Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Lipata Hilltop

If there is a place in Surigao that one can find solitude and recollection and experience the cool escape from humidity, it will be in the romantic hilltops of Lipata, about 4 km from the city through the San Juan-Lipata Coastal Road and 10.6 km through the national highway.

Lipata serves as the view deck overlooking the city. Travelers loved the panoramic view of the place while traveling.

Then one crazy day, I was possessed with foolishness. Out of curiosity, I climbed the highest peak of the place, alone.


The hilltop is bounded on the east by the underdeveloped Alta Vista Subdivision and the coastal barangays of Ipil & Mabua on the west.

Climbing the highest peak is a privilege for me. Because not all are foolish to climb it alone without any equipments to anchor while struggling to access its steep 80 degrees slope and without any water to quench the thirst. One false move and I know I’ll end up rolling down unconscious. But because of the determination, I went on even if I arrived on top breathless and almost fainting in thirst. Imagine difficulty and that was it.

But it was all paid off. Because I have all the pleasures of sighting the following panoramic views all for my eyes only:


The Basul Island


The city

The aqua-marine farm growing prawns and bangus

The plains

And on the other side of the hill...

The beaches

The panorama

Aside from the panoramic views, Lipata is also a home to:

The Barbers' Mansion

The Almont Resort (formerly Maharlika Training Center and Beach Resort, a government enterprise)

The Lipata Ferry Terminal, gateway to Mindanao serving as one of the RORO points connecting to Leyte, Visayas

Aside from sightseeing, you can also soak under the sun in some of its beaches. And from there, you can proceed to other neighboring beaches of Mabua, Ipil and Punta Bilar which is just a few minutes drive.

There are two ways to get there. One is through the Kinabutan-Lipata national road and the other one is through the San Juan-Lipata coastal road.

If you're coming from the south, traversing the Butuan-Surigao National Highway, you can take the Kinabutan-Lipata road by taking a left turn at the junction in front of the Gateway Hotel. This is the path taken by RORO passenger buses of Bachelor Express and Philtranco going to Pasay in Manila. From the junction, it will take you about 25 minutes to get there.

And if you’re coming from the north islands of Cebu and Leyte, you can take the scenic San Juan-Lipata coastal road from the city proper upon arriving at the city port. It will take you at about 10 minutes to get there.

29 comments:

x said...

wow, nice terrain! those goats (are they goats ba, the white animals? cows?) look cute, too.

pusangkalye said...

OMG...I miss the sea, the green grass and the cows. I grew up with cows kasi so I have a very soft spot for them. Nice pics, nice views...

have a question nga pala.
Of all the places you've been to, what is the most special?

The Islander said...

@acey.. hehe they are cows. white and spotted cows. they look goats because they are shrinked from the distance.

@salingpusa.. hmm... bigla akong napaisip. i think it is the cordilleras (baguio, kalinga, bontoc, sagada, banaue). i love the weather. very cold.

but the most adventurous is yet to be posted. hope my english narratives could justify my experience.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Islander, we're heading home by June for 1 month vacation and were planning to visit a friend in Ozamis.

Any place by you can recommend would be a big help.


posted 2/18/2008 5:44 PM

The Islander said...

if you want to go outside ozamiz, the closest choice would be:
(1) zamboanga del norte where you got to choose either in historic dapitan or touristy dipolog.
(2) iligan, the home of falls and the site of the infamous maria cristina falls and other panoramic views.
(3) cagayan de oro, just about 1 hour drive from iligan. Good for night life as the tourist spots are located afar from the city.

but i recommend dapitan. a mixed historic and leisure area. you should try dakak resort and nature park.

if just within ozamiz, i'm sure your friend knows where to take you. they have this cotta shrine, naomiz botanical garden, and the azcana ancestral house. and in nearby province the misamis occidental aquamarine park, dolphin island, sight of mt. malindang, hoyohoy highlands.

just let me know what do you like to do most.


posted 2/18/2008 6:33 PM

Anonymous said...

I always take bottled water with me everywhere..
and some candies..
for emergency.

nice pics/sights.


posted 2/19/2008 12:51 AM

The Islander said...

it was not planned eh.
i just feel the thrill when i look at the hill and driven with the thought that i can climb it by myself.


posted 2/19/2008 10:27 AM

Anonymous said...

kina-carrer ang photography? heehee. pero kainggit ka, parang you're going to places a LOOOT.


posted 2/19/2008 6:31 PM

The Islander said...

di naman. jan lang yan sa palibot-libot. mas gala ka nga kumpara sakin eh. ako di pa nakakarating ng mindoro at corregidor. haha


posted 2/20/2008 9:12 AM

Anonymous said...

wow.. gusto ko makapunta dyan.. hehe


posted 2/21/2008 12:03 AM

Anonymous said...

nice place. may project jbic jan.


posted 2/27/2008 8:41 AM

Anonymous said...

nice views. just been here once when i took the Surigao - Leyte ferry. kulba lang jud kay dagko kaayo waves. pero it was a nice experience.

miss ko na surigao!


posted 3/12/2008 5:17 PM

Chyng said...

maganda din ba ang sunset jan sa Surigao?

escape said...

ayos yang mga hilltop kasi kahit umupo lang ako sa taas ok na ok na ang araw ko.

The Islander said...

@chyng.. sobra! Mabua Beach has the most suiting spot for the dramatic sunset. Plus the passing boat which is very much a good subject for photographs.

will feature Mabua next time and my takes of sunset in there.

The Islander said...

@dong.. haha! i feel you. kaya nga sa trip na yan, solve na solve ang araw ko. kasi solong solo ko ang eksena. hehe.

pag napunta ka ng surigao, igagala kita sa lipata hilltop.

[chocoley] said...

Oh, interesting deals :) Nice reading.

Oman said...

ganda talaga ng province mo kasi ang daming mai-ooffer. from the beaches to the mountains. talagang makikituloy na kami ni dong sa inyo. mag cacamping kami sa harap ng bahay nyo.

The Islander said...

@dazedblu.. thank you. i appreciate your time spared in this blog.


@lawstude.. haha! wala kaming camping station sa harap ng bahay. pero sige papagawa ako ng kubo sa harap. hehehe.

basta, pag andito kayo give me a call. wala nga lang akong 4 wheels para ilibot kayo around the province.

Soy said...

That last photo looks familiar. I think I've been there before. :)

Anonymous said...

oh wow, i love the pictures, especially that of the goat, the Basul island and the aqua marine farm. this is really a great travel blog, i am glad i came across your page through soy's page.

pamatayhomesick said...

na-alala ko tuloy yung isang place sa tagaytay nung makita ko yung barbers mansion,nasa gilid yun ng bundok,maliit lang ang bahay na design ko,lugi ako dun,pero nagandahan ako,elevated din ang structure..

teka! bakit pala barber's?

Swexie said...

wow! nice shots... i've been to surigao twice on business trips and what makes remember that place is their "jumping salad." =)

The Islander said...

@mam soy.. it is somewhere along the boundary of lipata and punta bilar. sad to note lang that most of the beaches there are already privately owned and fenced out. everything is being paid now. unlike before that you have all the choices where to settle yourself, in the rock formation or in the cottages..

The Islander said...

@betchai.. thank you maam. im glad you dropped me a comment too.

but they were not goats po but rather cows. they just look small because of the distance. hehe

The Islander said...

@ever.. haha! i hope you heard about late senator robert barbers. his family owned the mansion.

haha bakit naman lugi? binarat ka? dapat commensurate sa pagod mo yung pay.

The Islander said...

@swexie.. thank you. *nadidistract ako sa avatar ng blog nyo. haha*

shame on me, but this is my first time to hear about jumping salad. will research on this...

glad youve been here in our place. have you maximized your visit here?

pamatayhomesick said...

di naman ako binarat,tinagbo lang ng contractor ko yung budjet,ayun abono ang lolo mo.he he he,pero yun ang pinakamaganda at simple kong gawa.

kaya pala barber's,he hehe,kala ko sa mga barbero..tao lang po nagkakamali..salamat!

The Islander said...

hahaha no probs. tinakbo?!? grabe naman. gusto mo habulin natin? haha. dali, ano? wag mo kong pigilan, hahabulin talaga natin sya. hehe.