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Davao City Travel Safety and Security Tips

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Is it safe to travel and move around the Davao City area?

I am an American, are the people in Davao friendly to Americans?

Davao Safety and Security Tips
The City Government of Davao makes it a top priority to keep the city safe, secure and peaceful for everyone. These motorcycle-riding security personnel are doing a remarkable job of keeping the peace in the city.
In general, it is safe to move around Davao City. And if you are a foreigner, you will not find any other place on earth that is friendly to other races as the Philippines.

But when it comes to safety and security, you have to be on-guard all the time… even in your own house. It greatly helps if you are little bit paranoid. After all, only the paranoids survive!

The following are some safety tips that could be helpful to anyone (Filipinos and foreigners alike) planning to visit Davao or if you are already here for whatever reason.

1. Keep a low profile

This is particularly advisable to Westerners (Americans, Europeans, Australians). Since you come from Western countries, you are generally perceived as rich when you come to the Philippines. Keep a low profile, else you become a favorite target of thieves, robbers or snatchers.

2. Learn a few Cebuano words

What else is more safe than to be a friend to the local people of Davao?

Learn Cebuano and you will surprise them by your extra-ordinary talent. This is also one of the most effective ways of making them smile. And when you do it with lots of local around, you’re an instant celebrity!

On top of that, the Cebuano dialect is widely spoken in the Philippines, especially in the areas of Visayas and the Mindanao.

Note to Foreigners:Filipinos in general and Dabawenyos (people of Davao) in particular understand the English Language. They may not be very conversant, but you should expect that one since it is not the language they use on a daily basis.

(See also: Compare Davao Hotels and get the best rates here.)

3. Don’t bring a lot of cash

Use your credit card, ATM, checks or anything else in place of cash.

If you need cash, ATM outlets are almost available in the malls and banks around Davao City. Prepare coins and smaller bills especially when buying from a store or taking a cab or jeepney.

4. Get a travel buddy

If you have a Filipino friend, have him as your guide or buddy until you are comfortable moving around the city all by yourself.

(See also: Old Street Names in Davao City.)

5. Hide your valuable items

People steal what they can see.

Put your laptops, cellphones, iPads, or any electronic gadgets in your bag and keep them close all the time.

Don’t wear expensive jewelries especially in crowded places.

6. Stay Alert and Avoid Crowded Places

Be aware or conscious of what is happening to your surroundings. Use your senses, pay attention to the sights and sounds of the area you are currently situated.

Above all, use your common sense.

Don’t go where the crowd is, avoid the slam areas and unlighted streets.

7. Dial 911

For emergencies, always remember to dial Davao 911.

Also, always have in handy the phone number of the hotel where you are currently booked. It helps if you get lost in the city or if you need an assistance going back to your room. 🙂

For Foreigners

Interested in getting more information? Try the following websites:

Davao City Tour: A Do-It-Yourself Guide

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It’s the Kadayawan Season once again in Davao. And that means a lot of visitors will be coming over to Davao City to see the best of what the city can offer.

Frequent visitors are expecting some of the usual things they always see during the Kadayawan Festival:

  • Good Fruits (Durian, Lansones, etc) and Orchids
  • Good Deals (A lot of businesses are coming out with their gimmicks)
  • Good Vibes (Just have fun with friends)

For the first time visitors and travelers, it is also the best time to visit Davao! And by “best time”, I mean you really get to “feel” what the city is all about.

While it is generally safe to just stroll around the city from your hotel, having a sense of where you want to go would save you from encountering the unexpected – unless, getting lost in the city is your definition of an adventure. 🙂

To this end, we have prepared a list of spots where you can possibly go for a city tour and what you can expect to see if you go there.

Stopover #1: The San Pedro Cathedral — Where The Heart Is

san pedro church -- davao city tour

There’s really not much to see once you are there at the church.

Am I crazy to even suggest that this place should be the first stop? Well, not really. Consider this: Once you are there, you’ll be standing (or sitting – it’s really up to you) at the heart of the city. Hey, that’s the very center of Davao City!

On top of that, the San Pedro Church is a historical place. Wow!

But, don’t go around asking people to give you lecture about the Church’s place in history. They can’t recall anymore. And besides, who ever wants to remember High School History, huh?

Actually, if you are really into that kind of stuff, there’s the right kind of people to ask. Just across the street (or streets, if you may) is a place called Museo Dabawenyo. You know what that place is? It’s a museum! Oopps, sorry for the obvious answer! I know you know that.

And speaking about “across the street”, don’t you forget to drop by the following nearby places:

  • The City Hall of Davao
  • The Davao City Council
  • The Osmena Park

They are good places to take photos from; especially the Osmena Park where you get to see some magic tricks, live massage, palm reading, gospel preachers, etc.

Stopover #2: The Aldevinco Shopping Center — Where Native Crafts Abound

If I were to describe this place in a few words, it would be these:

  • Forex — the Aldevinco is a popular place to exchange a foreign currency to the Philippine Peso.
  • Native Crafts -– sometimes you can find antiques there, but mostly, you’ll see native crafts which are good for souvenirs.
  • Pomelo Stores – yes, those sweet, little balls you want to bring back to your place as pasalubong.

Stopover #3: The Magsaysay Park — In Search Of Excellent Durian?

This is perhaps the most popular destination for anyone in search of the Durian Fruits all year round. Just before you enter the park, there are small stalls that seem to never run out of durian fruits to sell — even during their off seasons. I’m still amazed to think where these vendors are sourcing their durian fruits from.

Now, Durian is not really for everyone; some just couldn’t take the smell. If you are that type, the Magsaysay Park is really a good place to stroll around — it’s a park, you know — and have a nice little talk with your companion about whatever topics you want to talk about. Maybe you can talk about your next destination? Well, you better print this article because it’s going to be your handy cheat-sheet for your city tour. Throw away that map, because the taxi drivers are all familiar with these places.

Next thing on the To-Do List: Eat, Pray, Love — or something like it.

Stopover #4: Jack’s Ridge Restaurant and The Shrine Hills

Have you read the book entitled “Eat Pray Love”?

Well, I haven’t, but I’ve seen the movie and yes Julie Roberts still looks cute — and Ketut was even more cute.

I’m not really a movie critic, but anyways… at these places, you can basically Eat, Pray, Do whatever it feels like doing.

dine in Davao at jacks ridge restaurantThe most popular place at the Shrine Hills is the meditation center and church known as the Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague. It’s one of the best places to pray, meditate, relax or just feel the fresh air and have an overlooking view of the entire city.

If you started this city tour at 9 o’clock in the morning, by the time you reach the Shrine Hills should be the perfect time for lunch.

And you don’t have to go that far just to satisfy your gastronomic trip. The Jack’s Ridge Restaurant could just be the perfect place to Eat and have your version of “La Dolce Far Niente”.

The good thing about dining at Jack’s Ridge is that you get a good view of the city from high altitude (imagine if it’s night time) while you enjoy the good food being served. Plus, there are other amenities there too that you can enjoy.

Stopover #5: The Crocodile Park

To just say that this place is awesome would be a disservice. The Crocodile Park is like a mini-zoo and a little bit more. To describe the place would be to combine the following words: exotic, wild, fun, colorful and… well, I’d rather want to see you describe this place.

Go there and see these things:

  • Crocodile – they claim to have the largest croc in the country.
  • Large snakes, Ostrich, and other animals
  • Butterflies — your kids will love it.

Well, here’s a short video clip to show you what’s there at the Crocodile Park

You’ll definitely like it.

Stopover #6: The People’s Park — By The People and For the People

You should have been tried by now. If you want to relax in an open air and watch people go by, one of the best places to be is the People’s Park.

As it turns out, someone has made a video of the place. Here, get a virtual tour of the park before actually going there or deciding to skip the place for the next destination.

Stopover #7: The NCCC Mall – Davao’s Homegrown Mall

There are a lot of malls in Davao. There’s the ever popular SM, the old-timer Gaisano Mall, and just recently, the Ayala Group has a joint venture with Anflocor to put up the Abreeza Mall — positioned to be a high-end mall in Davao.

Not to be left out is Davao’s very own NCCC Mall – known as Davao’s Homegrown Mall. I don’t know what it is with the NCCC Mall, but the people of Davao just love to buy their grocery items there. But of course, there’s more to be found at this little mall than just the grocery shop. They have a bakeshop, a number of restaurants and dinning centers, cinemas, specialty shops, old books, pawnshops, and much, much more.

You could be there shopping at night, which is perfect just before you go back to your hotel. Wouldn’t it be nice to be shopping for the things to bring back to the hotel? You can do just that at the NCCC Mall.

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“Davao City Tour: A Do-It-Yourself Guide” is written by Carlos Velasco.

The Davao Museum a.k.a Museo Dabawenyo

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It is about time that a 74-year old city that is also one of the country’s premier cities has its own honest-to-goodness museum. The Davao Museum, or officially Museo Dabawenyo, is just three years old (since 2008) and has yet to truly make its presence felt in the public’s consciousness.

Located along the Pinchon Street (popularly known as the Magallanes Avenue) just by the rotunda, the Museo Dabawenyo is housed in an old two-story building that has undergone various incarnations, such as the former hall of justice and a warehouse for non-functioning government equipment.

Up until Nanay Soling Duterte, a grand matriarch of the city and grandmother of current Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, pushed for an official repository of the city’s rich history.

Welcome In

Upon entry into the museum, one is welcomed by life-sized artwork and a wall that explains theories on the origin of the word Davao. The hall on the first floor showcases the ten tribes indigenous to the Davao Region. Five of these tribes are Islamic, the other five are classified as non-Islamic or pagans. Then there is a feature of a local hero during the Spanish occupation, Datu Bago who led the uprising against the Spanish colonizer Oyanguren. Datu Bago’s heroism has inspired the creation of the Datu Bago Foundation that annually recognizes the sons and daughters of Davao City who have made remarkable contributions in various field and industries. These awardees are then bestowed the Datu Bago honor during the celebration of Araw ng Dabaw.

In another part of this hall, a wax figure of Pres. Manuel Quezon is seen signing a piece of paper which signifies the creation of Davao as a city in October 1936. In March of 1937, the first inauguration of the City was held.

Davao Museum

In this same hall, one will see various photographs of how Davao City looked ages ago. Then, the San Pedro Cathedral was just a wooden structure and the City Hall was surrounded by coconut trees.

A photo mural of the first ever mansion built in Davao is also highlighted. Formerly known as the Dacudao Residence, the old mansion is now known as the Locsin Dance School along the Quirino Highway, and the family has maintained it well. One of its daughters, Agnes Locsin, a nationally renowned choreographer, is a Datu Bago Awardee as well.

Locsin Dance Studio -- Dacudao Residence -- first mansion in Davao City

Photographs and artifacts from war time are also exhibited in this hall. There is even a rusty bomb from the American airplanes on display.

There’s More Upstairs

The second floor of Museo Dabawenyo showcases artworks of the local artists. Paintings, sculptures, fashion designs, poems, music and anything that express the beautiful soul and creativity of the Davaoeno are exhibited to advantage.

There is a Filipiniana gown made of water lilies that was recognized on the fashion runways of Paris; music that celebrates womanhood, and sketches that remind you of dreams.

Mementoes from a time long gone are artfully placed around the hall.

A room on the second floor has also been assigned as a hall of peace. It is a library and meeting room that showcases peace efforts as manifested in photos of international relations and books tackling understanding of conflicts.

As one ends the tour of this Davao Museum, one gets a sense of enrichment that comes from the knowledge of what has brought us to the present time.

Museo Dabawenyo is open from Mondays to Saturdays, 8:30am to 5:30pm. Admission is free.

~~~

“The Davao Museum a.k.a Museo Dabawenyo” is written by Vida Valderde.

Website Is Moving To A New Server, Plus More Planned Features

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Hi Davao Traveler,

The month of March has always been super busy in Davao. A lot of people are coming in from all over the place:

  • from the nearby towns and cities
  • from the different parts of the Philippines
  • and of course, there are the tourists and foreigners

They all want to have fun here in Davao. They all know that March is a special month in Davao.

March 16 is Araw Ng Dabaw, but the fun seems to span the whole month of March.

This particular event attracts a lot of people into the city. And this implies that:

  • 🙂 Businesses will wearing their smiley faces
  • 🙁 Security forces of the government will be even more watchful
  • 😉 You and me – we’ll have some stuff to enjoy

And as expected DavaoTraveler.com will see a lot of web traffic coming in. Actually, we already saw a spike in the number of website visitors since the beginning of March.

If you have been here for a number of times, you may have noticed that in the past months or so, we experienced reaching our bandwidth limit. Now, Exceeding A Bandwidth Limit is a technical term which means we have so much visitors than we expected. It’s a little frustrating on the part of the website visitors, but let us assure you that it’s doubly frustrating on our part.

Starting March 2011, we promise it’s not going to happen anymore. We’re moving to a new server with no bandwidth limit.

Announcement

To this end, we would like to inform our website visitors to please bear with us as we make a few tweaks between the two different servers, transferring our files and databases.

It’s like we’re moving to a new house. But think about how Superman will do it. It’s going to be very quick! You may not even notice it. But if you do, please understand that we are in maintenance mode. Count with your fingers and your toes… and we’ll be up again before you finish counting to twenty.

Planned Updates

On a more serious note, we are also announcing a few changes to the website. Here are some we have in mind.

Web Design – What you are seeing here was the original design since 2007. We want to show you something different and better looking.

More Hotels and Resorts – We have been contacted by small hotel and resort owners to have their hotels listed on this website. Yes, there are newer ones popping up all over the city. We want to include them all, of course.

Events In Davao – A lot of visitors have requested that we include the events happening in Davao. We agree, it’s a relevant topic.

So, that’s it for now.

And remember: We’re moving to a new server very, very soon. Please bear with us.

Have fun in Davao,

Team DavaoTraveler.com

Wakeboarding in Davao

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When you suddenly find yourself aching to stretch some muscles and have some serious water-fun under the sun, the city of Davao will never disappoint.

From long pristine shores to varied water sports to epic water slides, the city also boasts of indoor facilities that exhibit pools of Olympic proportions. And when you thought that was all, then you probably missed the latest water-sport sensation to hit the city and make a lot of waves.

The Deca Wakeboard Park

The first and only wakeboarding facility in Mindanao, the Deca Wakeboard Park, is located in Brgy. Tacunan, Mintal, Davao City. That would be some 20 minutes away from Davao’s downtown; 20 minutes worth of slow-drip anticipation waiting to give away to a lot of mouth-watering fun.

The Deca Wakeboard Park opened its doors on August 2009 to a hefty number of wakeboarding enthusiasts. Both new and experienced wakeboarders were treated to a wild ride as they were introduced to the facility with an outstanding set of facilities and well trained personnel.

Since then, the park has seen an enormous following, with local and international wakeboarders flocking in and around the facility day in and day out.

Being one of the top running wakeboarding facilities in Asia to date, the Deca Wakeboard Park aims to make it even bigger especially on the international arena. The developers are reportedly keen on constantly developing the park’s overall facilities to suit international competitive standards. That, plus a number of amenities around the park to accommodate enthusiasts and visitors in style; expect a multitude of restaurants, sport shops and massage centers to bloom in the area to cater to every conceivable need.

Where In Davao

The Deca wakeboarding facility is actually located in a residential area, the Deca Home Resort Residences. This gives the place a sort of calmness, just like going to the beach on an easy-going weekend. However don’t be deceived by its uptown residential atmosphere, the non-stop action should leave you in awe.

Deca Wakeboard Park Is Waiting

So what are you waiting for? Gather your friends and experience the newest and hippest tourist destination in the city.

The Deca Wakeboarding Facility is open seven days a week, from 8:30 in the morning to 5:30 in the afternoon.

Rate starts at PhP 400 up to PhP 1,000 per person and it comes with the free usage of wakeboard, vest and helmet.

Discounts are available for Davao City residents and the residents of the Deca Home Resort.

Deca On Amateur Cam

This amateur video shows you some folks having fun at the Deca Wakeboard Park one unplanned summer day.

Contact Details

If that sounds like you wanna get some water fun this summer, get in touch with them at

Deca Wakeboard Park
Tacunan, Mintal, Davao City, Philippines

Email : info@xtremewakeinc.com
Phone : (082) 3046005 / (082) 2864078

~~~

Wakeboarding in Davao is written by Randolph Reserva.

The Wanderful Davao

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For tourists all over the world, there are a lot of typical activities that one can participate in, whenever wherever. Let’s say, going to beaches in the area, or visiting landmarks and museums. And then there are kinds of activities that only a certain place can offer in their fullness. This time around, we’re going to discover the special activities Davao City can offer you tourists who are looking for something fresh and extraordinary. Here we go…

Public Transportation Fun: Riding with the King of the Road

Only in the Philippines would you find the “jeepney”. Before you go on criticizing the King Of The Road for causing the most traffic in the Philippine Streets, let’s at least hear his story, okay?

The legendary component of the Philippine public transportation system sprang forth from the war remnants of the Second World War. What used to be mean and green war machines from the United States are now the most accessible and most favored ride for the typical Filipino — with a lot of tweaks of course. Although the hood still looks the same, the jeepney is a long, well decorated version of the old American wheels of war. Of course there are a lot of variants, but do look out for that all-original old-school face. People also love placing a horse on the hood as if to say they’re not only mean, but also fast.

The thing about the jeepney is that when you’re inside, you might find how intimate people can get. After all, people flock this mode of transportation because it’s cheap and very much accessible. When in the city, crowding can always happen.

But since this article is all about the unusual way of wandering, jeepney rides would qualify as one of the must-tries when in Davao City and or in almost major cities in the Philippines. Because the jeepney is an all-around all-over-the-place mode of transportation, why not visit the countryside while riding one. Aside from traveling the roads less traveled, you can also rent one at a cheap price. And then, say hello to the off-road world, Filipino style. It never fails to get your adrenaline flowing!

Going Bananas

If you’ve eaten a very delicious banana in a faraway land (other than the Philippines, of course) before, chances are, you’ve eaten a banana from Davao. And yes, the region is one of the best when it comes to banana production and export. When you’re in the city, never miss out on the banana plantations in the outskirts of town. You don’t have to be a scientist to appreciate the richness of the Davao flora. This endeavor is not only educational, it’s appetizing as well as bananas come in cheap and fresh the way you always wanted them.

Davao Traveler Tip #1 :Now that we actually awakened the fruit lover in you, why not go and try other Davao fruits as well. Davao is known for being a fruit basket, and the abundance is all year round. Aside from the banana, you can also get tasty mangoes and pomelos, as well as the renowned king of all fruits, the durian.

The Japanese Connection

Old school Davao has always been special in a lot of ways. For instance, the city is a melting pot culturally — having had a lot of influences to draw from. So don’t be surprised if the city seems to be a bit Japaneesy. It just goes to show how the Japanese love this city. In fact, Davao was once known as “Little Tokyo” — even though it was actually bigger than Tokyo.

Aside from the evidences at the present, you can also walk the memory lane and see what the Japanese left as a heritage for the city. Not far from the city (about close to an hour’s worth of travel) are ancestral houses made by the Japanese for the Japanese; that is, the Japanese that once inhabited the city for business purposes. Also in some parts of Calinan (road going to Cagayan de Oro), are the Japanese memorial shrine, a cemetery for the Japanese, and a museum among many others.

The moment you go back to town, there are also Japanese funded schools in the northern side of the city. There’s also this Japanese grocery (which should make you feel warped to Japan in an instant). And of course, how can we forget food. The city has a number of authentic Japanese restaurants for your convenience and pleasure!

There goes another Davao City travel feature. We hope that on your next visit, you’ll try out these unconventionally cool travel plans. There’s always that special excitement in everything new. Davao is always a fresh source of travel fun.

See you around town!

~~~

Wanderful Davao is written by Randolph Reserva.