I've been to the Island Garden City of Samal a lot of times but this is my first time to set foot and spend the night at Vanishing Island or the locals call it sanipaan. It is actually a sandbar that disappears during high tide hence the name vanishing island.
This is located in barangay tambo,babak samal,Davao del Norte,Philippines.
There are plenty of ways to get to this place. Once you're off the ferry from Davao city Sasa wharf to Samal wharf,you can directly drive there or hire a tricycle/motorcycle going to brgy tambo then hop on a small boat/banka to get you to the island. A more direct route would be hiring a tour boat from Davao City,Sta ana wharf going to the place itself.
You can either spend the night or roam around the island for a day tour,which most visitors opt to do.
The boat from brgy Tambo cost us
P500 roundtrip, the overnight stay is P2,500 plus tip for the house help.
The place has very basic accommodations. The rental house has three small bedrooms and shared bathroom. A choice of floor mattress or a hammock for sleeping. They do have a good size living and dining area and a small woodstove kitchen. A house help is there to assist the guest with your needs.
Make sure you bring enough food for your stay!
There are no other amenities so just swim,and roam around the island to your hearts content.
There's a big patch of mangroves, home to a lot of aquatics like star fishs and other small fish.The powder white sand and pristine waters definitely makes a nice spot for snorkelling.
By sunset we had the whole place to ourselves. Relishing the moments that you get to be quiet and just commune with nature.
Hightide starts before sundown and the sandbar hides and rests its beauty for the night,and by mid day the sea water recedes and reveals its serenity as if welcoming its new flock of guests for a stay.
