Enchanted River — Attraction in Hinatuan

Late review (because I had visited Hinatuan on a late notice and I had just finished pending office work):

One for the books.

We came from an island hopping trip, this one's our last stop: the Enchanted River. There are two entry points, the other one is the main one, ours was thru the riverbank by bangka. We logged in the entrance tent by putting our names and paying the P100 fee, which should cover entrance, environmental fee and life vest use. The latter, a must, is for safety of course since the water is a bit deep and the current is relatively strong. We brought and used our own, to ensure we follow health protocols but we didn't get any discount. Hehe.

The main attraction, which has the I-cannot-see-the-bottom deepest pool, is prohibited to all visitors but you can still take pictures of it from good angles on some platforms. The Sun wasn't really high up because God is good and He gave us cloudy but good weather. Also, trees are abound so they shade out sunlight from the rivergoers.

Afterwhich, we settled our stuff on a cemented gutter, just alongside the pedestrian path at one side of the river. Huts were at the second level but we didn't bother. Some life vests were lying along the path, probably from other tourists who had left earlier and were 'kind enough' to leave it there for the next users. I believe there's no corkage, albeit I didn't see any food/beverage counters selling within the park. Suggestion: bring in your own food and water. CLAYGo, of course.

Careful in going down the pool steps as some parts are rocky. Barefooting is okay since you will be floating and swimming almost all the time in the water. Temp check: 25 degrees Celsius. Cool. Blue. Refreshing. Suggestion: once in the water, try to get through the ropes and to the other side of the river. Less people, more space to try your swimming skills.

After 30 minutes of water fun, it's time to go. Took some pictures before a 15 minute hike uphill (downhill for you if you're going in from the usual entrance spot lol)Shuttle is okay but we're adventurers and we need to burn the calories from the baon we ate earlier. Then up the road, there are stalls selling souvenirs like shirts, ref magnets, keychains, etc. If you're persuasive, you can haggle and lucky to get discounts/better prices. More up ahead were cars and vans parked as the local authorities usually don't allow parking inside the park itself ( oh so that's why they have that shuttle hehe). More up ahead, there's this construction of the head of Enchanted Goddes or so. We need to hike a little bit more to Hinatuan Adventure Park (HAP), which we were staying at and is just a stone throw away from the Enchanted River entrance. Please check my Gmaps review of HAP as well.

A suggestion: stay at Hinatuan Adventure Park. They have WiFi there! You can ask them to plan other sidetrips as well to make sure Hinatuan experience is going to...

I just saw this picture way back in 2013 on one of my friends post in Facebook, . from then on, I promised to myself that one of this day I will be stepping my feet on this tourist spot and I will experienced its clear water and swim on it.

and then in September 2014 i was given a chance to finally made my dream come true and this is to visit this place. I am very excited it came to a point that when I first step my foot on this place my heart is palpitating and then all I wanted was to take pictures. we were lucky since we visit the branch not peak season, there were only few tourist on the area, we were able to swim on the deep part of course with our life jacket on since we don't know how to swim (duh!!) fishes are also visible and as far as I know this is the best water resources I've been so far. there is a area which is prohibited and as what the caretaker told us only for professional divers are allowed to enter beyond that point.

at exactly 12 noon all tourist were asked to go out of the water because they were having their traditional fish feeding. i personally witness it and we were very amazed that when exactly 12 noon they play an enchanting music and then little by little fishes were going above of the water, there was this man throws food on the fishes. other locals told us that fishes on that area is sacred, they were not allowing to catch fish there. because they believed that once you catch the fish a bad luck will happen to you.

also there is an available store on where they were selling fresh seafood and you chose what kind of dish you want and they will cook it for you.

What I noticed is that during peak season you will not enjoy the placed because I am sure that there were lots of tourist coming there, since the area is very limited and the space is not that big, there will be shortages of swimming area, also life jackets were very limited. but among all, the experienced is one of a kind and given a chance I will surely come back...

A truly enchanting experience! The brackish water is soooo clean and clear and cool and refreshing. But for safety reasons and prior accidents/incidents in the bluest part of the river in the past (the depth of which is still unknown; deepeat count was 250m), it is now cordoned off and guests are not allowed to swim in it anymore. Flora and fauna thrive well in the area. Comfort rooms are available.

All the people in the park from the Registration area to the actual site of the river were all polite, friendly and helpful in every way. Even the manang in the CR provided assistance with a genuine smile. The life guards along the river also helped provide information that we needed to appreciate the place better, although, an orientation for every visitor/group is given before riding the shuttle to the enchanted river.

It now has very good facilities from souvenir shops to a dining hall teeming with dining options unlike during the pre-pandemic when all one could have was instant coffee. The fresh seafood paluto was reasonably priced and all the dishes were delish! Lobsters at 1800 per kilo. Crabs at 900 per kilo. Imbaw shells are really great for soup. Fresh fruit shakes are also available.

Life vests are provided upon entry to the river, just leave a valid ID for each. It is free. One would also feel safe having a PNP post at the entrance to ensure order and safety.

The river is relatively short, less than a 100 meters out to sea where a Boat Station awaits for those availing of 2-hour-or-so "island hopping" experiences.

Note that the seemingly calm waters may be deceiving as the current can be strong so wearing a life vest is a must even by those who know how to swim. There are ropes and buoys in the river to guide swimmers. I strongly recommend wearing aqua shoes as the descent to the river has sharp stones and rocks and so is the botttom of the river, at least where you can touch it on the...