Tanjay
©
Tanjay

Tanjay

Old Negros Oriental coastal city with a Spanish-era church, plaza, and views across Tañon Strait.

Tanjay is a small city on the northeastern coast of Negros Island, one of the oldest settlements in Negros Oriental. Founded by Spanish colonists in 1580, it served as the administrative centre for a large stretch of the eastern coast long before Dumaguete grew to prominence.

Today Tanjay is a quiet, friendly place that most travellers pass through on the way between Dumaguete and points north. The town centre has a handsome Spanish-era church and a compact plaza worth a short stop. The coastline offers views across the Tañon Strait to Cebu, and the surrounding countryside is green sugar-cane and rice land backed by the central mountains of Negros.

Tanjay makes a reasonable base for exploring the less-visited northern half of Negros Oriental. The city is connected by frequent buses and jeepneys along the main coastal road.

Guide

Things to do

Tanjay is a quiet provincial city built around its Spanish colonial church and small central plaza. Most travellers see it in an hour or two on the way north from Dumaguete, but it rewards a short stop. The Santiago Apóstol Church on the main square is one of the oldest Catholic parishes on Negros, and the plaza in front of it is the social heart of the town in the cool of the evening.

The coastline along the Tañon Strait is the other draw — a working fishing town with views across to Cebu and modest local beaches a short tricycle ride from the centre. Inland, the sugar and rice country backs up against the central mountains of Negros, with the Pagahat River cutting down from the highlands.