Davao, Philippines: A Weekend In Samal Island & Davao City

Blogger’s Notes

Travel Date: August 2017
Suggested Itinerary / Budget: Download Here
Solo / Group Travel: Group Travel, 2 People
Planning Timeline: 1 Week
Travel Agency / DIY: DIY
More Photos On Google+, Tumblr, & Instagram

Davao City’s reputation precedes itself. A place that has a lot to offer in terms of tourism is also known as one of the most organized and disciplined cities in the Philippines. It is said that the city’s progress can be attributed to the executive efforts of Rodrigo Duterte, now a controversial president of the country, who started his political career as Mayor of Davao City in 1988.

My visit was an interesting one because Martial Law was still in effect in the entire geo-political region of Mindanao (southernmost part of the country) due to a terrorist group’s siege of Marawi City. Nevertheless, I was very excited to see what Davao has to offer. My objective for this trip was a balance between activities and relaxation.

Here are some details about Davao:

Davao City, geographically, is part of Davao Del Sur province, although it is governed independently. It is the largest city in the country in terms of land area.
Samal Island, on the other hand, is part of Davao Del Norte province. It can be reached through a 15-minute sea transport from Davao City.
Davao City and Samal Island, along with Digos, Tagum and Panabo, form the area of Metropolitan Davao.
Most direct flights to Davao are from Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Singapore. If you are from outside the country, the best way is to fly first to Manila and then to Davao.
The best time to visit Davao is on the third week of August during the Kadayawan Festival.
Davao City is home to the highest mountain / volcano in the country, Mt. Apo, a famous hiking destination.
It is also home to one of the world’s largest eagles, the critically endangered Philippine Eagle. You can have an encounter with these fierce creatures by visiting the Philippine Eagle Foundation.
Davao City is also known for durian and mangosteen fruits, which are widely used in many local delicacies.

Places To Eat

★★★★★ Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort
The restaurant of the hotel where I stayed in Samal Island, they have endless choices, excellent service, and good food. I highly recommend getting their macapuno and durian rolls and crepes.

★★★★★ Penong’s
Excellent grilled pork and chicken! Their pinakbet is a must-try.

*Not much food suggestions since I ate mostly in the hotel restaurant.

DAY 1

Airfare

Our flight was booked through Cebu Pacific during their massive seat sale promo at around PHP 800 per head, round trip. It was booked eight months prior to the travel date. Depending on the timing (the nearer the travel date, the more expensive) and without seat sale promo, a normal one-way airfare would cost around PHP 2,000 for Cebu Pacific & AirAsia Flights and PHP 4,000 to PHP 6,000 for Philippine Airlines Flights.

Our flight was at 7:00 AM which lasted two hours. We arrived at Davao City around 9:00 AM. Davao City is on the last day of our itinerary so we went directly to Samal Island. That would be a ten to fifteen minutes taxi drive to Sasa Ferry Wharf which costs around a hundred pesos and then another fifteen minutes RORO sea transport to Samal Island which costs fifteen pesos.

Davao is swarming with the Philippine Army, which in my observation, actually makes you feel safer with all the imminent threats of terrorism. They have very strict procedures like check your ID, ask your last name, and thoroughly inspect your bags.

Accommodation

I booked our hotel through Agoda.com. The hotel is Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort. I paid PHP 7,000 good for two nights for two people – that’s PHP 1,750 per night per person. There are lots of cheaper hotels in Samal Island like Camp Holiday, but I found really good reviews about this hotel – they have a nice white beach front, excellent service, and good amenities / facilities. I decided to book it because if ever I get lazy and I don’t want to go around the island, I could just chill by the beach and enjoy the sun.

The place did not disappoint. The food, service, beach front, amenities, and facilities all went beyond my expectations. It’s a place that I would gladly give a perfect score on sites like TripAdvisor and Agoda.

The rooms / units are a cross between a cottage and a bungalow. It has a veranda where you can eat (hotel delivers food to your room), work, or just chill, while overlooking the beach and their neatly landscaped garden. Each room has a wide space on both sides where you can have garden activities.

Samal Island In-Land Tour

After lunch, we went on an in-land tour. The island can be toured by hiring a motorcycle or locally known as habal-habal. We were able to hire one for 750 pesos. The destinations were Monfort Bat Sanctuary, Japanese Cave House, and Hagimit Falls.

Monfort Bat Sanctuary

Monfort Bat Sanctuary is the home of a large colony of about 2.3 million fruit bats. According to Guinness World Records, it is the largest single colony of this kind. They are responsible for the pollination of the famous durian fruit. There’s an environmental fee of 10 pesos and entrance fee of 100 pesos per head.

Upon entry, we were immediately greeted by the strong smell of the bat dwellings which somewhat resembles ammonia. The tour guide gave us a short informational lecture before letting us visit the caves. The place is also home to a flock of sheep. The sheep are very antisocial so be careful not to startle them if you want to take pictures.

When I saw the first chamber, I was extremely surprised by the countless bats just hanging on the cave walls. You can barely see the walls. I was so mesmerized because it was something I have never witnessed before. If you are a nature enthusiast or someone who wants to encounter something new, then you should not miss this place.

Here are more details about Monfort Bat Sanctuary:

The place is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Mondays to Fridays. Most visitors can visit walk-in or without reservation within those hours.
Adults are charged 100 pesos while 4 to 15 years old are charged 40 pesos per head. Senior citizens and students can avail of 20% discount, just bring your ID.
Visit their official site for more information and for special arrangement tours where you can view the circadian flight (it occurs right after sunset, when millions of bats fly out of the cave to find food) at www.monfortbatsanctuary.org.

Japanese Cave House

The Japanese Cave House is a tunnel created by Japanese soldiers, way back in World War II which served as their safe house. Within the cave are several artifacts like letters, bullet shells, and bomb fragments. There’s an entrance fee of 75 pesos per head.

The tour guide will ask you at the start if you want to crawl through the small crevices to reach the inner part of the cave. Here’s a warning, if you are claustrophobic or not physically fit, I suggest you decline. For someone who’s very slender like me, I already had a hard time fitting in all the holes. I literally had to lie down and drag myself, though I must say it was a memorable experience.

After around twenty minutes of touring the cave, we went out and had to wash since dirt was all over my body. They offer food and drinks in the area so you can buy refreshments after the cave tour. The place is very aesthetically appealing, one would call as “Instagram-able.”

Hagimit Falls

Our last stop for the day was Hagimit Falls. It’s a longer drive and will take around twenty to thirty minutes. The entrance fee is 50 pesos per person.

The water formation, if I would describe it, is like a collection small water falls that widely stretches from the top to the lower portion of the river. You can actually walk around since the water is shallow (except on the main falls) and walkways are built for easier access. The water has a blue tinge to it, quite similar to Cambugahay Falls in Siquijor.

Cottages are built around the area which you can rent for 400 peso (you don’t really need it unless you will have your lunch there). Small food and drink stalls are also present.

After soaking for around thirty minutes, we left the place and drove back to our hotel at sunset. We had an excellent Tinolang Native Chicken for dinner.

DAY 2

Beach Bumming

We spent our entire second day beach bumming. Sometimes, it’s too exhausting to go around with all the activities. I had a very stressful week at work prior to the trip and I wanted to simply relax and enjoy the sun while drinking some coconut juice. Besides, the beach front of Paradise Island is just too beautiful to ignore.

Paradise Island offers water activities like kayaking, banana boat ride, and jet skiing. There are also ping pong and billiards area. There are regular shows, musicians, and a busy restaurant / café where you can order refreshments. You’ll never ran out of things to do or get bored if you decide to stay in the resort for a day.

In the suggested itinerary, I put some alternative things you can do.

Hike Mt. Puting Bato, the highest peak in Samal Island. You can hire a motorcycle for 1,000 pesos. One way travel is around forty minutes to an hour. The actual hike is around an hour.
Go on an island hopping tour, mostly around 1,600 pesos for the boat. If you are in a group, then it would be a lot cheaper. Just ask your hotel receptionist or the riders around the area.

We had a regular sisig and pomelo salad (which I highly recommend) for dinner. There are shows at night like fire shows. They also have a wide range of alcohol beverages from cocktails to beers to vodka so you can have a chill drinking sessions at night by the beach.

DAY 3

Morning Beach Bumming

After breakfast, we soaked by the beach one last before checking out at noon. We took the usual habal-habal ride to the port and the fifteen minute RORO ride to Davao City.

For lunch, we ate at Penong’s. It was a short taxi ride to the restaurant. The prices of the meals are similar to the prices of Mang Inasal. They have rice meals with grilled pork and chicken. They also have separate orders like bulalo, sinigang, pinakbet, and tropical fruit shakes. The grilled pork and chicken are so good – it’s like an upgraded version of Mang Inasal. I would also recommend their pinakbet – it was excellent.

People’s Park

After lunch, we went on with our city tour. There are several means of transportation you can use to go around – taxis, jeeps, motorcycles, and side-cars. For convenience, we went around with taxis.

People’s Park is a large public park in central Davao City. It was very clean and there were lots of trees in the area. There were also some interesting sculptures around the park which looks like indigenous people.

D’Bone Collector Museum

D’Bone Collector Museum was founded by American bone collector, Darrell D. Blatchley, who serves as the curator. It features a collection of well-preserved skeletons of various animal species from different natural land and sea environments. There’s an entrance fee of 80 pesos per head. A nice, lively guide will tour you through all the skeletons which have some interesting back-stories. You are allowed to take pictures but video is prohibited.

This place is probably one of my favorite spots in the city. I got to see and learn some interesting stuff about the animals and their remains. The sperm whale skeleton is huge! It’s a sight to behold. There are also some bison and mammoth fossils. But my favorite of all the skeletons? The teeth of different shark species including that of a megalodon. I’m a history junkie so you can just imagine the thrill I experienced seeing those prehistoric remains.

Museo Dabawenyo

According to the museum’s website, Museo Dabawenyo is a “people’s museum” that showcases the rich historical and cultural heritage of Davao City through exhibitions in the various galleries of the museum. Admission is free, however, picture taking is not allowed except for the contemporary art exhibit.

A guide will tour you around and give you informative lecture on how the city of Davao was established.

San Pedro Cathedral

While we looked for a place to have some snacks, we passed by San Pedro Cathedral. The architecture of the church is interesting, it almost resembles an ark. There’s also a huge clock tower beside it.

Opposite the cathedral was the preparation for Kadayawan Festival. I would have loved to see the festival but it was during weekdays (I have work).

Apo Ni Lola Durian Delicacies

Before we went to the airport, we visited Apo Ni Lola Durian Delicacies – a place to buy souvenirs or, pasalubong, as we call it in Filipino. The store has a vibrant atmosphere. There are lots of choices from mangosteen to durian candies, jams, and pastries. I would also consider the prices cheaper compared to other souvenir shops I’ve visited in other provinces. Most large packs cost 160 to 200 pesos and smaller packs cost around 25 to 80 pesos. At 800 pesos, I was able to buy three large bags and six small bags of sweets.

We went to the airport afterwards. It took us around an hour to get there. I would say that traffic is also a nuisance in Davao City, so be sure to leave for the airport at least two hours before your flight. Our flight was supposed to be at 11:00 PM but we were able to transfer to an earlier flight of 8:00 PM. You also have to pay a terminal fee of 200 pesos at the airport. By 10:00 PM we were already back in the Metro.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my first Davao adventure. Just because I was able to have some interesting activities and then relax at the same time. The most memorable spots for me are Monfort Bat Colony, D’Bone Collector Museum, and of course, the beautiful beach of Samal Island. I also love the food! I would like to visit Davao again with Pearl Farm, Philippine Eagle Foundation, and Eden Nature Park in mind.

OVERALL RATING

★★★★★ Food
Just like Cebu City, Davao has some really unique food to offer, taste really good too!

★★★☆☆ Culture
There are museums, old Japanese houses and caves, fishing villages, and traditional arts and crafts centers that you can visit.

★★★★☆ Beach
Don’t expect a Coron level beaches but the white beach and blue waters are also charming and laidback.

★★★☆☆ Underwater
Giant clams!

☆☆☆☆☆ Surfing
No surfing spots in Davao City or Samal, you have to go to Mati or Surigao.

★★☆☆☆ Nightlife
I have not experienced nightlife in Davao City but I’m sure there are amazing super clubs somewhere since it is an urban area. I would consider Samal nightlife as minimal and laid-back.

★★★★☆ Relaxation
Chill white beaches, massage, and nature parks.

★★★★☆ Activities
Lots of activities in Davao – from nature to city activities. You have endless itinerary combinations.

★★★★☆ Family
Families will enjoy what Davao has to offer. Nothing extreme would limit any family members (unless you’re going to hike Mt. Apo).