Davao

The country's highest at 2,954 metres, and the climb takes two or three days. Four routes start it, all needing registration and a guide with a daily cap, and near the summit the volcanic ground smells of sulphur. April and May are the safest months.

A breeding centre for the Philippine eagle, whose wild numbers run to a few hundred, so birds hatched here go back out. Enclosures are spread through forest and seen on foot, and commentary comes only with the guided rounds. Keepers name each bird.

A fifteen-minute crossing from the Davao wharf, on a ferry that takes cars. The Monfort cave holds bat colonies in the millions and they leave in one stream at dusk, while the resorts gather over at Hagimit. Boats run often enough for a day trip.

Terraced gardens up a slope at 900 metres, cooler than town. A zipline and a sky cycle cross the valley and the paths fork several ways; the counter has to say whether the shuttle is inside the ticket. Mist rolls in and shortens the view by afternoon.

It began as a crocodile farm and grew into a zoo, and feeding time is when the crowd arrives. Philippine and saltwater crocodiles are kept apart, and the building beside it sells crocodile leather and crocodile meat. Some evenings it opens at night.

A park at the centre of town, and the draw is the sculpture of Mindanao's indigenous peoples. Figures by Kublai Millan stand through the gardens, lit in the evening, and one stretch of paving is walked barefoot. There is no admission charge.

First raised in 1847 and the oldest church in Davao, though the building now standing dates from the 1960s. Its front curves after a ship's sails, unlike other Spanish-era churches, and outside mass hours the nave is empty and quiet.

Cacao is grown and taken through to chocolate on one site. The route passes the fermentation and drying yards into the roasting room and ends in a tasting of different percentages. An aviary and butterfly garden share the grounds.

A hill the Japanese army held as a position during the war, now restaurants and a viewing deck. Davao Gulf and the city lights come in together, so the evening tables go first. The road up is steep enough that almost nobody walks it.

The wholesale market for Davao fruit, and in durian season it covers the floor. Prices split by variety and sellers will open one to taste, and asking for it shelled into a box gets done on the spot. The produce is best early in the morning.

After dark Roxas Avenue fills with stalls selling skewers, seafood and massages. Since the 2016 bombing every entrance has a bag check. Some stalls sell durian split open, but hotels will not let it through the door.

Counted as the largest Buddhist temple in Mindanao. Koi drift in the pond before the main hall, and inside sit a golden Buddha and an image of Guanyin. Chinese-Filipino devotees come from the morning on to burn incense.

A cave on Samal Island holding the world's largest colony of Geoffroy's rousette, a fruit bat. Peer down into the openings and they hang packed wall to wall, with a strong smell. The family who own the land have guarded it as a sanctuary.

The city's museum occupies the old courthouse, showing the dress and ornaments of the indigenous and Muslim peoples of Davao along with the city's history. One hour covers it, and it fits a walk around the city hall district.

A long beach in Mati, some hours' drive east of Davao, known for its young skimboarders. Sea turtles crawl up this sand to lay eggs, and locals run a protection effort. Lodgings are simple, and most stay a night.