This Zamboanga sightseeing guide will give you a tour of the place known as the Little Spain in the Philippines. You’ll immediately notice the heavy mix of Spanish with the vernacular the minute you talk to any of the locals. Nowhere has there been heavier Spanish influence here in the Philippines than in Zamboanga City.
Let’s begin our Zamboanga sightseeing guide with the natural attractions you’ll find here. Zamboanga has a lot of beautiful beaches that bring in local and foreign tourists. Three of the most popular beaches here are Bolong Beach, the pink sandy coral beaches Santa Cruz Island, and ever-famous La Vista del Mar. Another interesting place to see here is Pasonanca Park, which is also known as Little Baguio. Pasonanca Park is famous for camping and a cool retreat from summer due its elevation of 500 feet above sea level.
We now move on to the man-made attractions in our Zamboanga sightseeing guide. You’ll find traces of Spanish architecture all over Zamboanga City. Some of the surviving structures you’ll find would even date back to the Spanish era. For instance Fort Pilar was built in 1635 to ward off marauders. Today it stands as a shrine that marks a historical site in the Philippines.
Zamboanga’s City Hall was built in 1905. The construction was initiated by the Spanish but was taken over by the Americans when they took over. Five minutes from the city hall is the Pettit Barracks, named after James S. Pettit, a colonel in the United States Army when they captured the city.
Another reason to visit Pasonanca Park, aside from the cool soothing temperature, is its aviary. Located seven and a half kilometers from the city proper, you’ll find various local and foreign species of birds on display. It won’t be uncommon to find families spending an afternoon here.
We’ll now look into some of the delectable highlights in our Zamboanga sightseeing guide. A tour of Zamboanga won’t be complete without sampling the delicacies that make it famous. You can visit any of the alfresco and outdoor restaurants to sample the best of Zamboanga cuisine. Much of the food served are Spanish with a local twist, which is a bit unique in this part of the Philippines. Some of the must sample dishes are pochero, callos de andalucia, and arroz valenciana.
To cap off our Zamboanga sightseeing guide we have the cultural celebrations that occur year round. Zamboanga City is famous for its cultural activities that include enchanting song and dance festivals. The city streets become one of the most colorful ones in the Philippines. The most popular festival here is the Regatta de Zamboanga. It is a festival of many colorful sailboats that highlights a race across the nearby waters.
This Zamboanga sightseeing guide highlights many of the unique features of the city. It is truly one of the peculiar places in the Philippines that deserves the title of Little Spain.
When we think of shopping in the Philippines, it’s hard to get past the idea that shopping only really happens in Manila, and in particular, Makati City. The other parts of the Philippines and the cities outside Manila are known for their natural wonders and as a vacation getaway but nobody ever thinks about shopping when outside the capital. Here’s something that would drastically change that thinking.
Zamboanga, located in the far south of the Philippines boasts not only of natural wonders that provide an ultimate adventure vacation for the whole family, shopping is also very much possible in this region. Zamboanga shopping is slowly but surely making its way as one of the things to do in Zamboanga City and aside from being a big plus for tourists, the locals now have somewhere to go to where they can buy just about anything under the sun.
Zamboanga shopping would not be complete unless we discuss a brief history of how it started. Zamboanga shopping encompasses not just a couple of B class malls, Zamboanga City is in fact home to the tallest mall in the entire country. Zamboanga shopping initially just started with 5 malls and being smack in the middle of commerce in this region has helped in its growth. The very first shopping mall in the history of Zamboanga shopping, the Alta Mall, was closed after 16 years in 1996 when its parent company split into two and its CEO died. Now, the Huylian Development Corporation, opened Shoppers’ Mall and this 10 storey commercial building found on Climaco Avenue in Zamboanga City is among the favorite places to go to during weekends by the locals.
Of course when we talk about Zamboanga shopping, it’s not only Shoppers’ Mall that we mean. Shoppers’ Mall, is fully owned and managed by the Shoppers’ Chain of Stores Inc., and there are two other malls within the vicinity that shoppers can enjoy. In fact on the same street as Shoppers’ Mall, Shopper’s Plaza and Shopper’s Emporium can be found and they are all home to cinemas, groceries, dozens of stores that sell specialty items, a department store that serves as a one stop shop and several restaurants that would have anyone’s mouth water.
Shoppers’ Mall however is not the biggest mall in Zamboanga City. In fact, the biggest mall in the capital of Zamboanga is Mindoro Citimall. The items sold here are more affordable than at Shoppers’ Mall.