Description of the attraction
Santa Cruz Island, located just five kilometers from the Zamboanga Peninsula and the city of the same name, has long earned fame as one of the favorite vacation spots for residents and guests of Zamboanga and one of the best beaches in the Philippines. The island's main attraction is its amazing pink sand and excellent diving opportunities. The best time to visit Santa Cruz is from mid-January to early March, when the weather is dry and warm.
Once the island was literally overcrowded with tourists, but due to the recent military conflicts that have flared up in Mindanao, it has become a quiet and cozy place. To get here, you need to pre-order a pass from the Tourism Department of Zamboanga City, as Santa Cruz is a protected area. It is also necessary to remember that the island does not have an abundance of cafes and restaurants, so it is worth taking food with you. There are no resorts or even small hotels here. But all this does not stop those wishing to see one of the wonders of nature - beaches with unique pink sand, of which there are only three in the world! This color of the sand is due to the mixing of red organo coral, which has been ground into powder, with ordinary white sand for millions of years. The beaches stretch along the coast of the island for five kilometers, and next to them, in the tiny settlement of Bajao, there are numerous Muslim burials.
Diving enthusiasts also come to Santa Cruz - there are several small picturesque coral reefs off the coast of the island, and the crystal clear waters allow you to make wonderful underwater shots. The Basilan Strait, which separates Santa Cruz from the Zamboanga Peninsula, serves as a connecting channel between the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas, and thanks to this it boasts a huge number of migratory fish species. The underwater landscapes are incredibly beautiful here! During the 1970s and 1980s, Santa Cruz was often visited by tourists from Germany and Italy, who called the island a "lost paradise".
You can get to the island by boat from Zamboanga - the journey will take a maximum of half an hour. Also, the City Department of Tourism organizes regular one-day tours to Santa Cruz.
