Davao del Norte Province, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions

Madgao River

Madgao River. Boats, long and narrow, are starting to arrive. It is a cloudy afternoon and the river is calm as the boats continue to create ripples on the surface. This is only one of the features of Madgao River which make it an emerging tourist destination of Asuncion, Davao del Norte.

One of the boaters said that the river, more than two kilometers long, has been “like a highway” to them not only in terms of its usage but also its physical attributes. It offers an excellent training ground for dragon boat racing.

Veterans Memroial Shrine

Madgao River is also rich in marine resources. Carp and tilapia are the most common. A native prawn called ‘uwang’, according to Lawas, can also be found there.

Veterans Memorial Shrine. In May 1945—the bravery of those who fought the war and drove away the Japanese army then stationed in BarangayIsing, Carmen town—will not be forgotten. The epic historic “Battle of Ising” is now remembered through a Veterans Memorial Shrine. Written there is a brief history and some of the names of those who risked their lives to win the battle that prompted the Japanese forces to leave Davao.

Casilac Falls. Beat the summer heat under the cascading water of Casilac Falls. Though it travels through a narrow strip that is only partly hidden from the scorching sun, the water falling and running down beds of limestone is still as cold as melted ice.

Casilac Falls

New Corella is beginning to be known for its refreshing inland resorts such as Matin-ao and Panas but Casilac Falls reigns as the tallest, measuring more than 20 feet.

In promoting its tourist sites, the municipal government incorporated it into its Tenting and Nature Trek Adventure Package for as low as P200 to P500 per person. It also offers Nature Trek and Bouldering Adventure to Panas and Caving AdvenTours packages in which a number of its 52 caves are featured.

Samal Island

Samal Island. is a fourth-class city in the province of Davao del Norte, Davao Region, Philippines. Its official name is Island Garden City of Samal (Filipino: Pulong Harding Lungsod ng Samal, Cebuano: Pulong Harding Dakbayan sa Samal) and it is made up of Samal Island and the smaller Talikud Island in the Davao Gulf, making it a part of Mindanao island group. It has a population of 95,874 people according to 2010 census.

Hagimit Falls in Samal Island

Samal is a part of the Metropolitan Davao area and is located two kilometers away from Davao City, the largest city and the primary economic center of Mindanao.

Panas Falls in New Corella

Davao del Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. The province is subdivided into 8 municipalities and 3 cities with Tagum City as the capital. 

It borders the province of Agusan del Sur to the north, Bukidnon to the west, Compostela Valley to the east, and the city of Davao to the south. The Island Garden City of Samal is the only municipality or city of Davao del Norte that is not in Mindanao island.

Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, together with Davao Oriental, and Davao del Sur used to be a whole province simply known as Davao. When Republic Act No. 4867 was signed into law on May 8, 1967 by President Ferdinand Marcos, this original province was split into three – Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental.

Davao del Norte is primarily agricultural, but also engages in mining, forestry and commercial fishing. The principal crops of the province include rice, maize, banana, coconut, abaca, ramie, coffee, and a variety of fruits and root crops. It is the country’s leading producer of bananas, with many plantations run by multinationals and local producers. The province is also one of Mindanao’s leading producers of rice. 

Davao Gulf, to the south of the province, provides a living for many fishermen. Some of the fish products include brackish water milkfish, tilapia, shrimp and crab; and freshwater catfish and tilapia. 

Davao del Norte is a major producer of gold, and its mining resources include silica, silver, copper and elemental sulfur. Small-scale gold mining activities thrives in several areas. There are also numerous active quarries of commercial quantities of gravel, sand, and pebbles for construction. 

Samal Island is a tourist spot where several posh and world-class beach and dive resorts have taken residence. The famous Pearl Farm, just a short boat ride from Davao City, is an 11-hectare resort which was once a real pearl farm that cultivated oysters and used to produced some of the best pearls in the country. This resort offers a relaxing, private retreat which offers a wide array of water sports activities, including wind surfing, water polo, jet skiing, banana boat rides and scuba diving, sea kayaks and wave runners. 

Other tourist attractions in Davao del Norte include the viewing deck at Licup which provides a great view of Davao Gulf; the Ligid Islands which are attractive and good for picture taking; the Hagimit Falls which is actually a cascade of smaller waterfalls; and the Vanishing Island which is a parcel of land visible only during low tide – although during the high tide it is possible to walk on the island with water reaching only the ankles.