Santa Cruz Island, located only five kilometers from the Zamboanga peninsula and the city of the same name, has long earned the reputation of being one of the favorite places of recreation for residents and visitors to Zamboanga and one of the best beaches in the Philippines. The main attraction of the island is an amazing pink sand and excellent opportunities for diving. The best time to visit Santa Cruz - from mid-January to early March, when there is a dry and warm weather.

Once the island was literally crowded with tourists, but due to the military conflict breaking out in recent years in Mindanao, it turned into a quiet and cozy place .  To get here, you need to pre-book a pass in the Department of Tourism of the city of Zamboanga, because Santa Cruz is a protected area .  You also need to remember that on the island there is an abundance of cafes and restaurants, so food to take with .  No resorts here, and even small hotels .  But it does not stop wanting to see one of the wonders of nature - beaches with a unique pink sand, which the world has only three! This color of the sand has turned due to the mixing for millions of years triturated coral-red organ is with the usual white sand .  The beaches stretching along the coast five kilometers, and next to them, in the tiny settlement of bhajans, there are numerous Muslim burial . 

In Santa Cruz come and lovers of diving - off the coast of the island there are several small picturesque coral reefs and crystal clear waters make it possible to make wonderful underwater shots. Bazil Strait that separates Santa Cruz from Zamboanga peninsula, is the connecting channel between the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea, and thus boasts a huge number of migratory fish species. Underwater scenery is incredibly beautiful! In 1970-80-ies of Santa Cruz often visited by tourists from Germany and Italy, who called the island "lost paradise."

To get to the island is by boat from Zamboanga - the road will take a maximum of half an hour. Also, the city tourism department organizes regular day trips to Santa Cruz.