Enchanted River: An Enchanting Experience
What’s up explorer?
It’s still Summer.
I’m still here in Surigao del Norte working. Every time I get the chance to go out, I make sure to visit a place I have never been.
One of those places in Surigao that I am excited to visit is the Enchanted River in Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.
There are a lot of tales and folklore about the river and how it came to be an enchanted one. I’m not the superstitious kind of person but upon seeing the river in person, I could only say “WOW!” Really WOW!
There’s really something enchanting about it and there is this mysterious feeling surrounding the place. It was also calming at the same time, something you can only feel right there.
It’s really hard to explain or maybe because I was the only one there by the river. Whatever it was, it was a feeling that is hard to forget.
It was already in the afternoon and most of the visitors were already leaving so I was able to experience the place not crowded. I was able to take pictures of the place without trouble. Upon arriving, I was ushered to the ticketing booth for parking and entrance fee.
After paying the entrance fee and parking fee, I asked where I could buy something to eat. The long ride made me feel hungry. So, I was pointed to where I could eat.
Aside from some snacks that you can buy near the ticket booth, they also have rice meals, (pre-cooked ready-to-eat meals) or you can have them reheated. It’s actually cheap.
I had fried chicken for 150 pesos. At first I thought it was pricey but when I got the chicken, it was half a chicken. I ended up packing the rest of the chicken for dinner.
The tables there are, by the way, for rent for 100 pesos per table if you are bringing your own food. The people there were nice and they let me use the table for free since I was all by myself.
After a good meal, I started walking down the road going to the river. They actually have a service shuttle but decided to walk because I missed it and I would have to wait for it. They told me it was just about a 4 to 5 minute walk to the river so I went on. The shuttle caught up halfway to the river so I got to ride the shuttle halfway.
So the water coming out of that underwater cave is salt water and no one knows where the water is coming from. Previously, they allow people to swim in this area but due to the increasing visitors, they decided to close this area to preserve its enchanting beauty for future visitors.
They provided an area for swimming a few meters from the river opening so visitors can still experience and enjoy the river water.
And for those who always bring home with them souvenirs, you can find them near the ticket booth.
This was a very fun ride for me and little by little I am getting to know more about Mindanao. So I hope I can visit other places soon and you can read about it here on our page. In this way, we can share to you our experiences that may bring out the explorer in you too.
