Eagles, Crocodiles and other things in Davao

A trip to Davao will never be complete without visiting their famous animal sanctuaries. Of course, the most famous of which are the Philippine Eagle Center and the Crocodile Farm.

After we have our lunch at Eden Nature Park we went to The Philippine Eagle Center. From Eden Nature Park it took us about 2hours to get to The Philippine Eagle Center. The Center was build to educate people about the conservation of the animals however it has also been a famous tourist attraction. The center cater not only the Philippine Eagle but its also a home to other species of birds, mammals and reptiles.

Guests are charged with a minimal fee of P50.00 for entering the center. The collected money is used for the support and conservation of the Philippine Eagles. The center also provides tour for their guests however visitors must call and booked in advance to get the free tour guide. There are pathways and directions that will lead you so availing the tour guide is not that necessary unless you like a much detailed information about the Philippine Eagles and the center.

Each eagles in the center have their own cage which is much larger than a normal house. This allows the eagles to fly freely in their cages. The trees inside these cages are also enormous. We were surprised when we see the first eagle which is about half of my size.This is just how the Philippine Eagle can get big. There are some eagles that are not inside the cage and can be approached closely by guests. These eagles are still young. They perched on trees or man made nests with water basin and bowl for their foods.

Aside from eagles the center is also a home for monkeys and crocodiles. The huge trees has definitely become a home and playgrounds for the monkeys. A small man-made swamp is where the crocodiles are located. Although when we visited the place the crocodiles are hiding in their habitat.

After the Philippine Eagle Center we then go to our next destination which is the Crocodile Farm. Of course, as expected the place is all about crocodiles. Well, just like the Philippine Eagle Center, the Crocodile Farm also take cares of snake, some birds, monkeys and a tiger. 

We reached the place late afternoon and we're still lucky that we were able to watch the crocodile show. After that there's still a fire dance performance in 30 minutes so we decided to head first to the Zorb Park. The Zorb Park is located inside at the entrance of the Riverfront Corporate City. The zorb activity cost P200.00 per person. After trying the zorb ball we went back to the Crocodile Farm to watch the fire dance however we get bored so we decided to head back to our hotel and prepare for dinner.

 Since its our first time to visit Davao and who knows when will be the next, our tour guide advise us to check Jack's Ridge which is a very popular place to dine in Davao. The restaurant is located on top of a hill hence you will have a nice view of Davao in the evening. The place gets easily crowded and if you want to be seated on the table with the overlooking view you need to be there before seven in the evening.

The  place is indeed beautiful however there's nothing special on their food. They serve the same menu that a usual restaurant will have - Sinigang, Grilled Pork or Chicken, Sisig and other usual food in Manila. Food preparation also took some time so we grab this chance for us took some pictures while we wait for our foods to be served. Aside from the restaurant, Jack Ridge also has a swimming pool and a cafe. The swimming pool is located on the left side, the restaurant is at the center and the cafe is at the right side.

We headed back to our hotel after our dinner. On our way we saw some fruit stands and our guide asked us if we want to check if Durian or Pomelo is available on the stands. Unfortunately, they no longer have Pomelo that night but they still have lots of Durian. They offered us to taste one of the Durian that they just opened. The fruit was sweet even if its really smelly.

That is how we end our first day in Davao. Below are some other pictures of our trip.


The Philippine Eagle Center

The Crocodile Park

 Jack's Ridge

Wow! Davao!: Eden Nature Park

I never thought that I will be amazed on our trip to Davao. The first plan was a trip to Ilocos however we were able to found a cheap airfare going to Davao hence a sudden change of the original plan. 

Davao is popular of its strict implementation of local policies. The locals inform the tourists the do's and don't  in their city. They said that even tourist will be held liable and can be put into prison if they break any law. Good thing we have a guide who helped us to get around Davao and gave us information that will be helpful in our trip.


The first place we visited is the Eden Nature Park and Resort which is approximately over an hour drive from the Davao International Airport. Eden Nature Park is a mountain resort 3,000 above the sea level hence the place is very cool aside from the fact that you are being surrounded by humongous trees. The package we availed is a day trip worth P470.00 each inclusive of a buffet lunch. It also includes a ride in their shuttle to tour the place with a guide. The tour has three parts and stops where guests can take pictures. 


The first part is discovering the beautiful flowers in the place. The tour will take you through the Flower Garden, Amphitheater and Plaza Maria. The second part will show the cultural heritage of Davao. Here you will stop at the place of the Lumad tribe called as Tinubdan, where you can see the structure of their house, their clothing and their heritage. There is also a group of Lumad playing their musical instruments. The last part of the trip is another garden which is called Lola's garden. The place is an overlooking to Samal Island.

After the tour, we went to the Vista Restaurant for our lunch. They serve fresh vegetables salad picked from their garden. The food is composed of rice, chicken, pork, fish, beef, pasta and salad. They also serve fresh fruits for dessert. The restaurant is full of visitors at that time. We were able to get a seat near the window and we were able to watch kids riding the Indiana Jones. 

After our lunch we've become jealous of the kids riding the Indiana Jones hence we decided to try it ourselves. Indiana Jones is one of the free amenities of the place. Looking at the kids you will think that its just easy and not much excitement to it. So we lined ourselves to the rope and prepared to take our seat. We all thought that there's nothing to it until the ropes started to move fast and the stopper hit the other end and we were swung back. Its a bit scary because if you failed to grasp tightly on the rope you will definitely fall on the ground. We did it several times until guide asked us if we want to try their zipline.

One of our friend decided to try the zipline which cost P200.00. The take-off point is three storey high and overlooks Davao. Our friend told us that the experience is just like any other zipline, the only difference is the height and length. 

                                                       

Here are some other pictures of Eden Nature Park.