Paradise in the Philippines' Southern Tip

Metro Manila, Philippines - There is paradise kept quite secret in the southern tip of the Philippines. Many locals have gone there, but not so much the likes of those from Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and other parts of Luzon and the Visayas who've only explored the famous beaches of Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Panglao, among others.

The paradise offers off-white, fine sand beach and clean seawater, sprawled in front of a vast, rugged land filled with coconut trees and other greeneries in their most natural state.

Swimming can be enjoyed best by kids and sun-conscious people in the mornings, when the tide is low and the sun partly hides on the other side. In the afternoon, the sea levels up and the sun is most visible until it sets the way it does in Manila Bay and in Boracay.

Walking barefoot on the beach is a real delight not only because of the relaxing friction of the human base and either the dry or wet sand, but more so because of what's in sight from one end to the other, and the calming silence the paradise brings.

The fact that it has not been highly commercialized, like what Boracay, Puerto Galera and Panglao, among others, are now makes this paradise more endearing to guests. They can enjoy the paradise either as day or long-staying tourists since there are developed resorts lined up one after the other, among them, the Coco Beach Resort, the Rosal Beach Resort, and the White Haven Beach Resort. These resorts offer reasonably affordable rates for comfortable accommodation types, ranging from tents to air-conditioned family suites and/or rooms, and for food that include local delicacies such as dried fish.

If you want to reach this paradise, you could take the route that my wife and I took when we visited it last December 28 - 29, 2009. From Davao City (the so-called Land of Promise, located in the eastern part of Mindanao), take a bus to General Santos City. Travel time is about two-and-a-half to three hours, and fare is a little over P200. If you are from Manila, take a flight direct to General Santos City. Once in General Santos City, go to KCC Mall (mode of transportation within the city is tricycle) where a terminal for vans that travel to Glan town in Sarangani province is located. The travel by van to Glan is worth P70 and may take from 45 minutes to an hour. Upon reaching Glan, you will be dropped off at the town's central terminal. Prepare now to reach paradise. At the terminal, hire a motorcycle (fare is P30 per person) and tell the driver to take you to the white beaches of Barangay Gumasa. It should not take you any longer than 15 minutes to experience paradise./END