Sleeping Dinosaur

SLEEPING DINOSAUR

One of the key attactions in Davao Oriental is the the so-called "sleeping dinosaur" of Mati City. It is Located at along Badas Point in Barangay Dawan, Mati Davao Oriental. One can see this overlooking view of a land formation that somehow resembles a submerged dinosaur sleeping on its belly. 

This beautiful scenery is worth stopping by and shouldn't be missed when traveling to Mati, Davao Oriental.

Before heading straight to Mati’s heart of the town, you may drop by at the famous Sleeping Dinosaur and take souvenir photos of it as your background.

How to get there:

Ride a bus bound for Mati, Davao Oriental from Davao City’s Ecoland Terminal since it will pass by Badas Point in Baranggay Dawan. Inform the bus attendant or conductor to drop you off at the sleeping dinosaur. Bus far is about 250 pesos and travel times takes about 3.5-4 hours.

Most people see the Sleeping Dinosar Island on their way to Mati City. However, unless you’ve specifically mentioned it, most buses don’t do stopovers here. Take a look of the island on your way through the curving roads to Mati City. If you’re not satisfied with just a quick stopover, the island is also accessible through motorboat, which is only around thirty minutes’ travel time.

If you feel inclined to spend more of your time in the island, you can hike through the forests and reach the summit. And you can explore the rest of the island with a motorboat. Or just swim in the water and camp at the beach.

The island is regarded as one of the tourist attractions of Mati, and rightly so. If you want to enjoy the beach in Mati, you might consider going to the island and explore the sleeping dinosaur.

Read More

Lake Venado

LAKE VENADO

There is a lake at the foot of the said mountain which they called the Lake Venado. The name came from a Spanish word  which means deer. Locals call it   (clear) because of its crystal-clear water that reflects the mountain. Many people would say that the lake is enchanted, that an  (fairy) or some kind of entity was living there.

This simple small lake not only gives a breath-taking picture scene to mountain climbers but was also believed to take lives of these innocent hikers. Well, it is true that almost every year people die there for some reason. The lake is the favorite camping site by people who come there. Some of them dare to take a deep on it.

The vicinity of the lake is a popular camping site for Filipino mountaineers en route to and coming down from the peak of Mount Apo, the Philippines' highest mountain. In 2007, a Filipino mountaineer coming down from the peak of Mount Apo, drowned in the lake.

Read More

Mount Apo

MOUNT APO

Looming over all Davao, Mount Apo (2954m) is the highest mountain in the country: the name Apo means “grandfather of all mountains”. Apo is actually a volcano, but is certified inactive and has no recorded eruptions. What it does have is enough flora and fauna to make your head spin – thundering waterfalls, rapids, lakes, geysers, sulphur pillars, primeval trees, endangered plant and animal species and a steaming blue lake. Then there are exotic ferns, carnivorous pitcher plants and the queen of Philippine orchids, the waling-waling. The local tribes, the Bagobos, believe the gods Apo and Mandaragan inhabit Apo’s upper slopes; they revere it as a sacred mountain, calling it Sandawa or “Mountain of Sulphur”.

Climbing Mount Apo is not as hard as it sounds. The summit can be approached via two main routes: the Kidapawan Trail on the Cotabato side features hot springs, river crossings and a steep forested trail that leads to the peak via swampy Lake Venado, while the Kapatagan Trail on the Davao side is tougher but cuts through more stereotypically volcanic terrain, culminating in a boulder-strewn slope up to the crater.

In both cases you’ll need to buy a permit and to hire a guide from one of the local tourist offices in charge of each route. They’ll also do a required equipment check and arrange an orientation laying out all the usual rules (no rubbish, no swimming, stick to the trail, no picking anything etc). These offices will recommend a three- to four-day expedition, but experienced climbers could tackle the hike in two days with early starts. Climbing is generally permitted November through May only (dry season), but even so, you’ll need rainproof clothes and a small tent as rain is possible anytime and it gets cold at night. It’s a tough trek, but well worth it: the trail is lined with flowers and the views are mesmerizing, with the whole of Mindanao spread out before you.

Rising 2956m above sea level, Mt. Apo stands tall as the highest mountain in the Philippines. Also considered the grandfather of Philippine mountains, and a sacred place in local mythology, Mt. Apo is an important climb, especially for local mountaineers, who seek to experience its trails and the rich culture of the people living at the foot of the mountain before exploring those of other lands.

 

With its panoramic views and diverse scenery, Mt. Apo offers an adventure of a lifetime. The area features an array of landscapes, virgin forests, crags, rivers, lakes, mossy swamps, volcanic structures, and crater of sulphuric deposits, not to mention abundant flora, fauna, and rocks. Being one of the many dormant volcanoes of the Philippines, Mt. Apo is the habitat of some of the rarest kinds of animals in the country. If you are lucky, you may even get a close encounter with the Philippine Eagle.

 

Climbing the country’s summit is not to be considered a joke. The trail to the mountaintop is not advisable for beginners. It takes about three to four days for a hiker to reach the summit and get back to the plains. Yet, the sunrise at the highest point of the Philippines is truly a marvelous sight to behold.

Read More

Kadayawan Festival

KADAYAWAN FESTIVAL

It is a celebration of Good Harvest! This globally famous festival is a weeklong celebration and thanksgiving for nature’s bountiful harvest. Kadayawan Festival is being celebrated every 3rd Week of August. A celebration of the plentiful harvests of fruits and orchids during the season. Kadayawan is derived from the prehistoric word “madayaw,” a warm and friendly greeting also used to explain a thing that is valuable, superior, beautiful, good, or profitable, “Kadayawan” in Mandaya means anything that brings fortune, a celebration of life, a thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living. Ethnic tribes around Mt. Apo usually gathered during the harvest-time when they had a bountiful harvest to give thanks to their gods particularly the all-powerful Bathala (supreme God). According to legend, the occasion is noticeable by happiness, singing, and dancing, as well as offerings to their divine protectors. 

The festival is celebrated in the month of August with floats of fresh flowers and fruits, and indak-indak sa kadalanan or street dancing in colorful costumes. A variety of tribes parade the streets with their tribal costumes and jewelry. The city of Davao comes alive every year in August when it holds it yearly harvest festival. The streets are adorned with local fruit & vegetables while people hold street dances with abandon for four days. The harbour is the venue for native & power boat races.

Everybody fights for seats to watch the Horse Fighting wherein stallions fight each other over the rights to mate with a mare. The crowd is sometimes tracked by the horses if they get too close. The last day the street is full of costumed dancers dancing to the local beat & decorated floats with glamorous Mindanao girls as eye candy. It's a time of fun & abandon. The festivity is not complete without the Bya'Neng ng Kadayawan or the Miss Kadayawan beauty contest. There is also the horsefight, a tribal animal show similar to the bullfight in Spain.

Today, Kadayawan has transformed into a festival of festivals, with a number of spin-off festivals in the region. The festival honors Davao’s artistic, cultural and historical heritage, its past personified by the ancestral Lumad people, its people as they celebrate on the streets, and its floral industry as its representatives parade in full regalia in thanksgiving for the blessings granted on the city. A celebration that interfaces the three aspects: tribal; industrial and; arts and entertainment. The festivities are highlighted with floral floats, street-dancing competitions and exhibits that showcases the island's tourism products and services.

Read More

Rafflesia Mira

RAFFLESIA MIA

One of its most famous natural sights is the Rafflesia mira, a parasitic plant that is the world’s largest flower, also notorious for its rotting odor. The Rafflesia mira is endemic to Southeast Asia, and more than 10 species have been recorded throughout the province, including in the foothills of Mt. Candalaga.

The province, Compostela Valley, is proud of its people and cultural heritage - a varied mixture of ethnicity and dominance. To be in Compostela Valley is to experience a blend of sight and sound that defines a place and a people pulsing with life yet reserved in spirit.

The provincial government believes in marketing tourism responsibly. ComValeños want to explore and revel on nature’s finest without destroying the environment.

Choices within the province are almost limitless. ComValeños believe that they have something that caters to everyone’s enthusiasm, all waiting for the adventurous spirit in you. They see their province as an eco-adventure tourism destination, and once experienced, so will you.

Read More