# Drive from Manila to Davao



## Magee (Aug 10, 2011)

I am considering driving from Manila to Davao - I have located a few online links with blogs of the trip but none have very comprehensibly covered the details.

Has anyone experience of this trip they would care to share and or could direct to links which cover the experience , the options and the expenses along with recommended routes , places to view and to stop over.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Magee said:


> I am considering driving from Manila to Davao - I have located a few online links with blogs of the trip but none have very comprehensibly covered the details.
> 
> Has anyone experience of this trip they would care to share and or could direct to links which cover the experience , the options and the expenses along with recommended routes , places to view and to stop over.


Howdy,
Long time no see here on the site.
There should be some replies with routing and expense info I would think. That is a serious undertaking to make the trip by driving and ferry boats.

Wondering, Have you spent much time in the Philippines before? This is an unforgiving 3rd world country with all the inhearant dangers, risks, and pitfalls one might expect or imagine. Driving conditions are like you could never imagine and even a professional long haul trucker would have a difficult time avoiding accidents. Personal safety to the extreme can be an issue en-route to say nothing of your destination! 

There are numerous Travel Warnings from many countries for the island of Mindanao. These should be heeded and taken to heart--especially trying to drive the distance.


Jet Lag


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## UltraFJ40 (May 20, 2014)

I don't have much to offer other than the fact that a friend of mine that was born in Davao, he ended up in the US at the age of 28. Now he's 53 and wants to make the same trip from Aparri all the way down to his birthplace. 

He currently lives just south of Manila (9 months of the year) and expressed to me his desire to finally make the trip on his BMW adventure bike. Being a member of a local riding group he figured it'd be easy to hook up with others along the way.

Well, just last month he told me that his concern for his own personal safety was something that he wasn't willing to chance. Until some sense of order can be established along the roads less travelled his plans are on hold.

Certainly many have done it without incident but hearing this from my friend would give me serious concern so I think I'd just stick with Luzon.


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## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

Hi Magee.
I am exchanging posts with somebody on another forum on exactly this subject. Just wondering if its you.
Anyway the matter of security was also raised and my reply to that was as follows: -

Yes there are some security issues that it would be prudent to take into account before setting off. Having said that if I was overly concerned on that front, I wouldn't have chosen to live in Davao, not Mindanao and probably not even in Philippines at all. I did post a thread on this exact subject in another forum and there was 1 positive supportive, go-for-it type of response along with about 10 negative, you-must-be-crazy type responses.
At the end of the day I guess it's an individual decision as to how you choose to live your life. The adventurous types may throw a little caution to the wind and thrive on the adventures in life whilst others are happier with a safer, dare I say more mundane lifestyle. If everybody chose to avoid any sort of risks in life, there would be no explorers, astronauts, round the world sailors, adventure sports enthusiasts..............
I have lived and worked in many areas of the world that I consider more dangerous than the Philippines and enjoyed every minute of it. Conversely, I have had good friends die of health related issues, motor cycle accidents etc., living a very safe life in jolly old England. There are no guarantees in life.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

I have a motorcycle riding friend here in the Iloilo area(a Kano) who takes the ferry to the northern end of ****** (Bocolod) now & then and rides on down to Dumagette. He has not had any problems riding on ****** or Bohol but he states he will not under any circumstances go further south than Dumagette. Each person's tolerance level is different, but there have been some bad things happen down there.

Fred


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## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

I just completed the Manila to Davao trip 1,750km. Happy to report no problems at all. Set off last Saturday morning and arrived at our home in Davao last night, Wednesday. Could have done it in a shorter time, but I wanted to take it easy and enjoy the experience. I can honestly say that I never felt any security threat whatsoever along the route.


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## greenstreak1946 (May 28, 2017)

hey Hogrider

Just wondering if you were actually traveling on land? hahahaha That wasn't very long considering it takes me almost 2 hours to go from Davao to Tagum which is only 26 miles. I have no ideal how you traveled that far in only 4 days.

art


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## hogrider (May 25, 2010)

Hi Art

It was 5 days all told. We took it pretty easy and did quite a bit of sight seeing. If you look at the blogs of people who have done this trip, most people do it in 3 days.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

hogrider said:


> Hi Art
> 
> It was 5 days all told. We took it pretty easy and did quite a bit of sight seeing. If you look at the blogs of people who have done this trip, most people do it in 3 days.


Ormoc Letye to Manila by aircon coach is about 20 hours so a 3 day drive to Davoa would not be difficult


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