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A natural sandbar-islet rising from the turquoise depths of the Sibuyan Sea, Cresta de Gallo is one of the Philippines’ most breathtaking hidden shores. Belonging to the municipality of San Fernando on Sibuyan Island in Romblon province, this five-hectare kidney-shaped speck of land unfurls two dazzling ribbons of powder-white sand that curve into the impossibly clear water, shifting shape with the tides and seasons.

Uninhabited and undeveloped, the island offers nothing but wind, sun and sea — no structures, no vendors, no crowds beyond the occasional visiting boat. Its slender dunes give way to grassy, verdant terrain and a low ridge that grants sweeping views over the surrounding archipelago, with Sibuyan’s misty peaks visible in the distance.

Reaching Cresta de Gallo demands commitment: roughly an hour by boat from Azagra on Sibuyan Island, through open water that can be temperamental. Those who make the journey are rewarded with a rare, unspoiled purity — a fleeting paradise best explored by day, camped upon by night beneath a blanket of stars.