GOING TO 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 located in the Davao Region in Mindanao bordering the province of Compostela Valley to the west, and Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur to the north.

Photo from: https://www.slideshare.net/lyngile/davao-region-41486013

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. Read More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_Oriental

Photo from: http://nro11.neda.gov.ph/davao-region/

How to Get to Davao Oriental

1. Fly to Davao City (Francisco Bangoy International Airport). Major airlines fly daily to Davao City from Manila and Cebu.

Photo from: https://www.bizbilla.com/countrywise-airports/philippines/davao-francisco-bangoy-international-airport.html

Photo from: http://philippineairspace.blogspot.com/2016/09/saudia-flies-davao-next-year.html

2. From Davao City you can get to Mati, Davao Oriental by bus or van. Buses are more comfortable but take longer. Vans are faster but can be mostly cramped. Buses are supposed to leave hourly starting 5 a.m., but schedules are not strictly followed. Vehicles will leave depending on the units available and number of passengers.

a. BUS: Board the Bachelor Express bus going to Mati, Davao Oriental (via Panabo City and Tagum) from the highway outside the Davao City airport or at the Ecoland Transport Terminal. Travel time is about 4-6 hours depending on the road conditions and traffic getting out of the city.

Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/88785146@N04/16572940076/

b. VAN: Ride a van from Gaisano Mall or Victoria Plaza. Travel time is 3-4 hours.

Photo from: https://ph.limoscanner.com/partner-vehicle/12696-toyota-gl-grandia-van/

3. Alight at the Mati City bus terminal and hire a tricycle or habal-habal to your chosen resort along Dahican Beach. Travel time is 15-20 mins.

Photo from: https://www.tripzilla.ph/mati-city-budget-trip/10426

Going to Mati City

Photo from: https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/multimedia/slideshow/05/07/18/the-search-for-the-next-boracay-mati-davao-oriental

There is no direct flight to Mati City so you have to take an aeroplane at least to Davao City. From there, you can take either a bus or a van to Mati. In our case, we rode a van at the terminal beside GMall for ₱250 per way. They open as early as 6am. The van ride took no more than three hours, although our ride back was less than two.

Taking the van is the best option for me since it can save you time in travelling, although you’ll feel like you’re in a Fast and Furious movie because of how fast it goes. Read More: https://www.tripzilla.ph/mati-city-budget-trip/10426