Biyahero

• Places of interest within the vicinity of the town include Lake Ampawid.

• Samal Island, the largest island, has a 116 km. shoreline, beautiful white sand beaches, waterfalls, around 70 caves (only 20% of which have been explored), lakes, rivers, springs, some tropical rainforest, rolling, grass and scrub brush-covered coral hills, scuba diving and snorkeling sites, and marine and fish sanctuaries. 

• Moncandian Sect settlements are located at Limao, Ma-ag and Upper Penaplata.    The sprawling, 224-hectare and world-class Mariculture Park, located by the sea, has sea cages containing primary varieties of fish.   
• The 7-hectare Isla Malipano is located across and part of Pearl Farm Resort.  It has a white sand beach, offshore reef and is a 45-min. boat ride from Davao City's Sta. Ana Wharf.  The island is ideal for scuba diving, snorkelling and shell hunting.
• The five-hectare Palma Gil Island has white sand beaches and coconut plantations while Sanipan Island has white sand beaches, caves and coconut plantations. 
• The Ligid Islands, off Babak District, are an 18-hectare group of islands consisting of Big Cruz Island and Little Cruz Island.  Both have white sand beaches, caves, forest, coconut plantations and harbors a population of pilot whales.  In 1970, archaeological diggings in Ligid Cave have revealed human skeletons, Chinese porcelain jars and vases and artifacts of the Kalagan tribe.
• The small, privately-owned (Ayala Family) Little Cruz Island (also called Buenavista Island) beside Big Ligid Island and fronting Barangay Balet (Babak District), has lush greenery and an underwater cave.  It is declared a Marine Protected Area and is great for snorkeling.
• Caves on Samal Island include Balete Cave, the bat and guano-filled Kamunod Cave (Brgy. Kamunod, Babak), Kimoko Cave, Magongawong Cave, Simbahan-Dako Cave and Upper Caliclic Cave (Brgy. Caliclic, Babak).  The Upper Caliclic Cave is believed to be a Kalagan burial site.  Its four chambers are infested with snakes and bats.
• In 1970, archaeological diggings in Ligid Cave have revealed human skeletons, Chinese porcelain jars and vases and artifacts of the Kalagan tribe. Talikud Caves are a series of three caves (Baga Cave, Reta Cave and Dapia Cave) with two small entrances.  They are said to be the haunt of giant pythons and bats and are also said to have an underground tunnel crossing Davao Gulf to Malalag (Davao del Sur). The 25-ft. high Haguimit Falls, in Brgy. San Jose, si located 2.8 kms. from Penaplata Poblacion.
• The 1,000-m. high Mt. Puting Bato, in the interior of Samal Island, is a hike along a modestly inclined but stony trail from Brgy. Penaplata, passing Haguimit Falls.  From here, it is a 1-hr. scramble to the top, which has a superb panoramic view of Davao City, Davao Gulf and the surrounding islands. 
• Other places of interest within the vicinity of the city include Bagsak Lake and Tagbaobo Falls (Brgy. Tagbaobo).

Scuba Diving

• The Ligid Islands are surrounded by narrow shelves of coral with some interesting pinnacles nearby.  Diving is possible all year round and jump-off point is Davao City.   March-July is the best period for diving.  There are 17 dive sites around Samal island.  Mushroom Rock, located at Samal's east coast, offers good diving and snorkeling.  It has moderate to strong currents and is ideal for drift dives, deep dives, multi-level dives, naturalist dives, photography and snorkeling.
• The wrecks of two World War II warships are located 60 m. away from the resort, in 30 m. of water off the western shore of Samal Island, and in front of the Pearl Farm Beach Resort.  Wreck I, a 40-m. (132-ft.) Japanese freighter, is located just a few meters from the resort’s Samal houses, in 35 m. (115 ft.) of water.  Here, you can find groupers, jacks, moray eels and others.  For advanced divers, an open bay hatch allows safe penetration.   It is also recommended for underwater photography.  The slightly smaller Wreck II, a 35-m. (115-ft.) freighter, rests on its side at a shallower dept of 28 m. (98 ft.) of water.
• De La Paz, a three minute ride from the resort, just on the fringe of the Malipano Island Anchorage,is ideal for shallow fun dives, deep diving and deep dives.  It is recommended for all levels.  Bebing’s Corner, for advanced divers, is ideal for drift diving and photography.   Currents here are strong with occasional down drafts during high tidal variations on lunar phases.  Marissa I, a submerged reef off Malipano Island, has a rugged drop-off on the west side and a sandy slope on the east, facing the main island.   Marissa II, a 10-min. ride from the resort, is a submerged reef ideal for deep, multi-level and drift diving.  Its west bank has rugged slopes which is home to groupers, surgeonfish, unicornfish and a variety of tropical reef fishes.  The 30-ft. level teems with soft coral formations, making safety stops enjoyable.
• Marissa III, the northernmost of the Marissa reefs, is a fringing reef with a superb drop-off that goes down to 50 m. (165 ft.).  It is practically ideal for any type of diving objective and pattern and a good destination for night diving.  San Jose, a 15-minute ride from the resort, has walls and a overhanging ridge frequently visited by green sea turtles on sea grass beds at the shallow portion of the reef.  Home to a good variety of reef fish, it is ideal for underwater photography and deep diving
• Coral Garden, a recently-declared marine sanctuary, offers a stretch of coral reef ideal for underwater photography and snorkeling.  It is the best site to observe coral spawning during the few days before  and after a full moon in November.  Mansud Wall, one of the best dives in Davao Gulf, is home to schools of yellow-lined sardines.  It is safe foe any level even in extreme monsson weather.
• Talisay Wall, adjacent to Mansud Wall, has thermoclines at 24 m. (80 ft.) and has slight to moderate currents.  You can see feeding eagle rays during early morning dives.  It is ideal for deep and multi-level dives and underwater photography.
• Linosutan, the southernmost part  of Coral Garden, has ledges at 18 m. (60 ft.) and a sandy, sloping terrain with patches of coral.  Ideal for training, skills review and discover scuba.  White Rock, on the eastern side of Samal Island, has a sloping terrain teeming with soft coral.  Ideal for night dives.   
• East Point has strong currents and offers good drift diving.   Occasional pelagic feed at the corner tip of the site and cascading gravel are a fun to watch on the slopes.  Richard’s Corner has very strong currents during full moon and offers good drift diving.  Behind the points are gullies filled with crevices and cracks where you can find resting nocturnal sea creatures.  Dive lights are a must for any dive from noon to dusk.
• Big Ligid is one of the trickiest dives sites due to its converging currents.  Its deep walls make it excellent for drift dives.  A cavern can be penetrated at 18 m. (60 ft.) but a safety stop is required at the cavern entrance.