enTravel

Santa Cruz Island

Great Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited island in Zamboanga City in the southern region of the Philippines that is famous for its pink coralline sand. The island, located 4 km (2.49 mi) south of downtown at the Santa Cruz Bank in the Basilan Strait, boasts the only pink sand beach in the Philippines. The color of the sand comes from the pulverized red organ pipe coral from eons of surf erosio mixed with the white sand.

The island has lost is popularity since the 1970s and early 1980s when is was frequented by German and Italian tourists. The degradation in the peace and order situation in the area has swayed potential visitors dwindling its popularity. The growing articles by bloggers who come to the island has renewed interests to the island.