Things to do in Davao
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Davao
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Coolest and among the driest months, clear Apo views, trails open, with Christmas and New Year price and crowd peaks.
Hot season and the best beach and snorkelling window. Holy Week shuts much of the country on Thursday and Friday.
Wetter months. Mount Apo is closed for annual rehabilitation, roughly June to August, reopening in September.
Durian season, peaking in August with mangosteen, marang and rambutan. Eat durian at outdoor stands only.
Shoulder season: Apo reopens to permitted capped climbing, fruit continues into October, rain stays frequent.
What's on
- Kadayawan Festival through August, main events on the second and third weekends
Harvest thanksgiving honouring Davao's 11 ethnolinguistic groups, with Indak-Indak street dancing and the Pamulak floral float parade at peak durian season.
- Araw ng Dabaw mid March
The city charter anniversary, a smaller civic festival with local events.
- Roxas Night Market bombing commemoration 2 September
The city commemorates the 15 people killed in the 2016 Roxas Night Market bombing at the memorial on Roxas Avenue.
Best things to do in Davao
Philippine Eagle Center
The breeding home of the critically endangered Philippine eagle, in forest at Malagos an hour from the centre.
Malagos Garden Resort
A 12 hectare garden resort with butterflies, birds and farm to table food, paired with the Eagle Center nearby.
Malagos Chocolate Museum
The first chocolate museum in the Philippines, telling the tree to bar story of award winning Davao cacao.
Davao Crocodile Park and Zoo
A local family animal park with very large crocodiles, timed feeding shows and a butterfly house by the river.
Museo Dabawenyo
The free city museum that makes Davao legible, from its indigenous peoples to the Japanese plantation era.
People's Park
A clean, busy central park with Kublai Millan sculptures including the giant durian, best at dawn or dusk.
Roxas Night Market
The city's nightly barbecue and durian market, and the site of the 2016 bombing marked by a memorial.
D' Bone Collector Museum
A small museum of animal skeletons with a strong conservation message about the wildlife of the Davao Gulf.
Where to stay in Davao
Poblacion
first trip, sights and cheap eating
The old centre with the museum, cathedral, People's Park, Roxas Night Market and the Marco Polo.
Bajada
modern commercial base
The J.P. Laurel Avenue spine around Abreeza Mall, with malls, cafes and the easiest taxis.
Lanang
hotels, conventions and airport access
The northern hotel district around SM Lanang, calmer and more spacious, further from the old centre.
Samal Island
beach stays
The island across the gulf for travellers whose trip is mostly water, reached by ferry or resort boat.
Think twice about
- Sulu Archipelago and the southern Sulu Sea
Kidnapping, terrorism and unrest are real risks here. Not part of any Davao trip.
- Marawi City
Terrorism and unrest are real risks here, in western and central Mindanao.
- Western and central Mindanao
Kidnapping, terrorism and unrest are real risks here. Do not route a Davao trip through it.
- Remainder of Mindanao beyond Davao and Samal
A more serious security picture than Davao and Samal. Includes the Mount Apo jump-off provinces of Cotabato and rural Davao del Sur.
Best restaurants in Davao
Benjarong
Royal Thai fine dining at the Dusit in Lanang, the most refined non Filipino table in Davao.
Lotus Court
Old school Cantonese fine dining in the Marco Polo, dim sum at lunch and live seafood at dinner.
MarinaTuna
The tuna specialist serving yellowfin ten ways, from sashimi and kinilaw to grilled collar and tail.
Yellow Fin Seafood Restaurant
A busy Davao institution for grilled tuna belly, pompano and crab fat rice on Quimpo Boulevard.
Blue Post Boiling Crabs and Shrimps
Davao's own seafood boil chain, crabs and shrimps by the bag in garlic butter, built for groups.
Lachi's
A tiny Davao original famous for sans rival and durian desserts, the gentlest first taste of durian.
Penong's Barbecue Seafoods and Grill
Davao's own barbecue chain, charcoal chicken and tuna with unlimited rice at everyday prices.
Bulcachong
A rough and ready legend for dark, rich carabao soup, the one cheap dish unique to Davao.
Outdoor things to do in Davao
Eden Nature Park and Resort
A cool 80 hectare mountain resort of pine forest and gardens, with sky rides above the slope in Toril.
Kaputian Beach Park
Samal's public government beach, white sand and clear water with an honest local family crowd.
Giant Clam Sanctuary
A protected reef where over a thousand giant clams sit in rows in shallow water, viewed by snorkel only.
Monfort Bat Sanctuary
A cave holding the world's largest single colony of Geoffroy's rousette fruit bats, pollinators of durian.
Isla Reta Beach Resort
A simple resort on Talikud Island with very clear water and good snorkelling straight off the beach.
Hagimit Falls
A chain of cool green swimming pools in Samal's forested interior, a local weekend favourite.
Mount Apo
The highest peak in the Philippines, a permitted multi day climb that closes each year for rehabilitation.
Best hotels in Davao
Dusit Thani Residence Davao
The city's most polished international stay, hotel rooms and serviced residences with a spa in Lanang.
Marco Polo Davao
The grand central hotel inside the Poblacion, steps from Roxas Night Market with gulf and Apo views.
Discovery Samal
A large newer luxury beach resort on Samal facing the city, the easy full facility island stay.
Pearl Farm Beach Resort
The Davao Gulf's defining luxury resort, stilt houses over the water on a former pearl farm site.
Seda Abreeza
The most convenient mid range base, a reliable Ayala hotel directly across from Abreeza Mall in Bajada.
Park Inn by Radisson Davao
A dependable chain hotel attached to SM Lanang Premier, ten minutes from the airport and frictionless.
Hotel Tropika Davao
A locally owned garden hotel in Lanang around a big saltwater pool, loved by repeat visitors.
Red Planet Davao
Small, clean, consistent budget rooms near the centre for travellers who are out all day.
Is Davao expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₱2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₱6,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₱18,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Mount Apo: weeks ahead
- Dusit Thani Residence Davao: weeks ahead
- Discovery Samal: weeks ahead
- Pearl Farm Beach Resort: weeks ahead
- Benjarong: a few days ahead
- Lotus Court: a few days ahead
- Book hotels, Samal resorts and domestic flights weeks to months ahead for Kadayawan in August, Christmas and Holy Week.
- A Mount Apo climb needs a permit, accredited operator, guide and quota arranged weeks ahead, outside the roughly June to August closure.
- Book Benjarong and Lotus Court for weekend evenings, and Pearl Farm and Discovery Samal for Philippine long weekends.
Is Davao safe?
- Smoking in public is banned citywide with fines from PHP 1,000, alcohol sale and public drinking are banned from 1am to 8am, and enforced speed limits are 30, 40 and 60 kph.
- Resolve travel insurance before booking, and make sure it explicitly covers Davao and any excursion beyond the city.
- Use Davao 911 for emergencies, follow bag checks at malls, parks and markets without argument, and carry mosquito repellent in the hills for dengue.
Davao travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Never take durian into a hotel room, taxi or aircraft cabin. Eat it at the outdoor fruit stands.
- Samal beaches are good local beaches, not world class ones. Do not let a tour operator sell them, or Eden and the Crocodile Park, at packaged prices far above gate fees.
- Fixed price taxi offers at the airport are unnecessary in a city where the meter is the norm.
Getting around Davao: public transport and more
- Taxis are metered, plentiful and cheap, and drivers use the meter. Ride hailing apps work in the city proper.
- Malagos and the Eagle Center are about an hour out and Eden about an hour, so hire a taxi or car for the day and keep the driver for the return.
- For Samal, foot ferries run Sasa Wharf to Babak, resort boats serve Pearl Farm and Discovery, and Isla Reta boats leave Santa Ana Wharf.
- Fly into Francisco Bangoy International Airport and keep overland legs short, daylight and purposeful. Do not plan long drives across Mindanao.
Who Davao suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Davao your trip
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