i have never been to any beach as many times as i did in Malamawi island's White Beach. there was not one summer that i missed going to this beach years back. we would usually go there twice a month during summer. 
the best thing is it only takes about 10minutes boat trip and less than an hour road trip to this beach from the city. isolation on weekdays but one busy beach during weekends. on this year's trip, since we arrived in Basilan on a Friday, immediately we went to White Beach as i knew how people would flock to this beach on weekends.
while doing this post i'm holding one of the old pictures taken there. in the photo, my father, uncle Noli Hizon, uncle Amado Lim, uncle Danny Lim, Danny Tan and uncle Joy Eisma and the rest of the family. my father's usual companions who were there for one thing. snorkeling.
growing up going to the beaches with our father was the major reason why i love the beach. why i love snorkeling, shell picking, sand forming, jumping on waves, picnic, swimming.
photo above shows erick taking photo of the beach coast. photo below shows lawstude checking the sand quality.
but like most part of Basilan, safety remains to be the most important consideration. one needs to check the situation before going there. when one books a ride from the island dock site to the beach, some armed security are usually provided.
this was different from my trip years back. i remember that we would bring motorcycle to the island and drove our way to the beach. at once we even tried walking from the dock site to the beach. after my high school graduation, our whole class actually went by boat directly from the city. it took about an hour.
the beach has not changed much after years. clean water, fine white sand and the sea breeze of the Basilan strait. only some new cottages, new road route, some beach flags. still one of my favorite beach in the country.
how to get there:from Isabela city:
option 1: take a boat trip from Isabela city's boat dock site for Malamawi bound trips. it is just a short walk away from the main dock site of ferries coming from Zamboanga. Isabela dock site to Malamawi pier (10minutes or less). from the pier, if you've arranged in advance for a pick-up, they will pick you up from here for an hour or less trip to White beach.
option 2: rent a boat from Isabela city pier Malamawi bound that will bring you directly to White beach. warning: this can be risky as waves are most of the time big for this route. this less recommended.
important note:it is advisable to check first the situation in the island before setting a visit. i also recommend that you know of someone from the island who can guide you around.
location:
island: Malamawi
province: Basilan
take off point: Isabela city
GPS location:
6^ 44" 45' N
121^ 57" 54' E
27 comments:
the basketball hoop made me smile, i'ts everywhere! :)
must be awesome to be from such a beautiful place.
The beach is really awesome, dong ho, even if I don like the very fine sand, whch stick to the skin. I prefer a bigger granulation. But I like the palms there and the contrast between the sand, see and sky.
wow!! looks more beautiful up close.
wow! ganda ng beach. madami ding bang pumupunta sa beach na yan? para kasing ng nalaman kong Basilan eh naisip ko agad na nakakatakot naman tumambay dyan.
Sobrang pino nung buhangin! Looking forward to explore Basilan someday and to set foot on this beach.
na miss ko na basilan. i cant wait to go back! naka sked na sya first quarter ng 2012.
good memories..
my father is the one who challenged me to swim. i struggled and learned. but until now, I cant beat him. haha
i cant wait to go snorkeling here. and pwede din ba magsurf? mukhang ok ang waves! =)
im going there next month.. kaso mag isa lang ako... wala akong kakilala dun... :)
it's wonderful how you enjoyed your trip and it brings back most of your childhood memories.
Great post! Pictures are very clear as well.
nice jump shot!hello sir oman!!hehehe
really nice to see an empty stretch of beach. sad that it's not easily available due to safety issues.
I would love to parachute into this paradise, quietly, softly. And see what it's all about.
Ang ganda, my hometown is in San Jose, Antiques, it's been ten years already that i have not visited there, hopefully i can do that very very soon with my kids.
Fabulous white beach, beautiful sequence of photos!
Love your shots
I have so much high hopes on a peaceful Mindanao since this part of the Philippines - especially that part in the southwest - has truly stunning coastlines with a great local culture to match.
reading this post n reading between the line i can imagine the fun you n yr photographer buddies had at the beach :)
There's always that one beach that we always need to go back to because it's become a staple weekend getaway when we were young -- at least for us who lived in the rural regions. Nice to look back at memories that were established during our childhood.
thanks for featuring Basilan too!
Ganda!
Pinong-pino pa ang buhangin!
Ang ganda naman ng beach...
sayang ang mga beaches... hindi gaanong na-explore or napupuntahan ng mga turista dahil sa takot and safety.. hay. but on a posotive note, napre-preserve ang kagandahan nito :)
dong nxt time you go there pls inform me so that i can assist you for the rest of you that said basilan nakakatakot this place is far from the war zone i can assure u its safe going to this beach anytime of the day it has a 24 hours security for those who wants to go there just txt me or call me at this number 09167138518 bobby reynera tnx
water and electricity is 24 hours in this white beach malamawi isabela basilan
I've been to Malamawi twice. Just like the author, it is also my favorite beach in the country. I was enchanted and captured by Basilan's beauty and more so, Malamawi. Napakaganda ng lugar. Me too I had the chance to go there on a Friday just last December 2011. Me and my friend are from Makati and first timers in Basilan we were like overjoyed children playing with the waves of Malamawi. The second time I went there, ang lalaki ng waves, already goood for surfing! but still safe for people who know how to swim. The perfect blue sky just took my breath away when I was floating on the crystal clear water. I asked my friend, "Do you want a quick treat?" he answered, "sure, ano yon?" sabi ko look up in the sky, and he said "OH MY THE SWEETEST TREAT I HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!Perfect scenery!!!" :)
I have photos of the Malamawi White Beach here! http://www.flickr.com/photos/thescenerybegins26/sets/72157629083868147/with/6550182191/
Good day po mr. Dong Ho...pupunta po kaming mag-anak on nov 23-26 sa zamboanga city, balak po namin silipin kahit ang isabela city man lang po, pero mas okay po kung makarating din kami ng malamawi island dahil napakahilig namin sa beach...rekomendahan nyo na lang po kami ng makakasama kahit day tour lang po on nov 24, 2012...paki email na lang po ako sa jayshelle@yahoo.com...salamat ng marami...i have bookmarked this page =) God Bless!!!
thank u for ur email mr. Dong Ho =) God Bless!!!
Hi, Dong! I'm a big fan of you and Chyng. Plano ko rin punta sa Basilan and visit Malamawi beach on mar.2 pwede po bigyan mo rin ako ng guide pang day tour lang gaya nung ginawa ni ate Rochelle. Eto email ko eksplorera@gmail.com
Thanks in advance!
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