Davao Oriental – the Coconut Capital of the Philippines

DAVAO ORIENTAL

By Eugene Alvin Villar (seav) – English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=626829

Davao Oriental is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Mati, and it borders the province of Compostela Valley to the west, and Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur to the north.

Davao Oriental is the easternmost province of the country with Pusan Point in the municipality of Caraga as the easternmost location. The Philippine Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, faces Davao Oriental to the east. Part of the province lies on an unnamed peninsula that encloses the Davao Gulf to the west.

The province is the top producer of coconut and copra in the country, earning the province the title Coconut capital of the Philippines. It is also home to Mount Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_Oriental

Photo from: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/54803

You will be amazed as you enter Mati Davao Oriental. A huge signage welcomes you. You can stop there, take pictures like we did. There’s a restaurant too in case you wanna have some break and buy foods.

And along the highway headed to Mati proper, you can witness the so called Sleeping Dinosaur Island. From above, you can see the whole shape of island which is really a sleeping dinosaur shaped. You can see changes to the said island due to some numerous trees cut down. But island still looking good.

We asked the driver to let us took pictures outside. So we have bunches of photos there and enjoyed the scenic island view.

We stayed at the house of my friend’s auntie. They are so very accommodating, friendly and nice. You cannot have an awkward feeling as you talked and go along with them and seems like they are also enjoying being with us up to the end of the tour.

We are expecting to visit Pujada Island and Dahican Beach and to our surprise, we visited more than that. We experienced a little bit of trekking since we went to waterfalls, hot spring, cold creeks, white sand beaches and white island. Places that aren’t known to many who has been in Mati.

We visited a flowing cold stream – a suggested attraction of one of the locals there. They called it the Secret Creek. It was a 30 minutes trek before you can reach the Secret Creek from the main base.

When you’re near, you can hear the flowing water. It is actually a shallow long flowing stream. Entrance Fee is Php 10.00. The water is fresh, clear and cold. Suitable for relaxing and can take away stress.

We also visited waterfalls and hot spring, white sand beaches in Pujada Island and White Island. Watch out for this blog entries. I will discuss more about those islands and other spots we visited in Mati Davao Oriental. Read More: https://iwanderphilippines.com/mati-davao-oriental-getaway/

Photo from: https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/11/25/17/experience-the-best-of-davao-oriental-in-pusan-point-and-sleeping-dinosaur-island

Mindanao has a lot to offer. We can start off with Davao Oriental where structures for travelers to stay are mushrooming. Educational museums like the Subangan Museum and the soon to open Mt. Hamiguitan Eco-park and Museum are a must see for adventurers as it showcases the arts, culture, and wildlife in the province.

Caraga, Davao Oriental, the easternmost point of the Philippines is the dream destination for people who want to escape the buzzing noise in the city.

The towering waves at Pusan Point where the light first shines on in the country is nothing but magical, especially when the planetarium and restaurant on the area is already finished.

Natural wonders are everywhere in this country where 1,707 islands are. It is way better for Filipinos to fall in love with these first than to dream of going abroad and miss the chance of appreciating the gifts nearer to us. Read More: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/54803

Photo from: https://www.tripzilla.ph/pusan-point-sunrise-philippines/118