Introducing Mindanao
Mention Mindanao to most Filipinos not living in this island province and you will see a look of mild befuddlement which quickly turns to genuine surprise when foreigners say they want to travel there. Because of its now exaggerated reputation as the wild west of the Philippines, almost everywhere you go will feel as if it's 'off the beaten track', and the lack of other travellers means a better chance of experiencing Filipino culture and indigenous peoples unmediated by the tourism industry.
At 95,000 sq km, Mindanao is big and bulky. It's an island of contrasts, maybe most readily felt by journeying from the high-rise downtown of modern Davao to the nearby towering peak of Mt Apo and the surrounding primitive villages. Volcanic Camiguin Island is an adventurer's paradise, and the surf breaks around bucolic Siargao Island are some of the best in the country. Vast cattle ranches and pineapple and banana plantations on a scale that must be seen to be believed sit alongside tiny plots managed by struggling farmers. The eastern coastline is long and remote and the swamps around the Agusan River and Rio Grande de Mindanao (Pulangi River) valleys offer opportunities for animal and bird-viewing.
Muslims, who have been a minority in Mindanao since the 1950s, are the majority in only four of the 21 provinces and just 12 sq km of the 90,000 sq km of the island are given over to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), an area that includes the mainland provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, and the hundreds of islands of the Sulu archipelago that stretches towards Malaysia and Indonesia. Predominantly Muslim areas include Marawi and the area around Lake Lanao, and Cotabato city.
Activities in Mindanao
Cagayan de Oro
Endowed with an impressive name (the 'Oro' part, after all, refers to the gold discovered by the Spanish in the river here), the city unfortunately has the usual traffic-clogged streets and is primarily a stop to or from Camiguin Island or the...
Camiguin
In a country of thousands of islands it's hard for one to stand out.
Mindanao destination guides
Siargao
After several days of either riding the waves or simply watching others take them on, your mission to decompress and take it easy accomplished, it's still difficult to pack up and leave.
Hotels in Mindanao
Budget Hotels & Hostels in Mindanao
Guesthouses and B&Bs in Mindanao
Apartments in Mindanao
Zamboanga
Need to know
Entertainment in Mindanao
Butuan
Shopping in Mindanao