Balut Island – Unspoilt Holy Week Destination
Came across this streamer below while cruising along Pedro Acharon Boulevard one morning and stopped by to read it. It announces a new ship, M/V Song of Dolly 3 which travels to Balut Island, Davao del Sur from Gen. Santos City’s Makar Wharf.
There are actually existing shipping vessels that go to Balut, but all are cargo ships which have sparse or barely no accommodations at all. This new one has at least, air-conditioned rooms and private showers. It also boasts of “TV and DVD”.
Small Balut Island (size: 6,o47 hectares) with its unspoilt, clear beaches is one destination which have piqued my interest after I have seen pictures of it in this Multiply Site courtesy of the Sarangani Province- Click here.
Sandwiched between Sulawesi Sea and Pacific Ocean, it lies to the right of the mouth of Sarangani Bay, near the tip of Sarangani Province. It is inhabited by Maroris, Sangils and B’laans who speak a combination of Cebuano and Bahasa Indonesia. The nearest Indonesian island which can be seen from afar is only an hour’s boat ride away.
With the availability of M/V Song of Dolly 3 which sails every Tuesday and Thursday midnite to Balut (with approximate sailing time of 4 hours) aside from the other cargo ships, this now makes the island a choice Holy Week hide-away for people on the lookout for vacation places which are uncluttered, sparsely populated and are great venues for reflection and retreat and of course, adventure.
M/V Song of Dolly 3 is owned & operated by Sarangani Transport & Trading Corporation, with office address at RDRDC Building, Cagampang St., GenSan. They may be contacted through telephone #s (083) 552-4435 and 0916-8861726, 0917-7145006.
UPDATE: A one-way ticket costs P300 only. There are no sleeping bunks, I heard, only chairs where one can sit-out the duration of the 4-hour trip. The vessel is owned by RD Group of Companies, which owns the smaller Ulaniban Island beside Balut.
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Bariles is a Filipino word for “Tuna”, the primary source of income of the people of General Santos City which hosts 6 of the Philippines’ 8 tuna canneries and more than 80% of its tuna processing plants.
orman Says:
what do you think – should we go? irving will be here! kakatakot lang sa dengue ever!
Posted on March 10th, 2008 at 10:19 PM
arfel Says:
hey, i have been to ulaniban island 10 years ago. the riveras took us there for a shoot for abs-cbn’s local travel show tuklas socsargen. the beaches were pristine and the water was crystal clear. the current though was too strong for a serious swim…we did not proceed to the main balut or sarangani islands…we ran out of time..we were so heavily guarded that time due to fears for pirates…dunno if such thinf is still an issue these days…being remote and almost god-forsaken (pardon my language) means more purity for these islands..dengue? bring anti-mosquito lotion and nets…i would love to go there again, just for the adventure…right on guys!!!
Posted on March 13th, 2008 at 10:48 AM
dave Says:
hi, my friends and i are planning to go to Balut island this may.. anyone out here who can share recent experiences during their trip to the island? Share your stories regarding where you stayed, food, resorts to go, etc. Siguro naman wala ng mga pirata ngayon dun.hehehehe
Thanks guys.=P
Posted on April 26th, 2008 at 7:18 PM
andy Says:
ok talaga ang balut island. so smooth for vacation especially for unspoiled beaches…tip: go directly to Mabila (maveas) and look for AJM store (owned by Ben Villa) and then, they will help you out and they can suggest where’s the perfect destination for you guys. Good luck!
Posted on June 4th, 2008 at 1:21 AM
My Journey to Balut Island, the Series: On board M/V Song of Dolly | Says:
[...] of Companies has launched a commercial vessel to ferry passengers to Balut island (READ ACCOUNT HERE), I started setting my sights on it, promising myself that it should be my “must-visit” [...]
Posted on July 20th, 2008 at 7:05 PM
BrAvO SiX Says:
sir avel, any update about the voyage schedules to balut island?
balut island looks interesting.. ganahan ko adto kay never been there pa..
Posted on May 16th, 2009 at 12:21 AM
jamal Says:
hi,,,sa wakas na discover na jud ninyo ang balut island,where i was born and i grew….hope isa ko sa mHIMONG TOUR GUIDE ninyo.hehehehe,since related man pud ako course na HRM….
Posted on June 11th, 2009 at 3:03 AM
inday guno Says:
maganda talaga ang balut island my birth place except lang sa mga pirates na ng gugulo. kaya sad ako dahil kahit doon ang birth place ko hindi ko naman na puntahan lahat ng magagandang place kasi hindi kami payagan natatakot ang parents namin baka ano ang mangyari sa amin. so limited lang ang place na pwde naming puntahan sa balut. but I promise myself to go around the beautiful places in balut island when i take may vacation in the phils. next year. na miss ko na rin ang balut island ilang years na rin akong hindi naka punta sa balut sana okey na ngayon wala na sanang pirates or ng gugulo doon.
Posted on June 15th, 2009 at 3:19 AM
Dong Guno Says:
I really hope that the government officials in this place could truly assure its security because one of the most important things that tourists should expect is their safety.. Safety comes first before anything else… I do hope that by the time I come back to this beloved place of mine everything i perfect….
Posted on November 1st, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Dong Guno Says:
I really hope that the government officials in this place could truly assure its security because one of the most important things that tourists should expect is their safety.. Safety comes first before anything else… I do hope that by the time I come back to this beloved place of mine everything is perfect….
Posted on November 1st, 2009 at 11:17 PM
joephine alvar Says:
i really really appreciate my mother land special sa baranggay nga akong natauhan…kahit hindi na develop maganda ok parin sa aking…miss ko na talaga ang balut kc 4 year na ako hindi naka punta.
Posted on February 26th, 2010 at 8:57 PM
josephine alvar Says:
hi…!!! APa kabar semua nya…?kapan lagi saya pulang…tapi saya ada rencana tahun 2014 pulang ke balut..
Posted on February 26th, 2010 at 9:00 PM
tWiNkLe19 Says:
Yah, Balut Island is a must to go place. Try to go brgy. Tagen, we have plenty of free flowing water there, and we have Bato Manamil also that is very nice to climb to. dali na, di jud ka magmahay ba…
Posted on September 21st, 2010 at 11:05 AM