As for me, I contented my self in exploring the place, snapping pictures here and there and marveling at the pristine beach-front.
What a relaxing way to end a working-trip in this part of Mindanao and the least of what I expected is visiting this hidden paradise.
I arrived in Kiamba a few days before, after almost 12-hours of land travel from Cagayan de Oro. I am here for some work with a client, the Kiamba Municipal Employees Cooperative (KIMECO).
It was almost sunset on the day I first arrived and from the town plaza I can already see a promise of a scenic sunset from the beach-front judging from the sun rays through the hillside.
After exchanging brief pleasantries with my client and asking directions towards the beach-front, I grabbed my camera and off I went arriving just in time to witness the amazing sunset.
On my way back, I passed-by the children park's fountain. There were a few kids on the see-saw and the benches. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the park with its well manicured grasses and topiary.
Just across the park is the municipal grounds. It is common to see statues of national or local heroes, but in Kiamba there's more -- a sculpted figure of a dragon!
This dragon however is spewing not scorching flames but refreshing water. I later found out that this statue was commissioned by the local government in honor of the current town mayor.
There are more secrets awaiting to be discovered in Kiamba and I can't wait to discover them in my subsequent visits to the place. I'll keep you posted.
Furthermore, I can't wait to experience once again the warm hospitality of the Kiambans and their delicious seafood dishes.
Thank you KIMECO. See you soon Kiamba ...
Technical notes :
1. Images here were all shot using a mirrorless DSLR.
2. Most images were shot using a fish eye converter lens mounted on a 16mm/f2.8 lens, otherwise the fish-eye was removed.
3. Panaramic mode was also used in two of the images here as part of my experiment this feature of the camera.
