The Kadayawan Festival is one of the best times to visit the City of Davao, not only because of the festive atmosphere all over the city, especially during the Indak Indak sa Kadalanan (street dancing) on August 21 and the Pamulak Parade (floral float parade) on August 22, but basically because of the abundance harvest of fruits displayed and sold along many of the city’s streets.
Davao’s shopping malls and nightlife may be among the top attractions of the city, but since local and foreign tourists are in the city to experience Davao’s natural attractions, here is a comprehensive guide to Davao City’s top destinations.
A survey on the 2009 Kadayawan Tourist Profile conducted by the Regional Development Council and supported by the JICA under the Davao Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (DICCEP) shows that 70 percent of male visitors (tagged as the biggest spenders during Kadayawan with 42% spending more than P10,000 during the festival) considered the city’s beaches and natural beauty as the main motivator for visiting the city. Next on the list of motivators are Davao’s food experiences, shopping malls and nature adventure.
Research shows that while the average tourist spends between three to five days in the city, 10 percent spend more than a week in Davao to explore its environs. At least 40 percent of the visitors surveyed suggested additional attractions on agri-tourism and farm life, followed by theme parks and adventure tourism.
This guide is based on the results of the survey, with the end goal of making it a handy guide for the Kadayawan tourist. Here are our suggested destinations for tourists.
Malagos Garden Resort, to be one with nature
While this destination started the Kadayawan Festival with a big bang through the fully-packed Malagos Farm Fair last August 7 and 8, it still holds a lot of attractions for tourists. The attraction of farm life is evident with the over 3,000 local and foreign tourists who flocked to the Malagos Farm Fair last week. The predominantly Korean tourists to the Farm were amazed by the area’s flora and fauna, particularly the majestic cutflowers produced by the Puentespina Orchid Farm.
The almost nine-hectare Orchid Farm can now be viewed by visitors by merely purchasing P50 worth of plants from the Malagos selling area. Visitors can expect a variety of orchids and flowering plants such as Dendrobium, Phaleonopsis and flowering ornamentals. The Orchid Farm’s watering and canal system makes use of rain and natural waterways to work for the farm. As Dr. Roberto Puentespina puts it, “We try to manage the farm sustainably to maximize our resources.”
“Puentespina’s orchids are highly exportable, but we do not have enough volume to meet international market demands,” he said. Filipinos have come to appreciate the value of flowers for gifts, such that demand for cutflowers in the local market has increased.
The beauty and abundance of Malagos Garden Resort’s flowers is exhibited annually through the Pamulak Kadayawan. In fact, Malagos Garden Resort won the big float category during the Pamulak Kadayawan 2009. The Malagos float has always been a favorite among locals and tourists who flock to the float for their souvenir photos.
Malagos Garden Resort, which is a 12-hectare nature-themed resort that advocates sustainable development, is adjacent to the Orchid Farm and the Philippine Eagle Center, allowing visitors to maximize their visit in the area. It is about 27 kilometers from the city, equivalent to a 30 to 45 minute ride by car, bus or jeepney. Tourists can also hop on on any of the All Aboard Hop On and Hop Off vans at an estimated fare of P50 from Bankerohan to Calinan. The vans will drop passengers off right in front of the resort.
The resort is known for its wildlife conservation advocacy, so much so that it is usually the recipient of injured animals that have no chance of surviving in the forest. Tourists with children should time their visit to Malagos Garden Resort on Sundays, when the Interactive Bird Show is held regularly. This is a full-production birdshow which educates the visitors on the simple ways they can help protect the environment.
There are at most 75 birds belonging to 10 species that perform during the show, either individually or in groups. Visitors can also interact with the birds and their handlers after the show. But more than the birds, one can also expect other animals from the resort including ostriches, pheasants, raptors, ducks, fowls, guinea pigs, rabbits, goat and sheep and miniature horses among others.
The resort offers two Presidential Cottages, five Family Cottages, 21 Multiple Family Cottages, one Narra Hall and overnight camping tents. It has two restaurants, (Koi and Garden Restaurants) and a café (View Deck Café).
While admiring the beauty of nature can occupy most of one’s time here, the resort also offers other activities like horseback and calesa rides during weekends, butterfly release at the Dome and Butterfly Sanctuary, bird feeding and waling-waling planting.
And when it’s time for one to go, pasalubong and souvenir items can be had from the resort, including cacao products (from their very own cacao plantation) like tableya packs; coconut by-products like soap, foot scrub, massage oil and virgin coconut oil cream, a choice of 16 different cheeses which are produced right on the farm out of milk produced by their dairy goats and of course, the Bignay Wine which come from the Bignay Trees grown in the resort.
Davao Crocodile Park, interacting with cold-blooded creatures
If you are fascinated by these cold-blooded animals that can store 10 to 15 pounds of stone in their stomach to keep them submerged for longer periods, then a visit to the Davao Crocodile Park is a must.
Although the park is far from the downtown area and not as accessible for those without private transportation, it has become a favorite destination, especially among schools for their field trips. Those coming from the airport may board the All Aboard and get an affordable ride to the park. Thanks to owner Philip Dizon’s fascination for saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, Dabawenyos and tourists alike can now have a closer interaction with the intelligent reptiles, albeit from a safe and more comfortable distance.
This attraction boasts of a state of the art crocodile farming system with the most modern facilities and equipment. Entrance fee to park is P150 for adults and P75 for kids, which already includes entry to the Butterfly House, the Crocodile Park and Tribu K’Mindanawan. Senior Citizens get a free tour of the park on Tuesdays.
Visitors should schedule their visit every Friday, Saturday or Sunday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. if they want to witness the crocodile shows, including the Wildlife Encounter Educational Show, Crocodile Dancing, Pangil Encounter (Giant Crocodile encounter), Crocodile Frenzy, Tightrope Walking and Wildlife Encounter Interactive.
But there’s more to the park than its crocodiles headed by Pangil, dubbed the largest, even the oldest crocodile in the park. One can also experience the thrill of feeding tigers Datu and Sheeba, or interact with the other animals.
To ferry visitors from one part of the park to the other attractions is Eco Trans, a zero carbon emission vehicle that is truly environment friendly.
Eden Nature Resort, paradise rebuilt
A visit to Davao City will not be complete without experiencing the exhilaration of trekking to a destination 3,000 feet above sea level. I am talking about Eden Nature Resort, which used to be a logged-over area in 1971 until its owners saw its eco-tourism potential.
A visitor once told me it is amazing to see pine trees in this part of the world and he meant Eden, although I also espied some pine trees at the Malagos Garden Resort last week. Eden actually has over a hundred thousand grown pine trees spread all over the 80-hectare resort. What is amazing about Eden is that it is 95% man-made, making it an ideal model for how man can recreate and rebuild a destroyed environment.
Eden provides tourists an authentic mountain experience with all the thrills, minus the sweat of going up! While Eden is far from the city proper, tourists can easily flag down a taxi or rent a car.
The adventurous ones will be able to get their fill of breath-stopping activities like the Skyrider, Eden’s version of the zip line. Imagine yourself gliding down a 200-meter long steel cable suspended 20 meters from the ground between two steel towers, while enjoying the city’s spectacular view! The whole family can also go on a Mountain Trail following the four-kilometer winding trek offered by Eden’s rain forest.
What swept me off my feet when I first came to Eden when it was still being developed by lawyer industrialist Jesus V. Ayala a decade ago, was the ampitheater. First-timers to this biblical garden will surely fall head over heels in love with the rice terrace-like garden. At this place, heaven seems within one’s reach.
Bluejaz Resort and Waterpark, where a giant slide beckons
A visit to Samal Island is always on top of the list of every tourist visiting Davao City. One of the emerging tourist destinations in Samal is the BlueJaz Resort and Waterpark. The resort is a few minutes by boat from the Sasa Wharf. One can also get closer to the island by taking the bus or renting a car and then boarding the barge going to Samal Island.
Entering Bluejaz from the boat and from the land brings on different experiences. The trek down to the resort from the main gate using a car, especially at night, gives one a different feeling about the resort because of the fantastic view down below. Disembarking fro the boat and feeling the sand massage one’s bare feet while passing by the colored buntings along the resort entrance is also equally unforgettable.
“I used to believe that we had the longest water slide in Southern Philippines, but Diane Castillejo (a known athlete and journalist) corrected me and said we in fact have the longest water slide in the Philippines,” said Bluejaz owner Richard Middleton.
Bluejaz actually has not one, but two giant water slides measuring 130 meters long. One can actuallt feel his/her hear skip a beat while taking on the serpentine-like ride that drops 30 meters from the top. Surprisingly, the drop is actually smooth, thanks to the special technology used by Whitewater Industries of Canada when the slides were designed.
The resort offers a lot of choices for tourists, whether one is alone, with someone or with the entire family. If the giant slides seem too much for the kids, then there is always the smaller slides, three in all, for thrm. Adults can also enjoy the infinity pool.
During the Kadayawan Festival, Friday night, August 20, is the best time to go to Bluejaz because this is the time they usually have the bands and the fire dance.
These four destinations are not the only attractions a visitor finds in Davao City during the Kadayawan Festival. They provide a taste of what this part of the region has to offer—a bountiful harvest of nature’s blessings—sea, sun, animals, fruits and people. So many wonderful sights and things waiting to be discovered!
