It was a great day going to Samal island as the weather in the Philippines around the end of the year is unpredictable. The sun was up and the clouds were not much. I had 1 night and 1 day free time to explore a place in Davao and I chose to ride a boat to Samal, I wanted to Visit the Amity Wellness Website and get away for a long time, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time.
It’s fairly easy and cheap to go to Samal Island. Ok, im talkin this if you ain’t planing to go trough a private jet charter. It costs P10 (25 US cents) for a jeepney ride to the port and another P20 to ride the ferry from Davao City to Samal island. The jeepney that I rode came from Seda hotel in Abreeza Ayala Mall and the ride is 1 hour away. A taxi ride is fairly cheap too and would cost P200 only. It is important to find a taxi driver that has taxi insurance just in case there is an accident. At the arrival at the port, there is a waiting shed for everyone. It was not busy at the time that I arrived so there was no formal queue. When the ferry arrived, we just started walking towards the boat at our own pace. The ferry will first unload the passengers and cars that came from Samal. It is 2 floored where the cars can be parked at the bottom. Passengers are more comfortable on the upper deck. Walking vendors for food and drinks are available if you need a quick snack. It took only less than 30 minutes to get to the island.
At the arrival, I went to look for a tricycle going to Blue Jaz resort. A tuktuk is also available if you are not carrying heaps of load with you. Blue Jazz welcomed me and catered me to my room. I stayed here for the night and had some quiet time. They have fairly priced rooms and can cater to solo or group travellers.
The next day, I went to ask for the sand bar. Well, people told me that the bar is closed at that time. At this confusion, I began to ask some friends about the sand bar and found my mistake. They call it “vanishing island!” To get there, they told me that it would cost me P4500 for the half day island hopping. I found it too expensive and thought of ways to get there without that charge. Then I got a tuktuk driver to partner with for my cheap crime. He drove near the vanishing island and asked for a small fishing boat to take me there. I was just charged P180 for the tuktuk and P300 for the boat ride.
It was quite an adventure going to the vanishing island. The fishing village that I went had many poor kids but looked very fond of me. I bought them candies from the small kiosk and gave them one by one. Then when the boat was ready, i had to cross this wooden bridge across the mangroves. They were made of bamboo stilts patched together. They don’t look sturdy either.
Off we go to the vanishing island! I spent about and hour or so at this island. It was a little bit low tide. The town folks told me that it is best to come here on high tide. As it is most beautiful. You can also sleep here overnight and rent the 1 house available. Bring your food when you go here as there are no stores around. The house can be rented at P1500 (32 US dollars). I dare the more adventurous folks. It looked ran down from where I was standing but they said it’s looks better when it’s high tide.
The vanishing island has beautiful white sand and worth going to. After this short trip, I went back to my side of town and had lunch at Paradise Resort. The food here is good but not the cheapest. Be ready to pay a head fee of P500 for entering even if you will just have lunch. Note that this is not consumable. The place got white sand and I had a blast eating my Durian crepe and Durian coffee in front of local musicians.
My afternoon was spent doing some water sports at Blue Jaz resort, Samal island. I had a blast riding the jet ski and going around the edge of the island. The water is quite deep around it so be sure that you have a vest to go with. Then I did some water biking and had issues with the control. It was a lot of workout for my legs and loved it. To even the work out, I had upper body paddling using a kayak. Blu jazz has the friendliest folks and they are also quite attentive. Their GM is very hands on and welcomes the guests himself.
Alas, I had to go back and make it to my flight that night. I left the island at 530pm using the private boat of Blue Jaz. The cost for this is only P50 and it takes you straight to Davao City where you can get a cab or a jeepney back to your place.
There are more things to explore in Samal island including the Guinness world record for most number of bats in a cave, the white sand on the other side of the island, the falls and some more nearby beautiful islands. Until then, I had the most fun celebrating my post birthday here.
