Fish Fiesta at Noon
Several species of fish are found in this river and they are tourist-friendly. They are so used to people that they will either just ignore the tourist they will try to get close – thinking that they will be fed.
Come noon, the caretaker will ring a bell coupled with the playing of Hinatuan Hymn through loudspeakers. This will signal to the fishes that it’s lunch time!
Upon hearing the bell and the music, many really BIG fishes will ascend from the deep blue hole. The caretaker will then throw fish food which will induce huge splashes of water as the fishes hungrily feed.
Watch the video here:
Some Basic Info:
• The entrance fee is Php 30 (the best 30 pesos you’ll ever spend!)
• Picnic Huts are available for Php 100 pesos each.
• Life jackets can be rented at Php 15 per hour.
• Shower areas, changing rooms and comfort rooms are also available.
• You may bring your own food or you may purchase from the restaurant inside. Also, you can purchase cheap and fresh seafood from the fishermen themselves. You can also ask them to cook it for you. It’s delicious and convenient plus it’s a big help for the local fishing industry.
• No overnight swimming, please (unless you want to be included in the long list of the river’s mysteries).
• Boats can be rented for an island-hopping tour.
How to Get There
From Butuan City:
From Butuan City, you may take a bus or a van going to Mangagoy, Bislig. Ask the driver to drop you off the Hinatuan Terminal. Travel time is about 4-5 hours.
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From Davao City:
From Davao City, you may take a Bachelor bus from the Ecoland Terminal going to Mangagoy, Bislig. Ask the driver to drop you off the Hinatuan Terminal. Travel time is about 4-5 hours.
From Hinatuan terminal, you can rent a habal-habal for about 300-400 (depending on how good you can haggle) for a roundtrip ride. It can accommodate up to 3 persons. The ride is about 40 minutes to 1 hour of rough roads, so expect things to be both scary and fun!
