The Great Philippine Road Trip: Manila to Davao by Land & Sea

As “Viber-ed” by Grace to the Paranoid Traveler

Weary of Metro Manila with all its traffic and pollution, Grace Dousel decided that Davao was the best place in the country to raise her family so off she and her family of four traveled from Manila to Davao by land and sea.

Grace shared her journey with Philippine Flight Network's Paranoid Traveler to provide our readers with an exclusive look at 'The Great Philippine Road Trip,' a journey that perhaps most of us would not even dare consider taking, especially when there is always the option to fly!

Typhoon Butchoy (international name: Nepartak) was making its presence felt in Metro Manila when our family commenced our migration to the South, but the weather was expected to improve. We were excited for the adventure ahead especially after seeing the jeepney banner, "God is always with us." This was a sign of assurance as we headed out to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) for our first stop in Legazpi.

Entering Quezon Province

From SLEX, Waze directed us to the Pan-Philippine (Maharlika) Highway then to Tiaong Diversion Road. The highway spans from North to South taking you on a very scenic ride of the countryside.

The perk of traveling on a rainy day is having the highway all to ourselves.

As we drove through Atimonan, Quezon, the skies began to clear!

Seaside highway view at Gumaca, Quezon

Downpour at Sipocot, Camarines Sur

Entering Vice-President Leni Robredo’s hometown.

After a day of travel, we finally saw someone we know in Pili, Camarines Sur.

We arrived in Legazpi, Albay where we enjoyed some sili ice cream.

Nice and creamy but hot once it hits the throat.

Now driving to Matnog to catch the ferry to Allen, Samar.

After days of rain, the sun came out and the skies were blue. Perfect for crossing the seas!

We admired the skill of the bus and truck drivers who could squeeze their vehicles onto the ferry boats neatly. We were last to board.

This is how it looks at the bottom of the ship.

Goodbye, Luzon!

Visayas, here we come!

Our voyage took us from Luzon (Sorsogon) to Visayas (Samar) cruising through the San Bernardino Strait, which they say can be very rough sailing. Thankfully, our journey was smooth and uneventful.

Penafrancia is one of many shipping lines at Matnog pier ferrying vehicles and people to Samar.

Crossing the ferry from Matnog, Sorsogon to Allen, Samar cost P1,600 for our car freight charges and passenger fare on board Penafrancia Shipping Company which is one of many shipping lines in Matnog pier ferrying vehicles and people to Samar.

The sailing time is only 1.5 hours---faster than driving from Quezon City to Ortigas Center on a Friday night!

We reached Samar safely and began driving towards Tacloban.

I don't mind the long drive with this view!

Driving took half a day to Tacloban. The RORO trip was smooth with the calm sea and the sun up shining brightly. It was a perfect day to sail. I had more motion sickness driving to the port than on the ferry because my husband was driving as if he was in a Daytona race.

Entering San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the country.

We paid a visit to McArthur’s landing site and spent the night in Tacloban. We headed out to Liloan Port early the following morning for the second ferry boat ride to Surigao (Mindanao), which many people said is longer and possibly rougher. We'll see.

We had a restroom break at the office of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways atop a hill on the road to the port. Too bad I forgot to take a photo. It’s a good place to stretch and rest. The restrooms are very clean even though it is in the middle of nowhere!

We reached the end of the Eastern Visayas after a three-hour drive from Tacloban. The Pan-Philippine (Maharlika) Highway stretches all the way to the end. The road was really good!

We arrived at Liloan Port, the tip of Leyte, Eastern Visayas at 8 am hoping to catch the earliest boat so we could be in Mindanao by noon. However, there was only one available vessel that day, the Fast Cat which was to leave only by noon. Thankfully, it was worth the wait because this time, we are taking the newest vessel, FastCat which boasts world-class service and international safety standards.

Our trusted Avanza on her second RORO ride! Mindanao, here we come!

This is how they position the smaller vehicles on the Fast Cat lower deck.

All aboard!

The economy accommodation

The premium economy accommodation

The sailing was so smooth that we did our homeschooling onboard tackling, what else, Philippine geography.

Hello, Mindanao!

The tip of Eastern Visayas, facing the tip of Eastern Mindanao

The trip lasted for an hour. Crossing from Liloan, Leyte to Lipatan, Surigao on board Fast Cat cost P3,558 covering car freight charges and passenger fares for Premium Economy cabin (air-con bucket seats). Here, you have to buy your snacks whereas they are free in Business class.

Arriving in Surigao with our welcome banner from heaven.

It took us eight hours to get to Davao City in spite of my husband’s Formula One driving due to road constructions that rendered some one-way only. We cruised along the CARAGA Administrative Region composed of Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur. I had no idea how huge Mindanao was until we made this trip! As we were in a hurry, we had to forego photo ops along the way. We reached the area surrounding Butuan City (the capital of Agusan del Norte) around 5 pm. It would have been an ideal place to sleep over as there were nice hotels in Butuan and malls in the city proper.

It already seemed like we had been driving forever as we made our way through Agusan del Sur! By 8 pm, we stopped at a roadside restaurant and resort called Hillview Resort for dinner and a half-hour respite. We knew we were already far from Manila because the names of food were a bit different, like "pututoy" which is like halo-halo except that it is partnered with puto.

We hit the road again determined to be in Davao before midnight. Waze was telling us we could make it by 11:30 pm. Incidentally, Waze was our very reliable guide throughout this journey. Local radio station signals were already out but our Waze was still active.

Except for gas refilling, we did not have any other stops. We kept filling up our gas tank to full every time we saw a Petron gas station, which was strategically located all over the country.

The roads were smooth, winding through the mountains of Agusan del Sur and onto Compostela Valley. Some parts were dimly lit which concerned my dad in Davao who phoned around 9 pm telling us to just break the journey and stay the night in Butuan. Too late as we were already miles away. We later found out that the areas we passed by were not very safe late at night.

For most of the night driving, we saw quite a number of trucks and SUVs speeding ahead. Our trusty Avanza couldn't go as fast but we managed to hit town after town, noticing that the highways were well-lit once nearing the town/city proper. When we hit Nabunturan, the capital of Compostela Valley, I knew we were closer to home so I phoned my mom who warned us about a speed limit “once you pass Panabo. Our traffic enforcers in Davao are strict. You best slow down.”

By this time, I could no longer take photos due to travel exhaustion and everything was already enveloped by the darkness of the night.

Tagum was well-lit with malls along the main highway lined with palm trees. Panabo comes after Tagum which was signaled by a strict military check point. We were finally entering Davao Del Sur and going towards the city. One of the first things that welcomed us was an electronic speed monitor that told my husband that his current speed was 45 kph. That was a good reminder because the maximum speed limit in the highway was 60 kph and only 30 kph in the city proper. The smell of durian was somewhat faint but strong enough for us to know we had reached Davao. By 12 midnight, my parents were thrilled to see their grandchildren and we were able to breathe a sigh of relief. We were home.

31 comments:

Chris BluntSeptember 3, 2016 at 4:26 PM
Thanks for the excellent article. I was planning to do the drive from Manila to Davao and this will be a big help for reference.
AnonymousSeptember 4, 2016 at 1:30 PM
Now, how can a bullet train proposed to run from luzon to Mindanao make way through San Bernardino (Sorsogon) and Surigao Straits? There is a news that the European Economic Community will help the Duterte government with funding this project?t
Irene dela Cruz-OlazoSeptember 20, 2016 at 12:03 AM
thank you! my daughter and i have been planning to do this for a while now. big help :D God bless
AnonymousOctober 7, 2016 at 1:54 PM
I have done some of this route through Samar by bus. It is very scenic.
AnonymousNovember 2, 2016 at 2:04 PM
The missed to mention the following, bituka ng manok in Quezon, Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, cities of Calbayog and Catbalogan, Agas-Agas bridge in Sogod, So. Leyte (tallest bridge in the country)
SNovember 4, 2016 at 5:15 AM
May i ask how much is the total fuel cost and ferry cost? Thank u plano po kasi magbyahe from mindanao to naga
Yvony BartolineDecember 22, 2016 at 12:36 AM
How much cost you in all including ferry fees, hotels, food and the gas? Planning to get mirage at manila and be driven all the way to davao in similar route.
AnonymousJanuary 13, 2017 at 2:54 PM
Great! SAlamat po sa pag share nyo...
AnonymousJanuary 18, 2017 at 10:28 AM
Great article Grace. I've done round trip Manila Cebu (via Bicol-Samar-Leyte and via Mindoro-Panay-Negros and vice versa) in early 2000 and in 2007 with my family, and this article relives that amazing experience. Glad to find out that Leyte to Surigao takes only 1 hour on the Fast Cat.
footmarksJanuary 22, 2017 at 5:55 AM
Awesome. Inspiring!
AnonymousJanuary 28, 2017 at 2:33 PM
i wonder how tiring was the travel
Joseph cintronFebruary 8, 2017 at 6:53 PM
Hi, I read your travel diary,It was great that you were able to document your trip with your family. Those memories are priceless. My wife anf I are also driving to Tagum, Davao and your article is helpful in planning our road trip. Thank you. Joseph Cintron
HappymangoMarch 21, 2017 at 5:28 PM
Very good account of your travel. But I wanted to see how much did it cost you all in all including hotels, food, fuel, roro and other incidental expenses. We are planning to do this by the end of this month
uzziekeithMarch 22, 2017 at 12:06 PM
This is very informative and I admire how your family is bonded thru travelling. I wanted to do this and travel my 86yr old grandmom to Legazpi before she reaches her dawn of life and let her see her siblings and family.
AnonymousApril 9, 2017 at 10:40 PM
hi. were there check points?
Raymond SantosApril 16, 2017 at 5:13 AM
Great Article, Inspired me to do it again one more time, while I still can. But instead of driving a truck like I used to, I'm planning on using my motorcycle, just not sure if it would endure long travels.
Adonis TanApril 20, 2017 at 5:22 PM
Thank you for posting this article, I will be following your time table excluding the R&R though.

I am planning to do the trip next month (on my own). I've almost gone to all the places in Mindanao by land and this will be a first for me.

Well done on this article, God bless you and your family!
Marlon DiwataApril 25, 2017 at 3:02 PM
Great Article, we're planning to do the same..thank you for sharing..God Bless!!
anthonyMay 9, 2017 at 8:52 AM
Hi! I will be doing the same po on last week of may. Ask ko lang po, masyado bang steep ang mga daan? Is it advisable for new driver na idrive manila to davao? Salamat po!
AnonymousAugust 1, 2017 at 8:36 AM
Great! How much the cost po? Thanks
AnonymousAugust 24, 2017 at 1:08 PM
hi there. how much was your total expenses from manila to davao by land? we plan to travel next week. can you please help me with the breakdown of your expenses? 2 persons will travel
AnonymousSeptember 14, 2017 at 8:53 AM
Hi! How much is the cost of fuel and ferry boat going to davao? We are planning a trip next month. Thank you for sharing. Godbless!
AnonymousDecember 1, 2017 at 9:06 AM
hello magkanu lahat nagasto niyo sa travel?
UnknownJanuary 16, 2018 at 11:43 PM
This is very informative, I would like to do the same someday. Thanks for sharing your journey and experience.
Riche RichMarch 2, 2018 at 3:44 PM
Thank you for publishing this article. It give us courage to pursue our road trip to mindanao.
Eric GonzalesMarch 16, 2018 at 5:12 AM
Regarding safety, may maidadagdag po kayong mga tips. Salamat.
John EturmaApril 4, 2018 at 12:35 PM
Guys ano ba pinaka matarik na daan passing Maharlika Road Davao to Manila? baka mahirapan kotse. .8hp lang power ng kotse ko. Sa alam ko, San Ricardo, Benit matarik din. Aside from Benit meron pa ba?
nowellApril 23, 2018 at 12:20 AM
hi. also a family of 4... same configuration as grace's... done this 'adventure' 2x from pampanga to Davao. she is right, it's a heck of an experience and i'll gladly do it over and over again as long as we can. our first trip was on a Nissan sedan but way back 2002. it was one of my worst driving experience as the roads were truly bad. 2nd trip was again on a sedan (Honda accord) and surprisingly, it was the exact opposite of our first experience. those asking how much fuel it cost for the trip, 15k is good enough (and that excludes 2 hotel accommodation costs however).
so if you're planning to hit the road, budget at least 30k for a round trip adventure! I tell ya, it's truly a great experience.
before summer ends, we'll travel anew but this time I have decided to drive out on our van for the best comfort level for my family and myself.
love to hear from the others... maybe we can start a caravan this year! cheers!
arlene nonlesJuly 10, 2018 at 5:16 AM
hello..your article inspires me more to have this road trip with my 3 kids..i am planning to do this.on Dec 2018.. your detailed article is a big help.. thank you
AnonymousAugust 20, 2018 at 5:45 PM
Thank you for sharing your adventure. That was indeed very thrilling. How much did you spend all in all to reach Davao City? I want to try this for myself too.

The Great Philippine Road Trip: Manila to Davao by Land & Sea

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