1 Day Trip to Dahican, Mati, Davao Oriental

Nov 28, 2016
2 min read

Nowadays people are chasing the endless summer. In a tropical country like the Philippines, it’s like it’s always summer. People look for places to spend precious moments with families and friends.

Just below the two major islands in the Philippines, Mindanao has lots of natural beauties. One of these, just facing the pacific sun, is the coast of Davao Oriental. Renown of its waves, surfing spot, beautiful sand and hospitable people - is Dahican beach of Mati City.

My two sisters and I went there on our own just to experience surfing the pacific waves. And I’ll be happy to share with you how we got there, where we went, and what we did. It’s very easy and affordable!

How to get there:

From Davao City at 5AM, we rode a public non-airconditioned bus (for the sake of affordability) going to Mati. We just paid 160 pesos each. We arrived in Mati Bus terminal by 10AM. Rode a tricycle to Dahican Beach for 40 pesos each. Just a 20 minute ride.

Where to go:

Our primary aim was to learn surfing, so went straight to Amihan Surfing Resort. It was a simple resort and non-commercialized since it was a training ground for surfers which is being maintained and managed by the locals. There was no entrance fee. We only rented a table for 100 pesos. You can also put up tents if you’re going to stay there for a night.

There are other resorts in Dahican. If you want comfort and prefer for rooms instead of tents, you can go to Menzi or Blue Bless Resort. These resorts are commercialized and there’s an entrance fee, corkage, rooms and table rentals.

What to do:

Enjoy the sun, the waves and the sand. Go swimming with your family and friends.

If you want to learn surfing or skimboarding, there are friendly local surfing instructors in the area. They are patient in teaching the learners so you can never be intimidated. You can have surfing lessons for 500 pesos good for 2-3 learners. Plus, they give a free 1 hour use of the surfing board on your own.

When is best to go there:

If you’d want to go there for surfing, surfing season starts from October and ends at February. That’s when the waves are at its highest.

If you’re going to bring your little kids there and want them to enjoy the sea, you’d better go there on the off-season from March to September. Still, waves are a little bit strong. You’ll have to watch over your kids the whole time they’re in the beach.

That’s it! There are other things you can do in Mati, like trying to fly with the Mindanao Saga Flying Club and visit Subangan Museum.

Hope this helps!