The Davao Experience: Getting to Samal Island

This is the fourth part of our 4-days-3-nights Davao Experience.

For our second day in Davao, we decided to go to Samal Island. Samal is a 2nd class city in the province of Davao del Norte, Philippines. Its official name is the Island Garden City of Samal. It is located 2 kilometers away from Davao City. Originally, we planned on an overnight stay at Fernandez Beach Resort but we decided not to to save on cash and we just did a day tour.

We left Ponce at around 7am and had our breakfast in the nearby Mcdo which was just a walking distance away from the hotel. There are several ways to go to Samal Island:

1. Go to Sta. Ana Wharf located near Magsaysay Park. From there you can ride a ferry going to the wharf near Kaputian Beach (ideal for those planning to go to Kaputian Beach and to the nearby Talicud Island and Isla Reta)
2. Go to Sta. Ana Wharf and ride the ferry going to Isla Reta but it's a separate island from Samal
3. Go to Sasa Wharf and ride a RoRo which would dock at Babak Wharf in Samal (which is a long way from Kaputian Beach but near the Monfort Bat Cave and many resorts)
4. Go to Sasa Wharf, ride the Island City Express bus which would travel via the RoRo and dock at Babak Wharf, but it will go straight to Kaputian Beach

For us, we decided to do the Sta. Ana Wharf way since we think it's faster. We rented a tricycle (a very very slow moving tricycle) to go to Sta. Ana Wharf which costs 15php/person. Unfortunately, when we got there, we found out that during weekdays, not a lot of ferries are going to Samal. In fact, during our time, there were no trips to Samal. You can rent a sea taxi though, but it costs 1,200php. You could also rent a private ferry but the manong is asking us for 1,500php.

The Ferry at Sta. Ana Wharf

The Sea Taxi, which looks really fun but is too expensive

So we went the other way which was boarding a RoRo boat at SaSa Wharf. Jeepney going there costs 14php/person. This way is safer since RoRo boats go in and out of Samal regularly, 24 hours a day. And it only costs 10php/person. The downside is, you will be arriving at Babak Wharf, so if you are planning to go to Kaputian Beach, it's a long way from there. Anyway, the RoRo trip lasted for only 10 minutes. Upon arriving at the dock, we started to look for a cheap transportation to take us to the tourists spots. The only way of transportation in Samal is through habal-habal (motorcycle) or tricycles. We were able to rent 2 habal-habal which would take us to Monfort Bat Cave, Hagimit Falls, and then to Kaputian Beach.

The RoRo at SaSa Wharf

A Cheap Way to go to Samal

Our Habal-Habal Ride

Up Next: Monfort Bat Cave and Hagimit Falls

Read more:
The Davao Experience: Planning The Trip
The Davao Experience: The Uniqueness at Ponce Suites
The Davao Experience: Dinner at Jack's Ridge
The Davao Experience: Monfort Bat Cave and Hagimit Falls
The Davao Experience: Kaputian Beach in Samal
The Davao Experience: Fernandez Beach and Garden Resort
The Davao Experience: Lyndon's World's Worst Ribs and Awful Chicken
The Davao Experience: Taps, The Breakfast Capital of Davao
The Davao Experience: A Visit at Eden Nature Park
The Davao Experience: Harboring "Pag-Asa" at the Philippine Eagle Center
The Davao Experience: Apo Ni Lola Delicacies and Lunch at Davao Dencia's Restaurant
The Davao Experience: Pasalubong Shopping at Aldevinco
The Davao Experience: Various Sights at the Davao Crocodile Park
The Davao Experience: Trying the Nightlife with Lachi's Sans Rival, Blugre Coffee, and Abreeza Mall
The Davao Experience: The-Supposed-To-Be-Rafting-Experience-But-Not and San Pedro Cathedral
The Davao Experience: A Unique Experience at Osmena Park
The Davao Experience: Knowledge Gathering at Museo Dabawenyo and Exploring Rizal Park
The Davao Experience: Serenity at the Lon Wa Buddhist Temple
The Davao Experience: A Gastronomic Treat at Hog's Breath Cafe
The Davao Experience: Strolling Around People's Park
The Davao Experience: Return Flight to Manila
The Davao Experience: Summary of Our Trip