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Also known as Enchanted Lagoon, Margues Blue Lagoon.
The place
A deep, spring-fed pool of bright blue water in the forest, a few steps off the highway.
Nature
Traced to its sources since the guide was written.
When to go
Morning, when the water looks bluest.
Safety in Maguindanao del Norte
Mixed, and worth treating by municipality rather than by province. The Awang corridor and the coastal towns see routine traffic. Some interior municipalities carry a heavier security presence and are not places to arrive unannounced. Local advice before an interior trip is the working rule.
The lagoon in Barangay Margues is the town's top tourist attraction: a small pool of startlingly blue spring water, a few steps from the main road, whose bottom no one has reached. Older residents say enchantresses live in it, which is where the other name comes from.
It is not developed. The water flows on into a stream and then the Tamontaka River, and the village has no other source of drinking water, so people fetch water here early in the morning and late in the evening and wash and bathe here too.
A second blue lagoon lies in neighbouring Bitu, 100 stone steps below the highway and a 15 to 20 minute walk away.
Swim, or jump into the deep blue water
Local teenagers dive into the lagoon from above; it is deep and unguarded, so no soap, no sunscreen, and give way to people fetching water.
nomadicexperiences.comCome in the morning, when the water is bluest
The lagoon looks bluest in the morning, but villagers fetch drinking water here early in the morning and late in the evening, so keep out of their way.
lakwatsero.comTake the Isulan multicab from Awang
From Cotabato City, take a multicab bound for Isulan at Awang and get off at Margues Elementary School (the fare was PHP 10 in 2015); the lagoon is a few steps from the road.
lakwatsero.comWalk on to the second lagoon at Bitu
The Bitu lagoon is 100 stone steps down from the highway and a 15 to 20 minute walk from Margues.
lakwatsero.comDatu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte
resort
Precious Cabana Resort and Hotel
Datu Odin Sinsuat
Resort and hotel that hosted a four-day MSSD training, October 2025
mssd.barmm.gov.ph · as of 2025-11resort
Illana Bay Beach Resort
Barangay Badak, Datu Odin Sinsuat
Beach resort registered with the Bangsamoro Board of Investments in 2023; said it would seek tourism accreditation next
bangsamoro.gov.ph · as of 2023-08resort
Amaya Beach Resort
Barangay Kusiong, Datu Odin Sinsuat
Beach resort that hosted MSSD psychosocial sessions in March 2022
bangsamoro.gov.ph · as of 2024-01Named where a public source names them; no rates or availability. Ask the place directly.
Mountain · Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte
A grass-covered mountain near Cotabato City, about a two-hour hike to the summit.
Best: December to April are the driest months (about 20 to 30 mm of rain a month), June to August the wettest
Beach · Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte
A grey-sand beach lined with resorts, and the nearest beach to Cotabato City.
Best: December to April are the driest months (about 20 to 30 mm of rain a month), June to August the wettest
Mosque · Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte
A tiered, pagoda-style mosque in Taviran, one of the last of its kind in the Philippines.
Mosque · Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte
A white-and-gold mosque in Datu Odin Sinsuat, built in 2016, that holds more than 10,000 worshippers.
Best: Dusk, when the white mosque stands out against the sky
