My Awesome Davao Oriental Experience

It's my birthday! Hooray! Last year we laid low on my birthday because of tight budget. This year, however, is a totally different story.

I have been meaning to explore Davao Oriental ever since we visited the Subangan Museum at Mati City earlier this year. I had a glimpse of the treasures that Davao Oriental holds, particularly the beaches. Then, my team mate at work suggested to hold our December Team Building at San Victor island in Baganga which made me all the more excited to take the Davao Oriental route. That's why, the husband and I decided it was time to hop on his motorcycle and go on and road trip once again.

We departed from our house at 4:30 AM. Taking the Compostella route, we arrived at Aliwagwag at 8:00 AM and took our breakfast. We then took some photos of the famous Aliwagwag Falls. The Compostella road is so much better now than it had been back in 2016. Most part of the highway was already cemented. There was only a short road left under construction.

After our short stop at Aliwagwag Falls, we then headed to Banao Beach in Baganga. There is no road problem as the highway is cemented all the way. After about an hour we arrived at Banao beach and took photos of the shoreline and the nearby Treasure Island.

After admiring the simple beauty of Banao beach, we travel to Campawan Curtain Falls. The rough road going to the falls was a bit of a challenge. And after almost an hour we arrived at the entrance of the falls. We hiked a short distance and maneuvered over boulders of rocks in order to get to the falls. It wasn't a long walk and it wasn't a very strenuous hike so it was okay. And the curtain falls was worth the hike.

After the husband had his quick dip in the cold water, we decided to head back for our next destination.

An hour later, we arrived at our next stop, Lake Carolina. It is easy to spot as there was a signage at the side road and it is also just a few meters away from the highway. Once we saw the lake the tiring travel was forgotten and we jumped into the cold green water.

The husband and I decided a few minutes later that we needed to head back to barangay San Victor. We took a quick stop over at the local market to buy supplies for our lunch and dinner at the island.

We spent the night at San Victor Island and enjoyed the clean, clear waters.

On the second day, we took a last dip in the beach before we headed back to the mainland. Then we drove to the nearby Baganga Sunrise Boulevard before stopping over at Rendezvous for our brunch.

After eating, we were on our way to Bango Beach in the nearby municipality of Caraga. We arrived at Bango Beach at around 12 noon. We only stayed there for about 30 minutes to take photos and rest. Then we headed to our last stop.

Around 12:45 PM we arrived at Pusan Point, still in Caraga. We roamed around the grounds and took photos. We rested by the white cross and enjoyed the cool sea breeze. We also went inside the science museum before we departed for Davao City.

We took the Mati route on our way home passing by the municipalities of Manay, Tarragona, Lupon and Banaybanay to complete our Davao Oriental adventure.

Total Expenses good for 2 pax (exclusive of gas):

Day 1	in Pesos
Breakfast at Aliwagwag	210
Campawan Curtain Falls Fees and table rental	180
Lake Carolina Entrance Fee	20
Lunch	200
San Victor Island Room Accommodation (inclusive of boat transfers)	1500
San Victor parking fee and toll fee	30
Dinner + breakfast	220
San Victor Cooking Fee	50
Donation for 2 cups hot water	20
Total Day 1	2,430
Day 2
Brunch at Rendezvouz	240
Bango Beach Entrance Fee	20
Pusan Point entrance fee	100
Total Day 2	360
Total Expenses	2,790