It was an advocacy to entice more people to travel to Mindanao, the southernmost major island of the Philippines. A region much maligned due to isolated insurgencies which affected nearby regions. Born out of Iligan’s Waterfalling activity, Travel Mindanao is a project by a group of travel bloggers with a common zest for adventure and to showcase the best of Mindanao. The project was supposed to be in a span of a month but I had to catch up shortening my participation to 20 days. Still, after seven provinces, it was one of my memorable journeys in the country.
The Itinerary
The Travel Mindanao project officially started November 5 2013 with the first batch of the team enjoying Surigao City and its environs. It was also the onset of the major typhoon Yolanda where the team got stuck in the city and my flight got cancelled. It was a petty problem compared to the disasters in Tacloban and regions along its storm path. It was also a tough decision if we would continue our project but the wheels have already turned and we can’t abandon our commitment to our sponsors. I came in late so I was only able to catch up with the group on November 9th.
Day 1-3 (Nov 9-11 | Surigao del Sur)
Day 4 (Nov 12 | Surigao del Sur)
Day 5-6 (Nov 13-14 | Davao and Tagum Cities)
- Marco Polo Davao Pampering in the Heart of Davao City
- The Philippine Eagle Center: Up Close with the Monkey-Eating Eagle
- Tagum City: A Day Tour at the City of Palms
Day 7 (Nov 16 | General Santos)
Day 8-9 (Nov 17-18 | Lake Sebu)
- Punta Isla Lake Resort: Savoring the Tranquility in Lake Sebu
- Lake Sebu Zipline and the Seven Falls
- Lake Seloton: Hello Sunrise, Good Bye Lake Sebu
Day 10 (Nov 19 | Cotabato)
Day 11 (Nov 20 | Davao City)
- Lull time
Day 12-16 (Nov 21-25 | Bukidnon)
- DDD Habitat Bukidnon: Home in Chilly Lorega
- From Lorega Cool Walks to a Ride for Valencia Bukidnon
- Blue Water Cave: Adventures in Quezon Bukidnon
- Rappelling Pulangi Bridge: Adventures in Quezon Bukidnon
- Placid as Lake Apo in Valencia Bukidnon
- CEDAR Waterfalls Trek in Impasug-ong
- A Daring 6-hour Atugan River Trek in Impasug-ong Bukidnon
Day 17-20 (Nov 26-29 | Cagayan de Oro)
- Cagayan de Oro Stay | Tune Hotels and DDD Habitat Pension
- Splash Into Cagayan de Oro White Water Rafting
Thank You
Travel Mindanao wouldn’t be possible with my co-Travel Blogger buddies in this trip. They are a hard-working bunch, thought out the trip logistics, organization and simply fun to be with. So my thanks to Doi (The Travelling Feet), Lai (PinayTravelista), Shugah (WanderShugah), Jam (TravelJams), Glen (EscapeManila), Marky (NomadicExperiences) and Alex (Bagdok on the Road). To our friends on the road Ching, Nath, Olan, Allan and Earl.
Sponsors and Partner
Also a BIG thank you to our sponsors who believed in our advocacy and joined us along the way. Thank you to CebuPacific Air my official carrier for Travel Mindanao from Manila.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
