Need Advise: Road Trip to and from Mindanao

[Egan101]

We are contemplating of taking a road trip from Manila to Davao by land. I guess the journey going there will be great with all the sight seeing but I am worried how bored my passengers will be on the journey back to Manila.

[yubby24]

We are contemplating of taking a road trip from Manila to Davao by land. I guess the journey going there will be great with all the sight seeing but I am worried how bored my passengers will be on the journey back to Manila.

My passengers (wife and her parents) did not get bored the whole trip because we talked about our experiences and the sights we see. Plus our son is makulit kaya may libangan sila. At least one passenger should be talkative para di kayo mabagot.

[travajante]

My passengers (wife and her parents) did not get bored the whole trip because we talked about our experiences and the sights we see. Plus our son is makulit kaya may libangan sila. At least one passenger should be talkative para di kayo mabagot.

I don't mind passengers dozing off....for as long as I have my caffeine & playlist. I'd give em a jolt on rest stops.[emoji4]

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[Dr.Kamiya]

I don't mind backseat passengers dozing off, but if someone calls shotgun I expect him/her to properly act as my wingman and help me stay focused and attentive for the drive.

[otomobil]

We are contemplating of taking a road trip from Manila to Davao by land. I guess the journey going there will be great with all the sight seeing but I am worried how bored my passengers will be on the journey back to Manila.

[StockEngine]

We are contemplating of taking a road trip from Manila to Davao by land. I guess the journey going there will be great with all the sight seeing but I am worried how bored my passengers will be on the journey back to Manila.

two Ipad Airs with headrest mounts. Globe has good reception all the way to Surigao. With YT Premium and Netflix Family, you can download pretty much everything.

[Egan101]

We are contemplating of taking a road trip from Manila to Davao by land. I guess the journey going there will be great with all the sight seeing but I am worried how bored my passengers will be on the journey back to Manila.

I wanted to this road trip this year but COVID happened. Yes, I have the sane concern about the trip back but I was thinking of taking the Bukidnon route going back.


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[yubby24]

We are contemplating of taking a road trip from Manila to Davao by land. I guess the journey going there will be great with all the sight seeing but I am worried how bored my passengers will be on the journey back to Manila.

August 2019 nagbyahe kami papuntang Misamis Occidental. We took 4 days kasi nastranded kami sa San Ricardo port dahil sa bagyo.

Ilan po ba kayong babyahe? We were 5 when we went there last year. Me(lone driver), wife, 3 y/o son, and my 2 in-laws. Di kami naubusan ng pagkukwentuhan at stop-overs sa mga famous sites. They sleep sometimes pero never a time na lahat sila sabay-sabay natulog.

Same din byahe pabalik. Kwentuhan at stop-overs. 3 days lang namin nakuha pabalik.

[mikelopez]

I know this is a very old thread. 2015 pa since I posted about it pero na-realize ko na hindi ko pala kayo na-update sa nangyari.

1. It was fun pag gising kayong lahat sa kotse.
2. It was draining pag tulog silang lahat at ako lang gising - I drove almost all of it since ayaw magpabitiw na baby girl namin kay misis.
3. I scheduled most of the arrivals to happen late in the afternoon or at night para deretso pahinga sa kung anumang place na na-book namin.
4. Almost had an accident somewhere in Mindoro where the road was awesome pero biglang may malalang lubak na hindi halata. Tumalon yung Montero ng I think 1ft into the air. Thank God ganun lang at hindi kami nag-swerve or kung ano pa man. Nauntog lang mga bata at si misis and nagalusan yung legs ng isa kong anak kasi sumayad sa gilid ng door. Paano nagalusan not sure. :D
5. Proper timing is essential to make sure na hindi maiwan ng RORO.
6. I took Fastcat whenever available. Super sarap ng byahe and pwede advanced booking. Montenegro pag walang Fastcat and I had to book on the spot. And from Dumaguete to Dapitan we had to go with another company na hindi ko maalala ang name pero malaki ang barko and masarap ang tulog.
7. Napuntahan lahat ng target destinations.
8. From Iloilo, we decided to go to Guimaras for one day kahit wala sa plano. Sulit. Idea was to go from Guimaras to Bacolod directly since may roro din daw. Kaso sira yung pier so we had to go back to Iloilo.
9. Once in Negros, we went to Silay and visited my grandmother's old house which is now one of the heritage houses in Silay. The caretaker was kind enough to let us in. Most of the house's fixtures are still old. Silay on its own is a must-see destination in Negros as well.
10. Upon landing sa Dapitan, naalala ni misis si Jose Rizal so nag-spend kami ng extra time doon which resulted in our schedule for CDO being moved. Also because of this we spent a night in Iligan and went to see the Maria Cristina falls na rin.
11. Most of our time was spent in Bukidnon since my dad lives there.
12. When in Tacloban, park your car near San Juanico and walk across the bridge. May pathwalk for pedestrians. This way you can say that you crossed Leyte to Samar by foot. Ganda rin ng view pag sunset.
13. Sa Bicol, we took the time to climb Mayon. May kalsada upto a certain point tapos may viewdeck area. Ganda ng view, you can see the other volcanoes in the area and you're much closer to Mayon's summit as well.
14. Google Maps + Waze ang gamit ko so important na may data at may charge ang phone. I used Waze most of the time since it's accurate sa traffic and travel time but used Google maps for double checking. Ngayon, Google maps na lang since binili na ni Google si Waze and I don't really like Waze's interface that much.
15. Pampagising - I took different drinks, cycled through them so my body doesn't acclimate to just one drink. Black coffee, Red bull, Sting, Cobra, Gatorade and one energy drink na first time ko lang nakita nung nasa Iloilo kami. Tip. Don't drink them in one go. Take a sip ever 30 minutes. Longer ang effect tapos safe pa sa palpitation.
16. We encountered a few fellow road trippers along the way. Halatang road trippers kasi yung plaka ay hindi dun sa lugar. Example, NCR pero nasa Iloilo or Cebu pero nasa Mindanao. Tapos minsan sabay ang stopover. Kahit walang kwentuhan, blink lang ng ilaw at konting busina, ok na. There was one time in Mindanao where me and a Pajero were taking turns taking lead sa daan. Pag pagod na ako sa una, I'll give way. Pag pagod na sya, he'll give way.
17. Thank God na walang masamang nangyari (accident, holdup, kidnap, etc) sa daan. Prayer is very important.
18. Pag pagod na sa driving, wag pilitin. Find a safe spot (i.e. gas station, police station, etc) and take a quick nap. A 30-minute nap can do wonders.
19. Gastos? Well, magastos promise. :D Buong Pinas ba naman e. Hindi ko na mahanap yung record ng expenses namin sa Roro, Gas, Hotels, Adventures, etc. pero it was around Php 100k I think. I'm sure it can be cheaper especially sa hotels pero since family trip sya hindi ko na masyadong tinipid. Nagtipid pa rin pero di masyado.

Notes about the destinations:

1. Boracay = fun
2. Iloilo = hot but sweet. of all our destinations, traffic was the worst here.
3. Guimaras = sweet, windmills too
4. Negros = calming
5. Dapitan = historical
6. Iligan = majestic (Maria Cristina falls)
7. CDO = pass through lang kami
8. Bukidnon = lots of untouched nature, family
9. Tacloban = historical (Mc Arthur) but also sad since the effects of Yolanda were still visible
10. Samar = pass through lang pero lots of awesome view along the way.
11. Bicol = even more majestic

Will we do it again? For sure. Marami pa kaming hindi naikot.

I think that's it. We had another shorter road trip a couple years after - Manila to Cebu (via Legazpi Albay) then to Bohol and back but that's for another post.

Tapos mostly sa North na lang ang naging roadtrip namin which is a lot easier since walang hinahabol na roro :D

[Suzumiya]

Just a follow up, since I'll be passing Pagbilao-Atimonan area, is the old zigzag road (aka bitukang manok) safe to pass at around let's say 4-5 AM in the morning?

We decided to leave Paranaque at around 2 AM, so we might hit the area around 4-5 AM. if it's a no go then I'll just go with the diversion road. Thanks.

[glenn_duke]

Just a follow up, since I'll be passing Pagbilao-Atimonan area, is the old zigzag road (aka bitukang manok) safe to pass at around let's say 4-5 AM in the morning?

We decided to leave Paranaque at around 2 AM, so we might hit the area around 4-5 AM. if it's a no go then I'll just go with the diversion road. Thanks.

Yup, much safer and faster than the diversion road.

[Suzumiya]

Yup, much safer and faster than the diversion road.

Alright, thanks

[glenn_duke]

Alright, thanks

Important note, the sharp curves uphill and down hill on both ends of this highway are one way and STAY LEFT traffic.

[underman]

Done this before 2011, left Manila after lunch via Tanay to Lucban, overnight stay at Lopez, Left early morning and arrived Matnog around 9PM. Overnight stay at Allen, arrived Liloan before midnight, overnight stay in Surigao City. Left again not so early in the morning and took lunch in Butuan City, overnight stay in Cagayan de oro. Left before lunch and arrive Dapitan in the afternoon. Overnight stay at Dumaguete and left the following day late afternoon to Guihulngan for vacation. Going back to Manila is via Panay, Mindoro. Overnight stay in Boracay. Attempted same route last year but the plan that time is to go all the way to Davao, that failed to materialize due to lack of time. Change course from Tacloban to Ormoc instead then Cebu to Negros.

[StockEngine]

Make sure the spare tire has good pressure(40) This is my least wanted activity before going to surigao. It's a chore for SUVs. Getting a flat at 3am with no one to help is a nightmare.

[Suzumiya]

Important note, the sharp curves uphill and down hill on both ends of this highway are one way and STAY LEFT traffic.

Thanks, Noted.

[Suzumiya]

Update: Just reached Surigao yesterday, Andaya highway in Bicol is in a terrible state due to roadworks, I'll just go around Daet in my return trip; overall the drive was a pleasant experience except the crossing from San Ricardo to Lipata which was full of bullshit.

[yubby24]

Update: Just reached Surigao yesterday, Andaya highway in Bicol is in a terrible state due to roadworks, I'll just go around Daet in my return trip; overall the drive was a pleasant experience except the crossing from San Ricardo to Lipata which was full of bullshit.

Congrats sir. Why did you go until San Ricardo? Di kayo umabot sa byahe ng Fast Cat sa Liloan? Kabwisit talaga sumakay jan sa Benit kasi Montenegro lang ang RoRO jan. Palakasan ang sistema. Kahit late ka dumating, basta may kapit o padulas ka, pwede ka muna. Take Fast Cat sir pabalik para Liloan na baba mo. BTW, how's the Saddle Pass sir?

[Suzumiya]

Congrats sir. Why did you go until San Ricardo? Di kayo umabot sa byahe ng Fast Cat sa Liloan? Kabwisit talaga sumakay jan sa Benit kasi Montenegro lang ang RoRO jan. Palakasan ang sistema. Kahit late ka dumating, basta may kapit o padulas ka, pwede ka muna. Take Fast Cat sir pabalik para Liloan na baba mo. BTW, how's the Saddle Pass sir?

I went to Liloan as planned, but a family friend kept insisting on taking the ferry in San Ricardo because it was faster to cross. Saddle pass was quite a hair raising experience, I'm never taking Montenegro shipping again unless it's the only choice.

[yubby24]

Just a follow up, since I'll be passing Pagbilao-Atimonan area, is the old zigzag road (aka bitukang manok) safe to pass at around let's say 4-5 AM in the morning?

We decided to leave Paranaque at around 2 AM, so we might hit the area around 4-5 AM. if it's a no go then I'll just go with the diversion road. Thanks.

It's safe during that time. May mga tao naman na nagga-guide sa mga motorista. Pag sa baba ka puro mga truck at bus na harurot kasabay mo.