lifestyle 040715main

Samal Island is the beach of Davao, which is only a ferry away from the growing city.

In order to get to the island, you have to ride a plane to Davao City, but if you are already in the city, you can choose either of the following:

1. Sta. Ana Wharf - Located near the Magsaysay Park downtown area, where motorboats are available to bring passengers to Kaputian or Talikud Island.
2. Sasa, Km.11 Wharf - Motorboats can directly bring passengers to the Babak Wharf.
3.Sasa, Km11. Ferryboat landing - Where passengers will be riding the Island City Express Bus from R. Castillo and Cabaguio St. (satellite terminal), and be transported by a ferryboat to the Brgy. Caliclic, Babak District.

You can also hire private motorboats that can bring you to and from any beach of your choice via the following entry points:

Lanang Beach Club

Sta. Ana Wharf

Paradise Island wharf (Sasa Km. 11)

Waterfront Wharf

Pearlfarm and Bali Bali wharf

Once you are on the Island, you will notice how full of life it is. You can do a lot of activities which aren’t done in most islands. Swimming and diving is already a given. However, there is more in store for you. You can do activities like mountain climbing, cycling/mountain biking, motocross, rappelling and witnessing the annual Bigiw Regatta — a special highlight during the Araw ng Samal where local fisher folks compete to show their skills and paddling speed using their bangka or sailboat.

Samal Island’s marine life is rich and can be seen through snorkelling or diving. The waters are clear and everything under the waters look happy. Because of that, there are a lot of snorkelling and diving spots such as the Mansud Wall and the Talikud Island. The Mansud Wall is located north of Talikud Island and drops off to 45m. From there, you will find a big variety of marine life — corals, tropical fishes, turtles and even dugongs!

So set your schedule and head to Samal Island this summer! You would not want to miss what the island has to show you.

Exploring outside the box, Beyond Cebu.

#beyondcebu #y101fm