HomeAsiaPhilippinesMindanaoDavaoDavao del NorteDavao to Samal Ferry & Talicud Island DIY Trip – Sta Ana wharf By Marcos Detourist on December 15, 2011An awesome thing about major cities in the Philippines is that excellent island getaways are just a short land/sea trip away. It was my last full day in Davao and I just couldn’t pass off the opportunity to visit Samal Island. The Pearl Farm Resort comes to mind with a mention of Samal but I wasn’t in any mood to splurge … so I fired up google maps and scoured for other potential (cheap) places to visit. I eventually saw an interesting islet located south of mainland Samal called “Talikud.” Saw photos of its beautiful white sand beaches and I inevitably got hooked!Waiting for the “Talikud Island” ferry to depart from Santa Ana Wharf in Davao City.At the time, I wasn’t able to find detailed information online about ferry schedules going to Talikud. Undiscouraged, I hopped on a taxi to Santa Ana Wharf in Downtown Davao and hoped for the best.Ramon Magsaysay ParkThe driver dropped me off at the Ramon Magsaysay Park located just beside the Santa Ana Wharf. Took a quick stroll around the park while trying to find before heading to the “Talikud Island” ferry booth.Ramon Magsaysay ParkObelisk / Monument in the middle of the parkTree-lined pathwaysBayside BoulevardNot a good swimming beach, probably because it’s so near a busy seaportSanta Ana Wharf DavaoSanta Ana Wharf is located within the Chinatown district of Downtown Davao City. It is one of two ports with daily ferries crossing over to Samal Island, the other being Sasa Wharf located further up north. Ferries going to Talikud Island / Kaputian depart from Santa Ana Wharf while the RORO (slow) ferries destined for Babak Wharf in Samal depart from the Sasa Wharf.Santa Ana WharfTalicud Island and Kaputian Ferry ScheduleThe ferry booth within the port compound was easy to spot because of the groups of local tourists gathering in front of the counters. It was a relief knowing I was still able to catch the last boat trip going to Talikud Island. Paid P50 for the one-way fare.Kaputian Motorboat Association Ticket BoothThere are basically two daily direct trips (10am and 12:30am) from Santa Ana Wharf to Sta. Cruz Wharf in Talikud Island. As an alternative, commuters could also hop on the more frequent ferries going to Kaputian and take a 15-minute boat trip to Talikud Island. Kaputian is located at the southernmost tip of mainland Samal.There’s only one afternoon trip (3pm) to Santa Ana Wharf from Talikud Island. I had a feeling I’d have too little time in Talikud Island if I were to catch the 3pm return trip.So I’d have enough time exploring the island, I planned on making my way to Babak Wharf, where there are a lot of ferries crossing the channel even after sundown, and then take a slow (RORO) ferry back to Davao City.Ferry to Talikud Island, SamalThe ferry ride from Santa Ana Wharf to Sta. Cruz Wharf in Talikud Island took approx. 1 hour and 30 minutes.While cruising off the coast of the Davao City, I was able to see the emerging skyline of this rapidly growing metropolis.Marco Polo HotelAt the same time, the island of Samal came clearer into view. Seen from the boat were a number of white sand beach coves including the recognizable sight of Pearl Farm’s luxurious seaside villas.Pearl Farm Davao in Samal IslandCloser view of Talicud IslandSmall village along the coast of Talicud IslandSta. Cruz Wharf in Talicud IslandArrival in Talicud IslandArrived in Sta. Cruz Wharf at 2pm. It’s crazy good to be able to enjoy the urban comforts of Davao City, then hop on a cheap ferry, and be transported a relatively undeveloped/uncommercialized island like Talikud.There’s a white sand stretch called “Isla Reta” just beside the pier but I was keen to visit another beach called “Babu Santa” located at the other side of the island.Don’t leave yet. There’s more!Isla Reta Beach: Talicud to Kaputian, Mainland SamalBabu Santa Beach in Talikud Island, Samal by Habal-habal3 Days Davao and Samal Itinerary - DIY Travel Tips & GuideDavao to Zamboanga Flight: Arrival in Zamboanga AirportPlanning at trip to Cuyo, Palawan6 Days in Davao & Zamboanga - First time in Southern…Comments gayE @ pinaytraveljunkie saysDecember 15, 2011 at 4:52 amNabitin ako. Haha! Looking forward to Babu Santa post! Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 11:12 pmhehe :D At your command: https://www.ambot-ah.com/talikud-samal-babu-santa-isla-reta/ Grace saysDecember 15, 2011 at 9:53 amwow… DAVAO! :) Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 11:11 pmdaWOW ^_^ Mervz | pinoyadventurista.com saysDecember 15, 2011 at 10:41 amVery informative post! too bad, i wasn’t able to experience this as we were fetch by from Davao beach club to our resort in Samal island… Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 11:11 pmThanks Mervz… sosyal :D Joseph Reyes saysDecember 17, 2011 at 7:35 pmI’ve been to this island September 2008. It’s nice to see pictures of your trip – bring back memories. Thanks for the information and pictures to help our fellow Filipinos to realize that we have lots of beautiful places here in our country. I hope our roads will cross in one of your future trips. Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 11:02 pmThat’ll be awesome Joseph. We seem to have a lot in common when it comes to traveling :) Yep, still have a lot of unposted trips in the Philippines. jaie iban saysDecember 19, 2011 at 8:12 pmLooking forward to visiting this place. dm saysJanuary 8, 2012 at 1:17 pmur blog is amazing!!!!!! looking forward to go to davao soon and will visit samal island too… i was reading ur blog about bohol and panglao island, its very informative… im going to bohol in march soo it helped me a lot! :)) Marcos saysJanuary 11, 2012 at 11:59 ammy pleasure dm :) thanks for visiting my blog. Steph saysApril 25, 2012 at 12:43 pmwonderful blog! However, I would just like to ask if do you have to make reservation to the ferry a day before or what before heading to Isla Reta? Me and my friends plan to have or summer outing there. Marcos saysApril 28, 2012 at 12:05 amNo reservations are necessary. redvelvet saysMay 19, 2012 at 12:30 pmHi! I’m going on a solo day trip to Davao. Arriving at 8am and leaving Davao at 4pm the same day. Is it possible to visit Talikud island with that schedule? hehe. Is it safe for females who are travelling solo? THANK YOU!!! Berniemack Arellano saysAugust 20, 2012 at 11:33 amMemories…I got a lot of memories being in this island back in 1996, Grade 5 pa ako. No electricity except a few hours in late afternoon and evening. Silence. Then in the morning, we go up to the peak and view the three peaks of Apo Sandawa in the morning. Then to the Coral Gardens at Linosutan. The carabao ride…I just miss those days. Marcos saysNovember 11, 2012 at 4:46 pmcool :D Charl saysNovember 15, 2012 at 5:57 pmhey marcos, yun pa rin ba ang sked ng ferry papuntang kaputian? :) by any chance, alam mo yung contact number ng kaputian beach park? Marcos saysDecember 4, 2012 at 6:02 pmNot so sure about that. tots saysJanuary 29, 2013 at 11:38 amis it costly to go to samal island?and ano po ung attractions sa talikud? Marcos saysFebruary 2, 2013 at 9:29 pmNot expensive if you’re gonna use public commute. Like mentioned in the article, the ferry from Davao to Talikud is just P50. I posted about my experience in Samal here: https://www.ambot-ah.com/talikud-samal-babu-santa-isla-reta/ Merinisa Daniels saysDecember 21, 2016 at 6:01 amWonderful experiences you shared Marcos. It’s educational. Please share more of your adventures for more information. Posting of new comments is disabled temporarily.Connect with Marcos on:Detourista.comMarcosDetourist.comFacebookInstagramTwitterDetourista.comDiscover more travel guides and blogs about the Philippines and beyond by Marcos DetouristChoose your next destination: Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
gayE @ pinaytraveljunkie saysDecember 15, 2011 at 4:52 amNabitin ako. Haha! Looking forward to Babu Santa post!
Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 11:12 pmhehe :D At your command: https://www.ambot-ah.com/talikud-samal-babu-santa-isla-reta/
Mervz | pinoyadventurista.com saysDecember 15, 2011 at 10:41 amVery informative post! too bad, i wasn’t able to experience this as we were fetch by from Davao beach club to our resort in Samal island…
Joseph Reyes saysDecember 17, 2011 at 7:35 pmI’ve been to this island September 2008. It’s nice to see pictures of your trip – bring back memories. Thanks for the information and pictures to help our fellow Filipinos to realize that we have lots of beautiful places here in our country. I hope our roads will cross in one of your future trips.
Marcos saysDecember 20, 2011 at 11:02 pmThat’ll be awesome Joseph. We seem to have a lot in common when it comes to traveling :) Yep, still have a lot of unposted trips in the Philippines.
dm saysJanuary 8, 2012 at 1:17 pmur blog is amazing!!!!!! looking forward to go to davao soon and will visit samal island too… i was reading ur blog about bohol and panglao island, its very informative… im going to bohol in march soo it helped me a lot! :))
Steph saysApril 25, 2012 at 12:43 pmwonderful blog! However, I would just like to ask if do you have to make reservation to the ferry a day before or what before heading to Isla Reta? Me and my friends plan to have or summer outing there.
redvelvet saysMay 19, 2012 at 12:30 pmHi! I’m going on a solo day trip to Davao. Arriving at 8am and leaving Davao at 4pm the same day. Is it possible to visit Talikud island with that schedule? hehe. Is it safe for females who are travelling solo? THANK YOU!!!
Berniemack Arellano saysAugust 20, 2012 at 11:33 amMemories…I got a lot of memories being in this island back in 1996, Grade 5 pa ako. No electricity except a few hours in late afternoon and evening. Silence. Then in the morning, we go up to the peak and view the three peaks of Apo Sandawa in the morning. Then to the Coral Gardens at Linosutan. The carabao ride…I just miss those days.
Charl saysNovember 15, 2012 at 5:57 pmhey marcos, yun pa rin ba ang sked ng ferry papuntang kaputian? :) by any chance, alam mo yung contact number ng kaputian beach park?
tots saysJanuary 29, 2013 at 11:38 amis it costly to go to samal island?and ano po ung attractions sa talikud?
Marcos saysFebruary 2, 2013 at 9:29 pmNot expensive if you’re gonna use public commute. Like mentioned in the article, the ferry from Davao to Talikud is just P50. I posted about my experience in Samal here: https://www.ambot-ah.com/talikud-samal-babu-santa-isla-reta/
Merinisa Daniels saysDecember 21, 2016 at 6:01 amWonderful experiences you shared Marcos. It’s educational. Please share more of your adventures for more information.