Templo Chusonji de Hiraizumi

One of the things we love at the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa is to enjoy our 7 swimming pools are our Asian luxury resort. However, today we are going to bring you to the Philippines to an enchanted place, the River Hinatuan.

This river is also known as Jinatuan, located in the northeast of the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, and it runs through the heart of a dense jungle.

However, it is not a normal river, as it is a salt water river and most of its riverbeds run underground, for that reason it is not considered a river by many, especially local people, as they think the river is enchanted due to it “coming out of nowhere” and its salt water.

The Hinatuan river rises to the surface just before flowing into the Pacific Ocean, and its water is a clear turquoise blue. It looks like a piece of paradise resembling a small beach where the people of the area swim and believe its water to be magic.

It is not exactly known why this river carries salt water, although many people think that it is due to its complex underground cave system which takes water from the sea, cleanses it but keeps its salt and that explains such pristine water.

Legend has it, and the locals believe, that the river was created by what we know in the west as fairies and elves.

Another one of its main attractions are the wide range of fish and other creatures that live in its deep waters. This is a very popular area for divers, scuba divers and explorers.

An interesting thing for swimmers, divers and scuba divers to take into account, is that at 12 p.m. a bell rings for everyone to exit the water, as it is when the fish living in the area get fed.

In order to reach this spectacular and “magical” place, you must travel 14 kilometres from Surigao, over land and jungle that up until very recently was untouched by men and that nowadays has been altered to accommodate tourists. Now, there is a wooden bridge, a small pier and some parasols.

After this, you probably feel like swimming in pristine waters. We invite you to come to the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, an Asian luxury resort where there are a range of pools for you to enjoy and relax. Come in for a cool dip!