Davao City is hailed to be the Philippines’ King City of the South. You might wonder why it is called this way. Did you know that Davao City is perhaps the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area? We were a bit surprised too since we thought that Quezon City in Metro Manila is already large enough.
Davao City is located in the southern part of Mindanao. It has access to the Gulf of Davao wherein the beautiful island of Samal is located. There are a lot of things that this city has to offer, from unique and exotic fruits to getting up close and personal with a Philippine Eagle, and most of all, indulging in homegrown chocolates. Continue reading this Davao City Travel Guide to learn more about what you can do on your next trip to Davao City.
How to get to Davao City?
Davao City is quite accessible to people residing in Metro Manila, and Cebu City, as multiple flights are made available by the three major airlines in the Philippines. You will surely find a flight that fits your budget, and your schedule. Just plan your trip ahead to take advantage of cheaper tickets. Davao City is roughly around 2 hours flight from Manila and a 1-hour flight from Cebu. For that reason, Davao City is definitely a destination tourists from the Philippines and around the world should visit.
Davao City Tourist Spots
The city is home to multiple scenic and culturally rich spots that you can visit while you’re there. In this Davao City Travel Guide we’ve listed some which include the following:
Malagos Garden Resort
Malagos Garden Resort is located 30-45 minutes away from the city proper. But the road trip is truly worth it! You will be greeted by a lush and beautiful garden resort with the friendliest birds of different species, a lot of activities to do, and probably the most exciting of them all? A chocolate-making experience.
Malagos Garden Resort is home to the world-renowned Malagos Chocolate. Compared to other chocolate brands available in the market, Malagos Chocolate is grown, harvested, and processed within the same vicinity! Their award-winning chocolates won multiple prizes abroad and started to put the Philippines on the map in the world of chocolates. Davao City in fact was dubbed to be the Chocolate Capital of the country by then President, and Davaoeño himself, Former President Duterte.
Malagos Garden Resort is also the home to an exclusive spa treatment that is a must-try for every traveler. The Chocolate Spa is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience wherein you are massaged with melted food-grade chocolates instead of the traditional massage oil. You can literally lick your hands and taste the delicious local chocolate.
Aside from these activities, Malagos Garden Resort also allows you to check-in to their rooms. The rooms are a bit pricey which starts at P6,000 per night, but we can say that the whole nature-themed resort is worth it!
Want to learn more about Malagos Garden Resort? Check them out here!
Philippine Eagle Center
Not so far away from the Malagos Garden Resort is the Philippine Eagle Center. The sanctuary is home of the majestic Philippine Eagle, and some more birds, and animals.
The sanctuary gives you an up-close experience with an animal that you’ve only seen in books, TV, and money. One of them is an eagle named Viggo, he’s actually the smart-looking eagle in the newly redesigned P1,000 Philippine Peso banknote. The Philippine Eagle stands at around 3ft tall, and has a wing-span of almost 8ft! This bird of prey may have a mighty stature, but that doesn’t exempt them from the fact that their population is running low due to deforestation, and hunting.
That’s why it is so great to see sanctuaries like these exerting efforts in saving the Philippine Eagle. We were impressed by how natural-looking the animals’ enclosure are, while being surrounded by trees, and the cool climate of Mt. Apo. Generous donors are even sponsoring some of the Philippine Eagles in the sanctuary.
Learn more about the Philippine Eagle Center on their Facebook page
Vanishing Island, Samal Island
While you’re in Samal Island, which is also home to numerous resorts of all price ranges, be sure to check out Vanishing Island! As the name suggests, Vanishing Island appears and disappears depending on the tides. During low tide, a long stretch of the white sandbar is visible that tourists like you can visit.
Riding a boat from the shore is the only option you have. It may take you a 5-minute boat ride to reach it. There, you will see a narrow stretch of white sand and then some mangroves on the other side. The crystal clear shallow waters allow you to walk around and if you’re lucky, or if you have very clear eyesight, you can even see small fish and shrimp swimming around! How cool is that!
Each corner of the small white sandbar is photogenic so be sure to bring your cameras! If you have a drone, it is also an ideal location to fly it to perfectly capture the beautiful views!
Side trip: During your visit to Samal Island, you may also drop by the Monfort Bat Sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to almost 2M fruit-eating bats! It is amazing to look at, but the cave has an unpleasant smell due to the drippings of the bats. The best time to visit it is in the morning.
Best Restaurants in Davao City
Davao City is not just home to beautiful tourist spots that you should visit, but it is also home to great restaurants that will make your trip even more amazing! In this Davao City Travel Guide, here are some of the best recommendations we have:
Balik Bukid Restaurant
Balik Bukid Restaurant is one of the Filipino restaurants you will encounter in the city. But what makes them different is that most of the food that they prepare uses ingredients sourced from local farms!
Their menu mainly consists of heirloom and classic Filipino recipes. What we love the most is their salad made with lettuce freshly harvested from their farm, and the Basil Pesto dressing it came with. The kesong puti (white cheese) they’ve used in it is also sourced from local dairy farmers, and croutons are made from the bread they sell the day before.
Aside from the salad, what stood out is their version of kinilaw (ceviche), homemade bread with white cheese spread, Sinugba at talong (Grilled Pork Belly and Eggplant) and a whole lot more! Their blue rice caught our attention because of its unique color. They added Blue Ternate flowers as they cook the rice due to the perceived health benefits that they provide. It tastes the same as white rice, but it looks different from your usual white rice.
To add further to your experience and sustainability, the interior of the place features mostly upcycled plastic waste. From their placemats to the chairs and even some parts of their walls it features repurposed plastic. Cool right? The restaurant also displays artwork made by local Davaoeño artists so if something caught your eye, don’t hesitate to approach them. Live music and bands also play on selected days as well. Follow their Facebook page to learn more about them.
Vines by Garden Cafe
Vines by Garden Cafe is a Thai and South East Asian Restaurant in Davao City. They mainly serve dishes that are prepared using authentic ingredients to get the best flavor possible.
What we loved in this Thai restaurant is their Thai Green Curry, Pomelo Salad, Chicken Satay, Laksa, and sticky mango rice! They also offer food to go and deliver your favorite Thai food to your hotel. This is a perfect alternative from your usual fast food deliveries or room service. Check out their Instagram to learn more about their menu.
Marinatuna Restaurant
Aside from the exotic fruits that Davao is known for, did you know that they are also producing tuna? We commonly associate tuna to a neighboring province, General Santos, so it is a bit surprising to know that tuna dishes are also popular here in Davao. There are several tuna restaurants that you can visit in Davao, and Marinatuna is a good place to start.
What makes them different is that they claim that they can prepare tuna in 10 ways! That’s 10 different dishes made from the tuna’s head down to the tail. Exciting, right? If you’re a large group then you can order these 10 dishes.
However, if you’re just a small one, we do recommend that you try the classic dishes like grilled tuna panga (tuna jaw), grilled tuna belly, tuna kare-kare, or tuna sashimi. But if you want to try different dishes made out from the different body parts of the tuna? Tuna Bihod (Tuna eggs) or Tuna Bagaybay (tuna testicles) are the ones for you.
The dishes served in Marinatuna are all great, and are a must-try for every traveler visiting the city. Check out their Facebook page here.
Where to stay in Davao City?
Royal Mandaya Hotel Davao
Located in the center of Davao City, the Royal Mandaya Hotel is a good accommodation to choose on your next Davao trip! During the Kadayawan Festival in August, the hotel is a good option since the parade will pass by the corner of the street. It is also near the People’s Park of Davao, and Poblacion Market Central (Good Place to get real Pearls from all price ranges, native fabric, Davao Chocolates, and other gifts that you can give to your loved ones at home.)
In front of the Poblacion Market Central, you will see a fruit market where you can get the fruits that Davao is famous for. Fruits like Durian, Marang, Mangosteen, and Pomelo are available there. They may be a bit expensive compared to other markets like Bangkerohan, but these fruit stands are just 5 minutes away from the Royal Mandaya Hotel, making it a good option for last-minute shopping.
Just like any other hotels, Royal Mandaya offers a breakfast buffet, in-house bar, swimming pool, among other facilities. The prices of the rooms vary if they have a promo. But, rest assured that they are worth it!
See their rooms and available packages here!
Visiting Davao City is absolutely great! It should be added to every traveler’s bucket list. With inexpensive flight offerings from Manila and Cebu, there’s a whole lot more reason you should make Davao City your next stop! We do hope that our comprehensive Davao City Travel Guide will help you plan your next trip.
Interested in more things Filipino? Then this article is for you! Apo Whang Od Tattoos — A thousand-year-old tradition continues or plan another trip in Siquijor, with our Complete Siquijor Guide 2022.
