Maragusan
A Cool Highland Valley Ringed By Mountains, In A Province The Country Knows For Gold Rushes And Landslides · Maragusan, Davao de Oro
MARAGUSAN IS A HIGHLAND VALLEY IN DAVAO DE ORO, RINGED BY MOUNTAINS, COOL ENOUGH THAT PEOPLE COME UP FROM DAVAO TO ESCAPE THE HEAT, with waterfalls, rice terraces, caves and a river running through it. MARANGIG FALLS is the best known; the valley floor sits high enough for temperate vegetables and flowers to grow. IT IS PLEASANT, GREEN AND ALMOST ENTIRELY DOMESTIC. AND THE PROVINCE AROUND IT IS KNOWN NATIONALLY FOR TWO OTHER THINGS. DIWALWAL, ON MOUNT DIWATA, IS ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS SMALL-SCALE GOLD RUSHES IN ASIA - tens of thousands of people, tunnels dug by hand, mercury in the water and repeated attempts by the state to regulate it. AND DAVAO DE ORO HAS SUFFERED REPEATED DEADLY LANDSLIDES, at Pantukan and elsewhere, in ground destabilised by mining and rain. The valley is the gentle part of a hard province. Go midweek, because Davao families fill the lodges at weekends, and check the road in the wet months, when the landslide risk here is a real consideration rather than a formality.
Maragusan Valley, Davao de Oro, Maragusan, Davao de Oro, Philippines
MARAGUSAN IS ROUGHLY THREE TO FOUR HOURS FROM DAVAO CITY by road via Nabunturan or Mati, climbing into the valley on a winding mountain road. THERE IS NO GATE; individual sites and resorts charge small fees. MARANGIG FALLS AND THE OTHER CASCADES need short walks and local guides. ACCOMMODATION IS SIMPLE HIGHLAND RESORTS AND LODGES, mostly used by Davao families at weekends, and the valley IS COOL AT NIGHT. TRAILS AND CAVES ARE ARRANGED LOCALLY. THE WET MONTHS BRING LANDSLIDE RISK ON THE MOUNTAIN ROADS, which is a real consideration in this province rather than a formality. DIWALWAL IS A WORKING MINING CAMP, NOT A VISITOR SITE, and should not be treated as one. Check current travel advice for parts of the region.