Tagum City
©
Tagum City

Tagum City

Mindanao provincial capital serving Davao del Norte's banana plantations, music festivals, beaches, and Mount Apo approaches.

Tagum City is the capital of Davao del Norte province on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, about an hour north of Davao City by road. It's a fast-growing agricultural and commercial centre of around 300,000 people, serving the surrounding banana and coconut plantations and the mining areas further inland.

The city's two claims to fame are local rather than of significant tourist interest — the "World's Largest Rosary" at the Christ the King Cathedral, and one of Southeast Asia's tallest Christmas trees, erected annually. Festivals animate the city calendar: the Musikahan sa Tagum is a week-long music festival in February, and the Durian Festival marks the peak of the pungent fruit's harvest season.

Most visitors use Tagum as a launching point for the surrounding region. The beaches along the Davao Gulf are reachable within 30 minutes, and Mount Apo — the highest peak in the Philippines — lies within driving distance to the southwest.

Guide

Bars and Cafes

Tagum has a lively café scene driven by local coffee culture — the Philippines takes its coffee seriously, and Tagum is no exception. The main commercial strips around the city centre have numerous cafés, from local chains to independent spots.

Guide

Beaches

Tagum City itself sits inland, but beaches on the Davao Gulf are accessible within 30 to 45 minutes by road. The Liboganon River mouth and the coastal barangays to the east are the closest options, popular with locals for weekend swimming and picnics.

Guide

Getting There

AIR. Tagum is accessible via Davao International Airport serviced by all major domestic airlines with direct flights from Manila and Cebu. About an hour travel from the Davao airport to the City of Tagum through an overland trasnport via aircon or non-aircon buses or taxis. LAND. Tagum's road network is the crossroad center of the northern part of Region XI, Southern Mindanao via Maharlika Highways. It is the access road from Davao City to the Provinces of Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley and portion of Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur road which connect the city to other major destination in the region and in the entire Mindanao even up to Pasay City, Metro Manila. SEA. The city can be reached via Port of Sasa, Davao City that serves and catered passenger lines plying the route that networks to Zamboanga City, Iloilo City, Cebu and Manila. From the port take an overland transport via aircon or non-aircon buses or taxis.

Contributors March 06, 2007

Guide

Things to Do

Tagum is a commercial and administrative city rather than a tourist destination, but it has a few genuinely interesting landmarks. The Cathedral and its unusual rosary are the most-visited attraction; the sports complex at the edge of town reflects the city's ambitions as a regional hub.