TRANSPORTATION

The following are quick facts related to getting in and around Davao City. We hope you find it useful.

Getting There:
Davao City is 1,545 km. from Manila. Considered the premier gateway to the south, Davao is serviced by an international airport. Philippine Airlines flies twice daily to Davao from the Philippine capital (one hour and 35 minutes away) and from Cebu (55 minutes away). There are also flights from Zamboanga (daily; one hour and 20 minutes) and cagayan de Oro (Four times a week - MWth. Sat - 35 minutes). From Manado, Indonesia, Bouraq Indonesia Airlines flies to Davao twice weekly and Hongkong to Davao via Cebu and vice versa also twice weekly. major shipping lines service the Davao area from Manila and nearby southern points.

Getting Around:
The bright coloured jeepneys are popular in Davao. They provide an easy way to go around the city. Pedicabs or tricycles (motorcycles with sidecars) are often used outside the main city streets. There are taxis servicing the city and environs. Bus companies ply the routes from Davao City to other municipalities of the province. Car Rental services are available.

Airport
The Davao International Airport is the busiest airport in Southern Philippines. Expansion and modernization began in 1998. Today, the DIA has begun accommodating wider-bodied jets such as Boeing 747’s.Davao City serves as the primary agricultural and trading center of Mindanao. It is already an international gateway with the opening of the Davao International Airport. The City is known for its exotic fruits like pineapples, bananas, pomelos, marang, mangosteen, and the odoriferous but tasty durian,which are sold very cheaply when in season. Davao also produces export-quality handicrafts, and also sells antiques, artifacts from Mindanao's tribes, Indonesian batik, traditional Muslim brass items, and costume jewelries. It has become Philippine's major source of products for export.

Visas
Visitors with valid passports may stay 21 days without a visa. Hong Kong and Taiwan passport holders require a special permit, obtainable from Philippine embassies and consulates.

Public Transportation
Common land transportation service in Davao City are Taxis, Jeepneys, and Buses.

Taxis are all equipped with taxi meters. There are 2 types of taxi service in the City. AirCon and Non-AirCon units. Non-aircon taxies are most common in Davao City due to the cool climate and fresh air all over the city. Aircon taxis are a little more expensive than non-aircon ones, but both are generally very much affordable.

Jeepneys are the cheepest mode of transportation around the city. Jeepneys travel in routes, and most major streets in Davao City are within the routes of these jeepneys. Sometimes one will have to catch 2 jeepney rides to get to certain places outside of one jeepney route. Jeepneys don't have schedules like buses and trains do, but they are ALWAYS avaiable. It usually takes only about a minute of wait to get a jeepney out on the main road (and some minor roads).

Buses are generally for travelling long distances into the outer skirts of Davao, or somewhere else in Mindanao. Buses come in both aircon and non-aircon units.

Traffic Jams
Davao City, like any big city in the world, has its own traffic jams. But the difference with Davao is traffic jams dont extend to perpetual lenths, or last perpetually long. Traffic Jams in Davao City are very tolerable compared to the other major cities in the Philippines such as Cebu and Manila. Usually traffic jams occur only during busy hours, around 8am-10am, 5pm-6pm, except for other causes such as parades, accidents, and road maintence.

RENT A CAR
There are a lot of quality car rental services all over the city. You wil not find any problem renting your own vehicles. Prices for car rentals ranges from affordable to reasonable, depending on the kind of car you wish to rent. Rented cars usually come with their own drivers, so if you dont have an international driver's license, that is no problem.

Note: White Mansion offers motorcycles for rent.

Boats
There are a variety of boats, small and large, that travel to and from the different islands of the Philippines. There are also small boats available for travelling to and from the immediate islands near Davao City, such as Samal Island.

back to top

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Keith & Anne Bennett
From: UK and Philippines