20 THINGS TO DO IN SAMAL ISLAND, DAVAO | Tourist Spots

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |  Tourist Spots

SAMAL ISLAND, DAVAO

One of my favorite destinations each time I travel to Davao.  Recognized as the beach of Davao City, Samal Island is only a few minutes away by ferry from  Davao City, Philippines. Samal Island offers a wide array of exciting activities to delight every visitor.

THINGS TO DO SAMAL ISLAND, DAVAO | TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |   Tourist Spots

Bluejaz Beach Resort and Water Park

Bluejaz is one of the prime resorts on Samal Island. One of the most exciting features of  Bluejaz is its gigantic slides which are 130 meters long and consist of two serpentine flume rides that drop 30 meters from tip to underside. These slides are also one of the most anticipated adventures for the guests who want to go deep and watch nature beyond the surface of the sea.

Contact Details (24/7): 082 284 2000 / 0998967 8001 / 0998967 8002 | Website: http://www.bluejaz.net/

Biking

Samal Island is characterized by an odd distribution of lowlands, wide sweep of mountain ranges and few isolated hills, making it a favorite to many adventure and bike enthusiasts.

Walk

Samal has a total land area of 30,130 hectares making it a great spot for walking. You can get virtually everywhere around the island to discover the unbeaten paths.

Habal-Habal

Exploring the Island is more fun because its main mode of transportation is Habal-halal (motorcycle).

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  | Tourist Spots

Maxima Aqua Fun

Visiting Maxima Aqua Fun is one of the most exciting activities when visiting Samal Island. The place has a giant tarpaulin slide which will bring you down into the water.   Take advantage to walk on top of the canopies of trees. Maxima Resort Aqua Fun is located in Barangay Cawag.  For my personal reviews of the place, click the following:

Maxima Aqua Fun 1     Maxima Aqua Fun 2

Contact Details:

PHILIP S. DIZON ADVENTURE WORLD INC.

Riverfront Corporate City, Diversion Road Maa, Davao City

Telephone Number: +63 (82) 286 8883 | +63 (2) 833.5680 | (082) 286 8883 or (082) 286 1054 | Telefax: +63.082.221.4671 | E-mail: booking@davaocrocodilepark.com

Samal Mariculture Park

Visit the 224-hectare facility of the Island Garden City of Samal Mariculture Park in Sitio Leydao, Kaputian District. Shot a line as an “industrial park on the sea,” it is the first of its kind in the Philippines.

Spelunking

There are more than seventy identified natural caves in Samal. Balete and Mangongawong caves offer trails of excitement while Baga cave looks like an undersea tunnel.

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |  Tourist Spots

Pearl Farm

One of the most popular destinations in Samal Island is the Pearl Farm Resort.  Laze around all day at the Pearl Farm Beach Resort.

Active bodies can enjoy the challenges of windsurfing, water polo, jet-skiing, water-skiing, banana boat rides, scuba diving, sea-kayaking, Hobie Cat, surfing, and even underwater photography.

Pearl Farm has the Maranao Restaurant, the resort’s only restaurant serving delicious Filipino and continental cuisine of fresh seafood specialties, and sumptuous buffets. A wide assortment of exotic tropical fruits such as bananas, durian, santol, papaya, green mandarin, mangosteen, and mangoes, are served fresh at the restaurant.

Pearl Farm’s  Parola Bar features an atmosphere of great food, music, videoke, different beverage concoctions and cocktail drinks, with the sensational view of Davao Gulf and adjacent islands, and Mt. Apo (Philippines’ highest peak) at the background. The Parola Bar served as a lighthouse when the resort was once a pearl farm.

Website:  http://www.pearlfarmresort.com/

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |   Tourist Spots

Hagimit Falls

Take hold of a free fall in the natural swimming pools of Hagimit Falls, a low-dropping cascade with huge rock formations gushing forth water and gigantic boulders.  Hagimit Falls is a small waterfall on the island that has natural swimming pools. It is well – ensured with full-grown trees and different forms of flora that develops along the riverside. The place is also good for camping since there are some campsites available.

Mount Puting Bato

For the mountaineers,  Mt. Puting Bato is right on the island where you start to see the thrills of climbing and be honored with a picturesque horizon of the earth, ocean, and sky once you arrive at the summit. Mount Puting Bato was the name given because of the sheer limestone wall with a soaring elevation of approximately 1,362 feet above the ocean level.

Mt. Puting Bato is the highest point of Samal Island, and home to many climbing expeditions.  Located in Sitio Tayapoc, Brgy. Guilon, Samal District.

ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle)

ATV for rent is available around the area of the Hagimit Falls.

Resorts  Hopping

Mother to watch almost 50 beach resorts scattered all over the 116 kilometer stretch of the white sandy beach of the island. Islands Banca Cruises Davao has specially designed tours ranging from a half-day island hopping tour to an entire day of cruising through the Davao channel. Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |  Tourist Spots

 

Barangay Tambo’s Vanishing Island

Take a dip at the Vanishing Island in barangay Tambo before it disappears when the tide gets high. Vanishing Island is a protected marine reserve where several mangrove trees have been founded within the Island to further support marine life. A small strip of the white sand island, the Vanishing Island has situated a few minutes away from the coast of Tambo, Babak in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS), Province of Davao del Norte. As the name implied, The Island is visible only during low tide and is easily noticeable from a distance because of the presence of some houses floating directly on the airfoil of the sea.  These homes are meant for visitors who want to remain on the Island longer. During high tide, it is possible to walk on the Island with the waters reaching only just about the ankles.    Vanishing  Island is certainly one of the top snorkeling and diving destinations in Davao City

How to get to the Vanishing Island

A small boat ride will bring you to the Vanishing Island from Barangay Tambo, Samal which is accessible via a 15-minute ferry boat ride from km 11, Sasa Port, Davao City.

Boating

Searching the place can be beneficial if you immersed yourself with the daily activities of the people of Samal. One can join fishermen while they are looking for fish in some parts of the island, just arrange if they would ask for some fees. This is normally performed in the early dawn or late afternoon.

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |   Tourist Spots

Monfort Cave  Bats

Don’t miss the chance to see the view of the more than two million bats living inside the Monfort Bats Conservation Park.

Home to some 2.4 million bats in the Island, Monfort Bats Conservation Park is 1,000-foot-long Monfort Bat Cave is the largest colony of Geoffroy’s Rousettes in the universe, a Guinness Book of World Records holder Since 2010. For my review of the place, please click here.

Japanese Cave House

Get to experience a piece of  Philippine history in the  Japanese Cave House. In one case you access the cave you will have a glance of the safe-house on Japanese soldiers’ way back in World War 2. Inside the cave you can visit a bunch of old artifacts that were given by the soldiers ranging from letters to handwritten markers, you can discover all these creatively placed all over.

The Japanese Cave House lies just about 2 kilometers near the Monfort Bat Cave location, specifically in Camudmud. From the Babak Port, you can just ride the  Habal-habal (single motorcycle) to carry you to the Japanese Cave House area or if you got your own automobile, you may hardly adopt the highway road to Camudmud from the porthole.

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  |   Tourist Spots

Scuba Diving

Go below the waters and find beautiful coral reefs and amazing marine life of Samal Island. The Pearl Farm is a natural haven of scuba diving as its waters had been declared a marine sanctuary.  There are many wreck sites around Samal. You can get to the islets Talikud and Liquid where you will discover beautiful coral reefs and awesome marine life. In fact, in that location is a haven for divers in Talikud Island where you will start to experience diving at the 150 hectares Coral Garden and Marine Reservation Park.

Mamacao Spring

The beautiful place called Mamacao Spring is lush with little pieces of green woodland surrounding it.  Cutting through the spring is an umbrella-like giant Balete Tree, whose engorged root formations stand like giant columns. The Mamacao Spring is in a foot of a cliff where its gushing waters flow down to the shoreline.

The place is so diverse because of the numerous springs around it. One of the springs is even called Solomon, named after an old local resident of the place.  Spring is frequented by wild birds. Migrating ducks and mallards are some of its flying transients. Parrots, owls, and hawks are occasionally picked up here as well. In the early 70′s, the famous Kalaw (Philippine Hornbill) used to spawn in this spot.

Mamacao Spring is situated on the boundary of Barangay San Isidro and Libuak, Babak District.

Camping

For the adventurous or for those that are on a tight budget or backpackers, save a great deal by opting to camp out instead of renting a cottage home. Resorts and hotels charge a very minimal amount for those that are hardy enough to camp out in the open.

Beach resorts and hotels abound on the western coast of Samal Island. Some resorts and hotels have complete amenities.  Click here for our List of Resorts and Hotels in Samal Island.

Things to do in Samal Island, Davao  | Tourist Spots

HOW TO GET  TO SAMAL ISLAND

For International Visitors, you can fly direct to Davao City, Philippines via Cebu Pacific Airlines or SilkAir from Singapore. Or if you’re entering the Philippines via the capital city of Manila, take a domestic flight to Davao City. The domestic flight to Davao City from Manila is serviced by four (4) major airlines with a combined frequency of fourteen (14) flights daily.

Samal’s launch pad is in Davao city, approximately 45 minutes away by motorboat. You can go to Sta. Ana Wharf and Km 11 Wharf in Davao where there are small boats and even a ferry (if you are taking your automobile). If you will be staying in one of the great resorts such as Pearl Farm, they deliver a separate motorboat for you.

If you are trying to get there from Manila or Cebu, you can take a plane to Davao. It has daily flights to and from the city via Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines. You can also get there by sea via Ferry from Manila or Cebu. Land trip to Davao from Manila is also available via Bicol, but it is going to be a very long journey.

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