My Journey to Balut Island Paradise, Part 3: Sabang Sulfur Hot Springs
This is the 3rd in a four-part series on Bariles’ Balut Island Paradise trip last year courtesy of Dolores Hotels and Resorts.
Read the first two parts there by clicking on the links below:
Part I: On Board M/V Song of Dolly
Part II: Olaniban, Enchanted Island
The story on Balut Island Paradise continues….
Now that we have all transferred our things into our two motorized bancas, and with the waves becoming larger, we went on our way and left behind Olaniban Island, which still remained as mysterious and enchanting from afar as when we first encountered it upon our arrival a few hours earlier. Next stop is the Sabang Sulfur Hot Springs.
In a few minutes, we were at cruising speed, passing by Balut Island‘s beaches and thick coconut plantations until we approached Patuco Cove.
That’s our vessel M/V Song of Dolly II loading sacks of copra to be sold in GenSan City. It will go back to Mabila Port to pick up passengers for GenSan later.
Patuko Cove, according to our boatman has been since time immemorial the refuge of ships and boats everytime a storm hits the channel. It is also an entry point of shipping vessels coming from GenSan City or Malita, Don Marcelino or Jose Abad Santos, Davao del Sur. It looks more like a pirate’s cove to me though, straight out of a scene from a Fernando Poe movie. During the time we were passing through, saw many fishing boats at berth, their operators on a brief furlough before travelling out into the sea or relaxing after a voyage.
From there, our two motorized bancas proceeded to the northeast part of the coastline of Balut Island in Barangay Lipol where the Sabang Sulfur Hot Spring is located. After an hour or so of uneventful, relaxing trip, we arrived at Sabang beach which, instead of sand was fully covered with football sized rocks. It was difficult wading through the knee-deep water because our feet kept falling on the crevices between these rocks. We finally reached the springs which were equipped with roofed concrete gazebos obviously for picnickers.
Eventually, we discovered that there are actually two Sulfur Hot springs, the bigger one having a diameter of 16 meters wide. Instead of water though, it looked like boiling bluish mud, with a temperature of 80 degrees celsius. Before the area was bought by the RD Group of Companies, it was used by local folks to dress chicken and pigs before being cooked. The smaller spring on the other hand was utilized as a natural facial spa before but nobody from our group was daring enough to try putting the hot mud on the face.
The group stayed on for a few more minutes to grab some snacks courtesy of Dolores Hotels and Resorts‘ staff until finally it was time to head back to Mabila Port and spend the next few early evening hours at Villalobos or Bullet Island before boarding M/V Song of Dolly II at midnite.
Check out the last part of this Balut Island series by CLICKING HERE.
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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.
Lantaw Says:
nice adventure bai
Lantaws last blog post..Nagsasa Cove: exploring the south side
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 5:22 PM
Samara Fae Says:
Ohhh… you should have tried putting mud on your face. Feels heavy but when you rinse after, you could feel your face firm and fresh. I’ve tried it at Lake Agco years back.
The pool has a weird shape. Is that still one of the hot springs?
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 5:25 PM
dimple Says:
huhuhu.. i miss BALUT ISLAND so so so… the last time i was there, uhugin pa ako.. di ko pa ma appreciate ang ganda niya..
dimples last blog post..STUDENT VISA for the UK Released – April, 2009
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 5:27 PM
Leonard Pe Says:
balik tayo doon ba!
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
BrAvO SiX Says:
wow…! interesting island hopping escapades..
sana magiging regular at dumami pa ang mga sea trips papuntang balut island…
how i wish i can go there…
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 7:09 PM
gensanite Says:
“a promise, is a promise” ka talaga, KUY… ang tagal na nitong adventure mo na ‘to… mabuti na lang at nagka-oras ka dito sa post na ‘to… at tuwang-tuwa ako sa “kicker” mo; “to be continued”… hahaha…
keep ‘em coming, KUY!!!
cheers!!!
Posted on May 13th, 2009 at 8:39 PM
rosilie Says:
Wow! I haven’t been to this place yet. Pwede ba mag adtu ang bloggers dira sir?!!!!
Posted on May 14th, 2009 at 7:17 PM
Edzel L. Rice Says:
Wow, its nice destination for an individual who is looking for underwater activity…aside from unspoiled beaches,theres a lot of tourist spots which you can see the difference from the other places…One of this is Olanivan Island (Lupig pa ang Boracay …promise!)and the Sabang Farm(Daw swimming pool….super init..gabukalbuakl….Ihehehe…..Ive been there because of my recent work there as one of the staff in newly establish business of RD Group of Companies(Sarangani Transport and Trading Corporation)…Its an opportunity to be there for free ….Its a beautiful experience when we went there because of its unique and wonderful place,perfect for ambiance of relaxation…till her..I have so many to tell but i thinks its enough for the meantime..hehehe….se yahh..
Posted on July 23rd, 2009 at 4:48 PM
jai cawa Says:
there’s a new developed beach resort located at Barangay Laker namely Tuke Maklang Beach Resort.. white sand, fresh air, vibrant water, etcetera! the place is astonishing, daig pa ang boracay! but then its not yet entirely discovered ..
( but still the place was totally blessed and with the big help of the Mun. Mayor Cawa , everything’s seemed to be perfect!
Posted on October 8th, 2009 at 11:49 AM
cairo Says:
great to know more about this place! thanks for sharing! would love to be there as well…
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 AM
My Journey to Balut Island Part 4: Villalobos or Marorong Island | GenSan News Online Mag Says:
[...] Sabang Sulphur Hot Springs [...]
Posted on October 5th, 2010 at 3:11 PM
Balut Island Paradise Adventure II: Enchanted Olaniban Island | GenSan News Online Mag Says:
[...] out for the 3rd part of Balut Island Paradise, the Series…. by CLICKING HERE Related posts:My Journey to Balut Island, The Series: On board M/V Song of [...]
Posted on April 12th, 2011 at 1:23 PM
sheen Says:
yah edzel rice. .hehe same tau, ive been there as ur replacement . . super nice place, super lupig ang boracay ever!
hey. . for those who wish to go there. . sakay lang sa M/V Song of Dolly-3, barato lang ang fare. . promiz! i’ll be ur guide. . see yah. .
Posted on August 24th, 2011 at 2:33 PM
girlie Says:
sureness…
Posted on November 2nd, 2011 at 5:54 PM