15 Things To Do in Davao City for First-Time Tourists (Like Me!)

8. GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH NATURE'S MOST VICIOUS REPTILE

DAVAO CROCODILE PARK COMPLEX

ENTRANCE FEE/S: Adults Php 250.00, Children Php 150.00; Tickets are inclusive of entrances to Crocodile Park, the Butterfly House, and Tribu K'Mindanawan. There's a price increase when you purchase tickets from 3:00 PM and beyond.

In the morning of our second day in Davao City, we hired a taxi to the Davao Crocodile Park Complex. From our hotel to the complex, we paid for a fare of about Php 120.00.

The Davao Crocodile Park Complex houses three establishments: the Crocodile Park, the Butterfly House, and the Tribu K'Mindawan. You can easily spend around 4-6 hours here. Most of the animal shows in the Crocodile Park start at around 4:00 in the afternoon.

*Optional: Jump to:

Page 1: Introduction, Seda Abreeza, Fruits Market, Museo Dabawenyo, D'Bone Collectors Museum, People's Park, Blue Posts Boiling Crabs and Shrimp

Page 3: Backyard Burgers, President Rodrigo Duterte's Residence, Lola Abon's

Crocodile Park vicinity map.

Crocodile Park ticket prices and shows schedule.

The President of the Philippines and the Chief of the PNP will greet you upon entry to the park.

A bronze statue of "Tandang Sora".

A monkey showing off some serious court skills.

They named this particular saltwater crocodile "Pangil", a Tagalog word literally meaning "Fang".

Take a little stroll up that overpass to look down on the crocodiles of the marsh.

Rajah Sulayman.

Wildlife Funpix booth. You can have your picture taken with a monitor lizard, an albino python or a baby Philippine eagle for Php 40.00.

The booth also sells various crocodile products.

Throughout the park are various local animals living in enclosures.

One of the sections of the park where we enjoyed ourselves was the Wild Museum, which is where you can get up close and personal with various cute, furry, feathery, and slithery animals. I especially enjoyed feeding the Koi!

Some friendly reminders, first and foremost!

Take a look at the activities that the Wild Museum offers to its visitors! I highly recommend the Koi fish feeding (Php 20.00).

The Bengal Tigers were a little bored to death.

See my face-- it's brimming with joy and excitement!

In all honesty, the fish feeding on the pellets in my hand felt like thousands of tiny little suction cups tickling me to unconsciousness.

Snake massage.

Meet your masseurs.

For a certain fee, you get to pet and bottle-feed these adorable creatures.

Upon exiting the Wild Museum, we continued walking to where there were more animals behind bars on display.

A bronze statue of Andres Bonifacio.

A series of aviaries.

This guy is devastated about something.

A bronze statue of General Antonio Luna.

The Dragon's Den. Anyone can walk right in, but then we saw monitor lizards happily scampering about.

After around three hours of roaming under the scorching sun, we decided it was time for a drink and some souvenir-shopping.

Trying to beat the heat, we bought plain and calamansi-flavored sugar cane juice and both tasted great. However, it was the deliciously-bitter chocolate drink made up of tablea (solid-form cocoa, a popular product in Davao City) that shook our senses awake.

This stall sells very interesting ice cream. The "Crocodile Ice Cream" (Php 95.00 per scoop) is ice-cream with ordinary flavors like chocolate and mango but with a twist-- its made of crocodile eggs and is laden with little chunks of crocodile meat! They also sell "Ostrich Ice Cream" (also Php 95.00 per scoop) made of ostrich eggs in lone vanilla flavor.

Cute and hip little souvenir shops!

9. LET THE BEAUTY OF THE BUTTERFLIES AMAZE YOU

DAVAO BUTTERFLY HOUSE AND BOTANICAL GARDEN

ENTRANCE FEE/S: Covered by the price of admission to Crocodile Park

We had time to kill before the much-anticipated fire dance show, so we headed to the Butterfly House which is around 500 meters away from Crocodile Park. We didn't want to walk because of the heat, so we rented a tricy-cab for Php 10.00 per person (Php 20.00 round trip).

The Butterfly House looks like a run-down shack, and the inside had a seedy feel to it. There were no tour guides to welcome us to the place and walk us through the rather small garden. In fact, when my sister and I entered, the place's caretakers were all busy watching the late FPJ on TV with nary a glimpse at us. And although there were old murals and info-graphic paintings on the walls, there were no interactive ways to scientifically learn about butterflies.

A stunningly-beautiful creature coming out from its cramped cocoon.

My sister and I both started to feel as if we've been ripped off-- that mindset changed when we moved to the Butterfly garden itself. Quiet and serene, with lots of shade and benches, we watched in awe as swarms and swarms of butterflies whizzed past us from all directions. Beautiful!

One of the paths was guarded by this little dried-up critter which we thought to be fake at first-- until it trained its beady yellow eyes on us. We ran for our lives.

10. APPRECIATE LOCAL TALENT AND ARTISTRY

TRIBU K'MINDANAWAN CULTURAL VILLAGE

ENTRANCE FEE/S: Covered by the price of admission to Crocodile Park

KAONANAN SA TRIBU K'MINDANAWAN

PRICE RANGE: Mid-range

If you're visiting on a Friday or a weekend, here is where you should cap your visit to the Crocodile Park Complex as the infamous fire dance performance is only held during those days of the week.

Tip: Be sure to arrive at the Tribu K'Mindanawan as early as 5:00 in the afternoon as seats fill in fast. You can sit to watch the show in the bleachers or inside the restaurant facing the stage, but you need to be dining in for the latter option.

Drummer ladies making some noise to attract customers and spectators for the fire show.

Inside the restaurant, Kaonanan, at Tribu K'Mindanawan.

Since we haven't had anything for lunch and were yet uncertain on where to go for dinner, my sister and I decided to just stay in and order dinner to go with the show. We were very disappointed because our waiter informed us that they no longer serve the meal set that we wanted to order, the newsworthy "Sungka Meal", which is made up of a variety of dishes served in a sungka with a large serving of rice. Oh, well, no can do.

Sungka Meal Set. Photo from Choose Philippines.

Something to loosen us up.

Calamares (deep-fried battered squid rings).

Pork Sinigang, around Php 160.00. I wanted the soup to be a wee bit sourer.

Lechon Kawali. At around Php 240.00, the serving size is a bit disappointing.

One more thing that irked me was the fact that the show did not start on time. The promised 5:45 PM performance started at 6:20 PM despite a full-packed theater. Plus, I expected there to be a cultural dance performance aside from the more popular fire show-- where was it? I gave this question a lot of thought before they dimmed the lights for the start of the fiery spectacle.

The show? It was AWESOME that I almost forgot that I was bored and disappointed. It was a thrilling performance that did not fail to showcase the raw, pure talent that the young Davaoeño dancers possess. The effects of the fire combined with the remix of music brought me and all the spectators, young and old as they are, to our feet as we gasped, clapped, cheered, and gave the artists the standing ovation that they deserved in the end.

In summary: the food was subpar. Just come for the show.

11. TREAT YOURSELF TO DURIAN-INFUSED COFFEE

BLUGRE COFFEE

PRICE-RANGE: Low-end

Tourists to Davao are very excited to try eating durian fruit-- only to back out once its smell hits their nostrils. For a more subtle experience with the pungent fruit, I recommend first trying it out in a different form versus its pure form. Durian products such as candies, pastries, tart, and chips are popular for when you want to be gently accustomed to the taste and the smell. However, for a more uncommon way to introduce durian into your system, especially if you're a coffee-lover like my sister, try Blugre Coffee's durian-flavored coffee.

My sister's hot Durian Coffeeccino and my ice-blended Durian Arctic Blast.

Blugre (pronounced as "Blue-Gray") Coffee has multiple branches all over Davao (and one soon to open in Manila), but the one nearest to our hotel was in Ayala Abreeza.

Once our drinks were served, we noted the faint aroma of durian wafting from the glasses. One sip of my sister's coffeeccino and the distinct taste of the fruit coupled with the bitterness of the coffee hit my senses like a sharp slap to the face. My cold and milky Durian Arctic Blast also beautifully presented the infusion of the durian against the familiar sweetness and creaminess of vanilla ice cream. The entire experience was beautifully invigorating. It was unique. It was something new to me.

We also ordered crispy chips with creamy tuna mayo dip to go with our drinks.

12. HUNT FOR CHEAP EATS AND BARGAIN FINDS

ROXAS NIGHT MARKET

PRICE-RANGE: Budget

When I suggested the Roxas Night Market as part of our itinerary, my mom initially gave me a big fat "NO". I didn't blame her at all; I knew she was worried. After all, who could forget about the horrible bombing incident that occurred on that very place on August 2016? I was stubborn, though. I wanted to go because I thought of all the neat things we could take home on a measly amount.

MOM: "Would you rather be bombed to death? Or live the rest of your life as an amputee or something?"

ME: "The rebels aren't stupid, ma. They're not gonna bomb the same place twice. I'm sure the military will be swarming the area."

And right I was. The place was littered with cops and handsome K-9's. They put a barricade on the entrance and exit points of the market and conducted body and baggage checks. I just knew that it would be a safe and bomb-free night.

The market is divided into two sections: one for the various food stalls and the other for dry goods.

Mmmmm, the isaw and the squid on a stick look tempting.

People come here for dinner or some late-night munchies.

Street food of the deep-fried variation.

Not only do these tall towers of cold drink look good-- they also taste good as well! (Warning: not for the faint of tummy, though.)

The section containing the dry goods is where you can purchase brand-new or second-hand items like souvenirs, shoes, toys, clothes, gadgets, accessories and collectibles for drop-down low prices!