Davao del Norte: Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS)
The Island Garden City of Samal or more commonly known as Samal Island is the most common sidetrip people often choose whenever they are in Davao. Due to its close proximity to the province, with just 10 minutes barge away via Sasa-Babak Wharf, no wonder this island is very famous and often included in every travellers' itinerary.
There are many ways to reach the island and every way can be found over the internet so I won't be discussing it anymore here. In our case, we took a RoRo from Sasa Wharf (Davao) going to Babak Wharf (Samal). Fare is 10 pesos per person and lasted for only 10 minutes. This might not be the best option if you're going to Kaputian beach (which is apparently on the other tip of the island).
Habal-habal (motorcycle) and tricycles are the only means of transportation here. We opted to rent a tricycle for the whole day tour which includes Monfort Bat Cave, Hagimit Falls, Kaputian Beach; and an additional for Talicud Island and Isla Reta since they are in a different island.
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| Pearl Farm Beach Resort seen from the view deck |
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| Isla Reta |
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| Kaputian Pier |
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| Hagimit Falls |
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| Monfort Bat Cave |
There are so many nice beaches around Samal from private to public, and also depending on your budget. Samal is relatively small and quiet and I personally think it's the best choice if you're looking for a quick beach getaway.
***This is part of our Mindanao Challenge last August 2015. ***
Keep smiling :)
