The Island Explorer

Waniban Island is located in Pujada Bay. It is a small island nearby Cinco Masau in the western coastline of Mati. From Cinco Masau, it was a 25 minute boat ride that cost us opnly P800 roundtrip. The boat was a tourist boat, so, it had comfortable seats, unlike fishing boats that are commonly used by tourists like me in provinces. We docked by the shores of Waniban and was happy to see that we were the only remaining guests. The rest went back on our boat when we arrived. Thus, we had the whole island to ourselves and the caretakers. Cottages can be rented, there are around 5. So, I am assuming it's a great stopover for an island BBQ lunch. The island has fine white sand, not powdery though, but more coral like Palawan's. The sun shone after a while, and we just laid under a tree by the beach. It was paradise indeed. Imagine having a view of of the wavy and mystical mountains Davao Oriental against clear blue waters. I explored the island on foot, which only took 15 minutes. T

Cinco Massau has a great story to tell. Years ago, the owner of the resort risked his money and land to put up cottages by the sea. Perseverance and dedication eventually led into the expansion of Cinco Massau, now one of the most popular resorts in Mati. Cinco Massau is located on the western coastline of Mati. From Dahican Beach, it's a rough 15 minute drive to Massau Beach, where the resort is located. The resort is popular among the masses, and is unique because the cottages are located on stilts that extend almost 300 meters to the sea. We saw the place packed with locals as it was a Sunday. You can rent cottages for P300 for a day, or P800 for a night. The cottages are so basic though, without anything else but a sole double bed and a dining area outside. There are 5 concrete aircons rooms in the mainland though for P1,500 each. We had our lunch there, which was also basic. They really don't serve food, since most of the guests arrive with prepared food. You can also gril

Finally, I am back on my own shores. I have been missing exploring Philippines since the year started. So, when the chance to go to Davao came, I hopped on a flight and headed off to one of the burgeoning destinations in the South, the emerging city of Mati in Davao Oriental. Dubbed as the new backpackers haven, the relatively small city of Mati offers beach excursions and island adventures. The trip to Mati from Davao took 3 hours, though our driver was wild. You can take a bus to Mati from the Northern Terminal of Davao City. We sped over concrete and "under construction" roads. Arriving in Mati, we were treated to a great view of the peninsula. We left at 7:30 AM in Davao City and arrived in Dahican Beach, our first stop, at the east coast of Mati at 10:30AM. Dahican Beach was dubbed as another Boracay of the South (I really hate it when people say Boracay of their area). Truth is, Dahican Beach is more like Pagudpud. There were locals swimming, and I only spotted a few to