Raw and wild, Bucas Grande is a paradise

SOCORRO, SURIGAO DEL NORTE—We were warned: the trip going here could take forever. Almost finishing one clock cycle, the journey could mean dozing off inside your vehicle, passing by pot-holed roads and experiencing provincial scenes along the way.

“Are we there yet?,” was asked on an hourly basis, perhaps a reflection of either weariness or excitement.

But as expected, there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Now seven hours on the road on the waning days of blistering summer, we reached the reddish town of Claver, our gateway to one of Mindanao’s best destinations. From there, a 45-minute banca ride took us to paradise.

Welcome to Bucas Grande Islands, where different shades of blue and green serve as an effective killer of exhaustion. It’s the color of sweet escape, too, where all over the place the sweet marriage of blue and green are pleasant for the eyes to see. The truth is, everywhere you look—and I’m talking 360 degrees—the panoramic vistas are just perfect background for a photograph.

APPROACHING PARADISE. Making your way to Bucas Grande is an exciting experience.

Bucas Grande lies in the northern part of Mindanao and shares the famous waters of Siargao. It’s under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Socorro of the Province of Surigao del Norte—a province known for wide array of sea-based activities.

Here, happiness abounds, thanks to the frolic waves, the awesome coves, the white sand on distant shores, the cliffs, the caves, countless lagoons, lakes and the jellyfish.

Bucas Grande is such a bliss.

Stingless jellyfishes make Bucas Grande as their abode, living calmly and peacefully in a solemn cove with waters the color of a posh swimming pool. One has to pass a narrow passage to enter this cove, which could elicit a feeling that somehow you’re like entering a basilica. It was a fleeting moment, but having the opportunity to touch a jellyfish is bliss.