Dinagat Islands Series: Is Blue Lagoon better than Palawan?

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The moment we set foot in Pangabangan Tidal Pool or Blue Lagoon (the second stop of our 2-days Dinagat tour), it was love at first sight.

Where is the Pangabangan Blue Lagoon?

Coming from Hagakhak Rock Formation, we hopped in our ferries and traversed the pristine waters of Dinagat going to Pangabangan Resort. I was awestruck by its natural beauty and you can only understand what I felt at that time if you’d personally see this place. It’s easy to mistake this place for Palawan as both places have similar topographies. But oh boy, to be honest, if you’d ask me which one I prefer, I’d choose Pangabangan over Palawan.

First, because Dinagat Islands is lot less touristy. Second, you can’t find any place on earth that is similar to Pangabangan. And most important of all, this place is raw and still not abused by commercialism.

Pangabangan is a beach area where visible corals are common. What makes this place more incredible is the huge tidal pool in the middle and it’s tempting to just dive in there even if it feels eerie just looking at it. Because of this tidal pool, Pangabangan received a popular monicker as locals call it “Blue Lagoon”. If you can’t resist swimming in there, there’s a bamboo raft in the middle that guests can use so it’s easy to wade into.

If Pangabangan made me speechles up close, I was even more stunned when I got a bird’s eye view of the island. Unbelievably beauty! Looking at these pieces of creation, I started asking God what good did humans do to deserve this kind of perfection. Until now, I’m still lost for words so I will just let the photos speak for themselves. If they won’t convince you to visit Dinagat, I don’t know what will.

Pangabangan Tidal Pool or as the locals call it, “Blue Lagoon” is located in Baranggay Magsaysay in Libjo Town and is only accessible by boat.

What to wear

Pangabangan Tidal Pool is a small resort so it’s easy to navigate. It’s advisable you wear slippers or rubber shoes if you prefer to climb the viewing deck where you can have your photos taken and marvel at the view of the tidal pool from above

How much will I spend in Pangabangan?

Entrance fee to the resort is only P20 ($4) and if you plan to stay overnight, there’s no electricity and water available. There are open-air cottages for rent at P1,000 ($18) during the day and P1,500 ($27) for overnight stays. If you prefer, you can also bring your own tent.

How to go to Pangabangan Tidal Pool or Blue Lagoon

There are no direct ferries going to Pangabangan Tidal Pool unless you rent one from San Jose Port and this will be very expensive especially for solo travelers. It’s best to join daytours offered by local travel agencies to make the most out of your budget. If you’re joining a tour, here’s a guide going to Dinagat Islands:

By air

Unlike Siargao, there are no direct flights from the capital, Manila, to Dinagat Islands.. Your starting point is in Surigao City where ferries are bound to San Jose, the capital of Dinagat Islands. There are daily flights from Manila to Surigao City via Philippine Airline, Cebu Pacific or Air Asia and I suggest you check Skyscanner because you can find the cheapest prices of flights there. I usually book my flights on Skyscanner because they’re reliable and they give out the best deals.

By sea

There are no direct ferries going to Dinagat Islands from anywhere in the Philippines so Surigao City is your only starting point. Travel time from Surigao City going to San Jose, Dinagat is approximately one hour and a half.

Fare rates

Regular P200.00

Student P170.00

Senior Citizen/PWD 160.00

Cargo rates

Motorcycle P500.00 with Driver

Always check the schedule as they tend to change more often or sometimes, they get cancelled due to bad weather or wind velocity. Here’s an updated schedule of ferries for the Surigao City – Dinagat Islands and Dinagat Islands – Surigao City route:

Take note that the port going to San Jose, Dinagat is located in Boulevard and not in Lipata.

San Jose, Dinagat Islands – Surigao City

6:00 am M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

6:30 am M/V NEWS MPC ISLAND NAVIGATORS 3

7:30 am M/V REISESCHATZ 1

8:30 am M/V VINCE GABRIEL 2

10:15 am M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

11:30 am M/V NEWS MPC ISLAND NAVIGATORS 3

1:00 pm M/V NEWS MPC ISLAND NAVIGATORS 4

1:30 pm M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

2:15 pm M/V REISESCHATZ 1

3:30 pm M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

4:30 pm M/V VINCE GABRIEL 2

Surigao City – San Jose, Dinagat Islands

5:30 am M/V VINCE GABRIEL 2

8:30 am M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

9:30 am M/V NEWS MPC ISLAND NAVIGATORS 3

10:30 am M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

11:45 am M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

12:30 pm M/V REISESCHATZ 1

1:30 pm M/V VINCE GABRIEL 2

3:00 pm M/V NEWS MPC ISLAND NAVIGATORS 3

4:00 pm M/V REISESCHATZ 1

5:00 pm M/V VIEL’S LINER 1/2

5:30 pm M/V NEWS MPC ISLAND NAVIGATORS 4

pangabangan blue lagoon

Tour rates and where to stay in Dinagat Islands

You can book a tour at the Dinagat Tourism Office but I booked mine at Jmalls Travel and Tours via Facebook (Contact number: +63917-163-4907). For a 2 days-1 night tour, I paid 2,998 (the price must’ve changed by now) inclusive of lunch and dinner for Day 1, breakfast and lunch for Day 2, 1 night accommodation, all entrance fees, tour guide fee, docking fee, cottage fee, boat service for island hopping and environmental fees.

By the way, if you are looking for places to stay in Surigao City, there are a lot of options on Agoda:

Other places to go to in Dinagat Islands

As I go along, I will write detailed blogs about the other places that we went to in Dinagat Islands. During our 2 day-tour, we explored Lake Bababu, Bitaog Beach Resort, and PBMA Shrine. The first stop of the tour was the magnificent Hagakhak Rock Formation which I also wrote about in a separate blog.

Find Pangabangan Tidal Pool on Google Maps

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through the link, AT NO COST TO YOU. Thank you for your support!

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