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The Mysterious Enchanted River of the Philippines

Does magic truly exist? Are there magical places out in the wilds of the world? This is a question whose answer will depend largely on who you ask. Yet although it is uncertain if magic really exists in the world, there are certainly wondrous places on our planet that certainly seem to make one entertain the idea that it just may. One such place lies tucked away within a quaint rainforest in the Philippines, an achingly beautiful river that has long been surrounded by local legends. This is the Hinatuan Enchanted River, a place where it is said mermaids swim, fairies cavort, and which is indeed mesmerizing enough to make one at least want to believe that magic is real.
Located on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, which is the southernmost island of the country, there is a majestic river known as the Hinatuan River. Meandering 648 meters between the Philippine Sea and the Pacific Ocean at Barangay Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, it is an idyllic, palm tree lined stretch of strikingly clear water like something out of a postcard or fantasy movie. It is a mystical place, marked by its shimmering, crystal clear blue waters, that is steeped in legend and folklore, and has over the years become one of the premiere tourist destinations of the province. So wrapped in magnificence and mystery is this river that it has become known as the “Enchanted River,” a name that one can see is befitting when laying eyes upon it. Here the water is so incredibly clear that it seems as if swimmers are floating in the air, and even down in the deepest parts, one can peer through the dazzlingly clear azure water all the way to the bottom, which is up to 80 feet down in some places. The surface is typically completely placid, seeming as if to be made of glass, and this combined with the impressive clarity of the water indeed gives the place the feeling of being photoshopped even when seeing it in person. Adding to the unreal, magical quality of the place is the plentiful indigenous flora lining the crystalline water, with the glimmering reflections of palm trees and stunningly beautiful flowers cast upon the surface as if floating in space or etched upon glass. The silvery sparkle of scales in the sunlight can also be glimpsed from large fish that cruise along under the glassy sun flecked clear blue water like something out of a fairy tale.

Down in the depths of one of the river’s lagoons there can be seen passages and chasms that branch off out of sight. These underwater tunnels lead down into a subterranean cave system that was only first tentatively explored in 1999, by a cave diver named Alex Santos. In 2010, the caves would further be explored by a Dr. Alfonso Amores, along with Bernil Gastardo and Emgee Guillermo, who would discover numerous underwater chambers, caverns, fissures, and still more tunnels leading off into uncharted territory, and would lead a total of six more expeditions delving into the Enchanted River’s cave mysteries. Amores in fact gave his life to trying to unlock the secrets of the caves, dying of cardiac arrest while exploring a narrow tunnel branching off from a chamber called Mayor’s Chamber, a place 40 meters down in the depths which measures 37m x 31m in size and 8m in height. Exploration of the caves has continued to this day, pushing around 200 feet into the dark, which is thought to be only scratching the surface of the full extent of a vast cave network, and indeed this largely unmapped underwater tunnel system further adds to the mystique of this wondrous place.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the almost mystical quality of this place has long spawned a good amount of legends and folklore among the local people of the area. The water is said to be kept clean and clear by various spirits, faeries, pixies, and other mystical creatures which also act as guardians of the river, and are in some traditions even said to have created it. These fairies and spirits are said to frolic about in the water at night, and the river is also said to be the haunt of mermaids which can allegedly be seen gliding through the clear blue water on occasion. The old legends say the trees surrounding the Enchanted River are the home of enkantos, which are nature spirits, similar to Dryads or Elves, that are typically said to live in large trees such as acacia and balete trees, and normally take the form of pale skinned humans with unearthly beauty. These various mermaids, spirits and fairies are supposedly often spotted by the locals either within the water or lurking along the shores. One typical such sighting was made by a father and son who claimed to have seen two beautiful alabaster skinned women bathing in the river under a full moon, and who disappeared into a whirl of fireflies when they realized they were being watched. Such sightings are commonplace among both locals and visitors. One caretaker and lifeguard at the river by the name of Felecisimo Baguasan said of the river’s alleged supernatural creatures: