0 TRIP ITINERARY: GETTING TO AND FROM BISLIG CITY VIA BANCASI AIRPORT IN BUTUAN

At the Bislig Marker in Bislig Baywalk

Bislig City is said to be the "Booming City by the Bay" and I couldn't disagree more because this growing City has a lot of things to offer. Although one of my favorite places in Surigao del Sur is not really part of Bislig yet this is the closest place you can stay with numerous inns and hostels.

Enchanted River is the main reason why I wanted to visit Surigao del Sur. I have no idea how to get here and haven't set foot in Mindanao. When I was college I saw a picture of this magical river and I didn't know that it can be found in the Philippines. I thought it was somewhere in Europe or in Americas. Geeesh! I must explore the Philippines more. Anyway, make the story short, I promised to visit this place someday and I wanted to make it happen right on my very special day! And of course when I have work to finance my travels.

The time has come to witness its real beauty right before my eyes, thanks again to piso-fare promo. I was able to book a flight at a lower price. I learned Bancasi Airport in Butuan City is the closest airport to get to Bislig City, although Davao would be another option but land transfer takes longer time to travel compared from Butuan.

Bancasi Airport in Butuan

R4 mini cab.

Cramped! This mini-cabs are just like in MOA.

HOW TO GET TO BISLIG CITY FROM BUTUAN:
Don't be confused with Mangagoy (Ma-nga-goy) and Bislig, they're just technically one place. So either you say Mangagoy or Bislig, drivers will drop you off in one place. Mangagoy is one of the Barangays of Bislig City but here where most of the transient houses and establishments are situated. Therefore, it would be better to say you are going to Mangagoy if you are coming from Butuan.

We arrived at Bancasi Airport (Butuan) around 9 AM, then we rode an R4 mini-cab to get to the terminal where you can find vans that will bring you to Mangagoy. Please note that there are plenty of mini-cabs parked at the airport, those vehicles have different signs (R2, R3, R4 up to R12). "R" means road, and make sure to ride the R4 as Road4 passes through the city terminal.

Cool mini-cab graffities.

These are the vans piling outside the terminal.

Also do not entertain people that offer van for hire at the airport because it would cost you more money. I'm not saying those are illegal, those are private vans for hire.

VIA VAN:
When we arrived at the terminal, the driver dropped us right in front of the van bound to Mangagoy. There are other vans bound to Barobo and San Franz. By the way you also have an option to ride van bound to San Franz, and then from San Franz you can ride another van bound to Mangagoy. As of this writing, fare is 240 PHP (Butuan - Mangagoy). And because we were cramped with four people per row I asked the driver if I could pay another seat. The travel time is 4 hours and they actually dropped us off right in front of Tyffany's Inn where we stayed in Mangagoy.

This is the van waited for us bound to Mangagoy.

Photo op inside the van, when boring strikes. :)

Cramped, and so cramped ride. Thanks I paid another seat.

VIA BUS:
Bachelor Express is your choice. You can also ride an R4 from the airport and tell the driver to drop you off at Bachelor Express Terminal. They have buses that travel straight to Mangagoy. Travel time is 5 - 6 hours so if you are not in a hurry and you just want a relaxed road trip then taking bus is perfect for you. And likewise as van, you can also ride this bus bound to Davao just in case no more trip to Mangagoy, then alight at San Franz (San Francisco), then you can find van there that travels to Mangagoy.


MANGAGOY/BISLIG BACK TO BUTUAN:
You can ride a tricycle and tell them to bring you at the terminal. Note that if you wish to ride a van that go straight to Butuan for a hassle-free travel then you have to be at the Mangagoy terminal early in the morning before 10 AM. Otherwise, you can ride van bound to San Franz then from San Franz, another van bound to Butuan like we did.

Somewhere in Agusan del Sur en route to Surigao del Sur

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post is part of my Bislig, Surigao del Sur Trip happened on my birthday July 26 - 29, 2015. And this is my first time to set foot in Mindanao.

■ Trip Itinerary: Getting to and from Bislig City via Bancasi Airport in Butuan
■ Staycation Guide: Where to stay in Bislig City/Mangagoy
■ The Enchanted River
■ Sibadan Fish Cage
■ Tinuy-an Falls
■ Hagonoy Island and Bon-bon sandbar
■ Hinayagan Cave
■ Staycation in Bislig City
■ Where to eat in Mangagoy