When one would say The Philippines, Manila would come up immediately into ones’ mind. Manila is one of the three major metropolitan cities in the country along with Cebu and Davao. But when one would say a major city, one would think about skyscrapers, a busy lifestyle, or the hustle and bustle – well I don’t want to say an urban chaos, but a modern and fast paced lifestyle which I am sure most of the travelers are very familiar with. In the Philippines, these big three best compliment with each other. Metro Manila as the Philippine Capital – the haven of modernity and urbanity, Cebu – the Queen City of The South, and Davao – the rising Ecocity.
Manila and Cebu are beautiful metropolitan cities, there’s no question about it. Cebu is catching up with Metro Manila in terms of progress and its fast paced development. But if you want to experience a metropolitan city where you can enjoy a laidback lifestyle, where you can savor every minute of your day – finding yourself having a latte in a downtown coffee shop and after few minutes enjoying greeneries in a mountain resort , be one with nature, or enjoy a deep splash in a nearby island – then enter Davao, the ecocity.
Davao – the ecocity is different from the artificial eco cities being developed in other countries. In other countries, they have to architecturally design a sustainable and green city. However, Davao is naturally endowed with nature’s beauty and gifts. It is a metropolitan blessed with diverse flora and fauna. Davao is no close to perfection but its citizens play a major role in maintaining the city’s ecological balance through being vigilant towards environmental concerns. The local government has existing policies and initiatives that would further boost the city to be an ideal ecologically balanced city in the Philippines. And to non-smokers, Davao is your haven. The only city in the Philippines that strictly imposes the no smoking ordinance (for more than a decade now) – ofcourse with consideration to smokers through identifying certain spots (mostly away from the public) where they can smoke.
Davao as an ecocity can be primarily enjoyed through its ecotourism destinations. In the heart of the city is the People’s Park. No need to travel far from the city’s downtown area to enjoy its lush greeneries. Enjoy the city’s art and culture in a garden setting.
When you leave the park and walk around the city streets, one would notice how clean and well-kept the city streets are.
Experience Davao’s wildlife without leaving urban Davao. Few minutes away from the downtown area is Davao’s Crocodile Park. It’s a state of the art crocodile farm aiming to conserve exotic animal species such as raptors, monkeys, bearcats, birds, and crocodiles. The entire complex also includes a butterfly house, a water rafting facility – making Davao River as your playground, and a Riverwalk grill where you can dine along the riverbanks of Davao River.
Now if you want to see a lost environment revived, visit Eden Nature Park. A mountain resort 3000 feet above sea level, an example that men can work together to recreate nature and rebuild it to its fullest. Sightseeing is not the only activity you can do within this sanctuary, there are so many activities such as ziplining. Did you know that Davao City is also the zipline capital of the Philippines? Before ziplines became popular elsewhere in the country, ziplining had been institutionalized in the city. So many successful zipline parks to the point that it’s been replicated by other provinces.
So many places to visit such as Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos Garden Resort, Pearl Farm in Samal Island, Mt Apo, just to name a few. So many activities to do such as spelunking, diving, wake boarding, water tubing, mountain climbing, and more. These are just some of the so many ecotourism destinations in Davao making it as the ecotourism city of the country. So this year, as we mark this year as VisitPhilippines2015, come and visit Davao and experience an urban area that is truly an ecocity.
Originally posted HERE.
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Featured Photo Lifted from Google Images
