Sarbay Festival 2016

Sarangani Bay Festival is on its 11th year! This beach festival is getting bigger and continues to evolve being one of the best festivals in Philippines. This 2016, SARBAY FEST will be on June 3-4, 2016 at Gumasa Beach, Glan, Sarangani Province.

In 2015, we had over 126,000 tourists with over 800 athletes all over the country competing in different sports activities, with over 150 sellers, 1,000 pitched tents, 21,000 Facebook members, and a tourist spending of over 47 Million pesos.

This Two-Day Summer Weekend engages several sports competitions, nightly parties, and lots of foof and shopping! It also encourages people to support the initiative of preserving Sarangani Bay.

Enviromental awardees during the Sarbay include activities such as mangrove planting, coastal clean ups are conducted by Tourists, Partners and Local Governments.

How to get there

Sarbay Fest is held at Gumasa Beach in Glan, Sarangani Province. You may reach Sarangani Province by plane via Manila, Cebu, or Iloilo to General Santos City Airport. You may also access Sarangani via land travel from Davao City.

To get to Gumasa from General Santos City you proceed to the Glan terminal across KCC Mall of Gensan. Take a Van ride from Gensan to Poblacion, Glan and it will approximate a travel time of 1 hour if travel is non-stop.

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Sarangani Paragliding

PARAGLIDING in SARANGANI

 You ask what is the next big thing in Region 12, we are crossing our fingers — but I believe in a heartbeat, its going to be Paragliding in Sarangani. It is definitely a #1forfun! 

 Who said there is no wind around Sarangani Bay? On the contrary there is enough wind! The big plus is the awesome limestone mountain terrain in Sarangani. SAFI Ranch in Maasim is located right after Siguel river. It a property made of mountains of hard rock and limestone. The awesome part of the place it has cliffs for paragliding and big flat land perfect for landing… 

 I got invited to see the sport. Initially I was seeing Ian Tan and their gang taking lessons with Buko Raymundo (President, Paragliding Association of the Philippines) and Jason Luengo. It looked tough for those training to be pilots. As they lifted their chutes, and begin working with the wind, you sense the adrenelin rush! 

 The group was kind enough to show me what its like. So we headed up the mountain and got ready to jump off the cliff. The moment we got the winds right, on a tandem, we ran and jumped off the mountain to the vast expanse of air. 

 That jump was so good, because the wind lifted us high above the ranges of Maasim and viewing the entire Sarangani Bay from the sky. It was a high- adrenalin, amazing experience! We flew for about 15 minutes that day.

 If you are interested to paraglide, the introductory rate is P2,500 for tandem ride. Its definitely worth the try. 

 PARAGLIDING LESSONS:

 Sarangani is a good flying site for paragliding said Armand Dard, a French national and a visiting paragliding professional instructor.

 “This is my second time in the Philippines and my first time in Sarangani. Last year I did some paragliding in Carmona, Cavite and also in Boracay but this place which I discovered one month ago is a better flight site,” Dard said. 

 The flying site is located at SAFI Ranch 1 in barangay Seguil, less than 30 minutes drive from General Santos City. 

 The flight site is overlooking Sarangani Bay.

 “It has comfortable take off and landing sites,” Dard noted. “It also has big landing site comfortable for beginners and you can fly almost everyday.” 

 For more information about paragliding in Sarangani, you may call 09426204950 and look for Chris Romano. 

 General information 

 GPS coordinates :

take off : 5°57’11” (5.9533)N; 125°4’44” (125.079)E – Elevation : 324 m. 

landing : 5°56’54” (5.9486)N; 125°5’41” (125.095)E – Elevation : 71 m.

 Take off : About 970feet ASL with multiple take-off site facing South-East facing Sarangani bay. a combination of sea breeze and thermal wind condition. 

Landing :  plateu at 200-300 feet ASL 

Going there : It is a private land operated by local pilots. You need to get registered in Sarangani Paragliders to be able to access flysite. 

Weather hazards : Maybe thermic and bumpy during the peak of Sun normally 9AM to 3PM’ish. 

Flight regulation : Airport is nearby about 20-30mins drive. Please observe 1000m ceiling when there is a scheduled airplane arriving/departing.

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The Small Boracay of Mindanao(Gumasa Beach)

Glan, Sarangani Fun for these ladies is lazing around the crystal-clear waters of Gumasa over the weekend with the fine white-sand beach in the background. Barangay Gumasa has a six kilometer-long crescent beach on Sarangani's eastern shore and only about an hour's drive from General Santos City.Gumasa Beach, others called this the Small Boracay of Mindanao or Boracay os South, whatever name herein is the beauty of the beach. The white sand and fine crystal land makes your feet comportable to walk around the beach. 

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Tuka Marine Park

Tuka Marine Park Kiamba, Sarangani

A Marine Park in Kiamba, Sarangani which variety of fishes will be found. The pristine waters make visitors enjoy this snorkeling haven's vast coral gardens located in coves near the town proper.

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4ML Beach Resort

4ML Beach Resort, Maasim, Sarangani Province

4 ML Beach, simple but has pristine water and white sand. At quiet place of Maasim, near from Seaguil Bridge and from General Santos City, there is a place to relax & swimming together with your family. 4ML Beach resort is amazing and another beach to explore from Mindanao. A lot of bacawan where small fishes grow. Virgin Corals are in place where you can see variety of fishes.

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Lemlunay South Point Dive Resort

Lemlunay South Point Dive Resort

Maasim Sarangani Province

The Tinoto Wall, a 10-kilometer coral formation off the Lemlunay South Point Dive Resort in Maasim, along the coast of Sarangani Province, is famous among diving aficionados for its diversity. This giant squid is among the larger species–including Napoleon wrasse, bump head parrotfish, and manta rays—which throng the “wall.” The Sarangani Tourism Industry Association, Inc. (SARTIA), the provincial government and USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program are working together to expand diving tourism  in Sarangani, where dive spots like this are  30 to 40 kilometers from General Santos City. The GEM Program is implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Economic Development Council. 

Lemlunay Diving Resort is a paradise located at the edge of Tinoto Reef at Barangay Kamanga, Maasim, Sarangani Province. For more info, you can visit their website at www.lemlunayresort.com or call them at 083 228 1704 or text them at 0928 5244528.

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IML Ecopark in Maasim

IML Ecopark in Maasim,Sarangani  Province

SARANGANI province’s newest resort rising on a peak in Lumasal village is IML(short for Irineo Miguel Lopez) Ecopark. It is located in an old hacienda now owned by former mayor Aniceto Lopez, Jr. and family. Ecopark is 20 kilometers from the Maasim proper which is 45 kilometers from General Santos City. IML Ecopark is an all-adventure destination, recreation, and a place for vacation. Located on the right side of the 33-hectare banana plantation is a shooting range. There’s a 580-meter long zip-line overlooking two swimming pools (one for adults, the other for kids), a garden, playground, a conference room and private cottages over on the left.There is a restaurant, a display center and parking space for up to 25 vehicles. A bigger conference hall will soon be constructed at the back portion for 300 business guests. The parking lot has five open cottages offering a view of the national highway, coconut trees and the seashore.

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Sarangani Bay Resort

Sarangani Bay Resort

If you're looking for a holiday with lots of fun, sun, sea, sand and more, Sarangani Bay is a perfect destination that offers something for everyone, an aquatic playground that has preserved its natural character, typical charm and authentic beauty. Though Sarangani Bay may not be as luxurious as the usual tourist spots in the Philippines, low prices, friendly people and warm local hospitality will make your stay a memorable and pleasurable experience.

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Braving Rapids of Pangi River

Braving Rapids of Pangi River, Maitum, Sarangani

Maitum, Sarangani (September 14, 2010) - Sports Unlimited hosts Dyan Castillejo and Marc Nelson and other guests stop at mid-stream while negotiating the 1.6-kilometer whitewater river tubing at Pangi River, Barangay New La Union during the weekend. Sports Unlimited, a sports program of ABS-CBN, features different kinds of sports, as well as ordinary and prominent sports figures. 
Lying on the west coast part of the Sarangani Province, Maitum is one of the six municipalities that share the 230-kilometer coastline of Sarangani Bay. From General Santos City, the gateway to the Province, Maitum is 127 kilometers away and can be reached in two hours.   

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Swimming Pool at Isla Parilla, Alabel, Sarangani

This is the swimming pool at Isla Parilla Resort, which is located in Alabel, Sarangani Province.  One of my favorite hang-outs in the General Santos City area.

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Malakahi Water Falls, Malapatan Sarangani

Malakahi Water Falls is located of Malapatan, Sarangani Province. 

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Poolside Malungon, Sarangani Province

Poolside Malungon, Sarangani Province

Malungon, Sarangani (July 13, 2008) – Ms. Malungon beauty pageant contestants pose at the poolside of Datal Bila Waterworld, a resort being developed for tourism near the foothills of Mt. Matutum. Waterworld's project launching Saturday, July 12, follows the opening of another multi-million project in Malungon, the Alferas Leisure and Business Park in barangay Nagpan along the General Santos-Davao national highway. 

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