Adventures of Faye

With its diverse cultures, there is no doubt that Davao City is a haven or should I say, a port in a storm in Mindanao for those people who wants to experience modern city life with a touch of traditional and a hint of natural scenery. Malls and buildings are located nearby beautiful and world-class beaches. This City also offers explorable caves and good restaurants offering greet foods with lovely, kind and friendly people around you. Davao City is definitely the place to be!

Davao is also known as the home of the stinky and spiky Durian. Hate it or love this fruit still, the Davaenos loves it and proud of it. For them, the more it stinks, the more delicious it taste. This city is also the home of our incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte. His simple house is located in a small town near the city proper of Davao.

When you are in the city, you will feel the cultural vibe in the city proper and it only shows that even though there are a lot of establishment around the city, they still value and continuously developing their cultures and traditions which is great for my opinion because as what I have noticed in different cities that I had been in the Philippines, most of them are not into their cultures anymore so this is a great experience for me.

Davao City is accessible via air, land or water. Located two hours south of manila via air, you will arrive at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport. Many airlines has a direct flights from Manila to Davao these are Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, and Cebu Pacific.

From the airport, you can take a taxi or you can book via Grab to your hotel. You need to be sure that you take a metered taxi because many taxi operators that are waiting in front of the airport offers a set fares where they will charge you double the cost of the fare in the metered taxi.

 

Here are some places that you can enjoy while on a vacation in Davo City:

1. EDEN NATURE PARK

Eden Nature Park is like a breath of fresh air in the busy streets of Davao City. It is an 80-hectare mountain resort that serves as a home of over 100,000 pine trees. Yes, you heard it right, pine trees. We only know that pine trees are only growing in cold places like Baguio but there are also growing here in Davao. This nature park offers differect recreational activities such as SkyCycle, SkyRider, SkySwing, horseback riding, fishing and treking through the forest. The entrance fee is ranging from PHP 550 for adults and PHP 350 for kids this includes a buffet.

2. PHILIPPINE EAGLE CENTER

Located around an hour drive from the city proper is the center for the Philippines Eagle where they are rescued and captive-bred, as well as other animals such as reptiles and different kinds of birds. There are entrance fee in the center and this will goes directly for the conservation of these endangered animals. When I saw this, I was terrified because the size of an Eagle is bigger than what I thought but still, it is pretty awesome experience that you should also try.

3. MALAGOS GARDEN RESORT

Located near the Philippine Eagle Center is this nature themed park offering butterfly sanctuary and botanical gardens. Beside the beautiful scenery in this place, they are also offering foods for the tourist which is the highlight of the place. Malagos Farmhouse is built inside this garden resort wherein, they sell cheese and chocolates which is for me one of the country’s best.

4. BANKEROHAN PUBLIC MARKET

Davao is the home of Durian so you cannot leave the city without giving a try of this stinky, pungent but delicious fruit. Bankerohan Public Market is the city’s main market. If you are craving for some fresh fruits and vegetables, you can take a jeepney from the place where you are and it will take you here. When we went there, we look for the “Puyat” brand of Durian beacuse tgi brand is known for their truly delicious Durians and this brand is also recommended by many Davaoenos.

5. SAMAL ISLAND

Beautiful and world-class white-sand beaches are located in this place as what I had mentioned in my previous post and this beaches are located at Samal Island. This Island offers various hotel by the beaches where you can stay for a night of days.

Aside from the beaches, other popular attractions include Hagimet Falls and Maxima Aqua Fun that is know for their giant water slide. Samal Island is accessible via 20 minute ferry rede from Davao City.

Here are some tips that you should know before visiting Davao:

1. The best place to buy goodies and delicacies like Pomelo, Malagos chocolates and more is in Pasalubong Center along Palma Gil Street. This is the way of the local government in promoting their Davao-made products
2. Traffic is not experienced only in Manila but also in Davao. You should be prepared for a moderate to heavy traffic coming to and from Samal Island especially if you are doing  day trip.
3. If you want to look for local Mindanao products, handicrafts and souvenirs, you should check the Aldevinco Shopping Center.
4. You you also always remember that the government of Davao enforces a strict rules on smoking in public places and also the speed limit of vehicles so you better know that before going to Davao to avoid difficulties.

When is the best time to visit Davao City?

Davao City has a hot and humid weather like the rest of the Philippines, the hottest months is from April and may then followed by monsoon season which is from May to October. If you are a fan of these extreme weather conditions, then I suggest not going to these months. Instead, try to visit around December to February wherein the weather is not that hot and it id the driest time of the year.

If you are into festivals you should visit Davao in August wherein their annual Kadayawan Festival is held. You should expect that this is the most time where there is the most number of tourist and  expect that this time has also the highest prices of commodities and pasalubong goodies. If you do not have a high budget, you should reserve a hotel room months in advance before your expected arrival.

Here is a video showing some of the tourist spots that you can explore  and visit when you are in Davao City