The beautiful views in Mati, Davao Oriental

               A visiting writer once wrote that Mati and its naturally rich resources is Davao’s best-kept secret. But it is hardly one today. Once a sleepy municipality and capital of Davao Oriental, Mati is now a newly established city enjoying a surge of tourist influx and word-of-mouth hype from those who have experienced a glorious escape from the busy urban life.

              I was born in this simple town and whisked off to grow in Davao City but my childhood was filled with memories of summer frolics in our popular beaches. Mati is, after all, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Its geographical location affords a coastal line so long and filled with powdery white sands, it is blessed with an enchanting panoramic view of the deep blue.

From the Davao City airport, a 165-km. trip by private vehicle or air conditioned bus takes less than three hours to Mati with a scenic travel along a winding coastal road, including the 8 kilometer Badas Zigzag Road on a cliff. 

             My cousins and I enjoy the blue-green waters of Dahican beach, a lengthy strip of breathtaking white beach lined with coconut trees. Its clean, crystal clear waters open into the Pacific, inviting adventurous people to try aquasports like kayaking and skimboarding. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we Dabawenyos are not too keen for travel in other famous island hops like Boracay. We have our own to brag about. 

               Now that my once lazy hometown is brought into the limelight, it has been highly commended for its tourist attractions like waterfalls, mangrove and turtle sanctuaries, cultural museums and tribal weaving centers, durian and pomelo farms, and more. But the beach resorts prominently emerge to lure tourists and bakasyonistas in their lairs. To date, Mati has several but a few have become charming havens to people. 


             So, when the chance to go to Davao came, I hopped on a flight and headed off to one of the burgeoning destinations in the South, the emerging city of Mati in Davao Oriental. Dubbed as the new backpackers haven, the relatively small city of Mati offers beach excursions and island adventures. 
The trip to Mati from Davao took 3 hours, though our driver was wild. You can take a bus to Mati from the Northern Terminal of Davao City. We sped over concrete and "under construction" roads. Arriving in Mati, we were treated to a great view of the peninsula. We left at 7:30 AM in Davao City and arrived in Dahican Beach, our first stop, at the east coast of Mati at 10:30AM. 



              Dahican Beach was dubbed as another Boracay of the South (I really hate it when people say Boracay of their area). Truth is, Dahican Beach is more like Pagudpud. There were locals swimming, and I only spotted a few tourists. We were supposed to stay in Botona Beach Resort, the only resort there, but after surveying the place, we decided to head back to Davao at the end of the day. We wanted to make most of our time in Davao.
The wide sandy coastline was met with huge waves coming from the Pacific Ocean. There were two young skim boarders who ran the sea. The waves weren't as huge though I think for a great surf ride.


             It is good to note that the beach was clean, considering that it was undeveloped and a lot of locals resided in the area. I do hope the locals are aware of keeping their beach clean for tourists to come. The beach is around the length of 2 kms from end to end. There were some abandoned huts also.