Dipolog was once governed under the Spanish and is now the capital of the province of Zamboanga del Norte. The gateway city to western Mindanao is surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and crystal clear water from the Sulu sea. This hidden paradise is perfect for those seeking a peaceful destination and not overpopulated with tourism.
ABOUT THIS POST
Alyssa and I flew into the Philippines with the purpose of visiting her large family in Dipolog. I had the opportunity to experience living like the locals by spending time with the wild and wacky Bael family. What I found here is something so special that it changed my view on life forever. Continue reading to find out why this was my favorite experience in the Philippines!
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
PHILIPPINES BASIC INFORMATION
Visit my Philippines Travel Guide page to get basic information covering things like visa, money exchange, electrical socket types, transportation options, and more.
HOW TO GET TO DIPOLOG
DIPOLOG AIRPORT (DPL)
Dipolog Airport is the main airport of Dipolog city with daily routes flying from Manila and Cebu. The two airline options available are Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.
DIPOLOG CITY BUS TERMINAL
Buses are scheduled to provide daily trips to/from areas of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Misamis Occidental.
MEDALLION TRANSPORT INC
Lady of Good Voyage and Lady of Joy are boat transfers between Cebu city and Dipolog city. They are operated everyday at 8:30pm except Saturdays. Schedules may update at anytime and is best to check before arriving at the dock.
WHERE TO STAY IN DIPOLOG
Dipolog is not a geographically large city with a population of 130,000 people. You’ll be able to find most of my favorite attractions not too far from the airport. Stay close to Dipolog Sunset Boulevard to be near bars & restaurants with occasional live music, cute coffee shops, and even karaoke! Filipinos are great singers by nature so you needn’t worry about bringing earplugs. You can also admire the beautiful sunset views while taking a stroll down the boulevard. If you want to spend most of your time at one of the most beautiful and unspoiled beach then stay around Dakak Park & Beach Resort. Accommodations are quite expensive relative to Asia but you can even stay at a bungalow hanging over the ocean view cliffs.
RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATIONS
1. D’Hotel and Suites – Modern hotel located in downtown and near the boulevard.
2. Antonios Pension House – Budget friendly accomodation with a 50 meters walk to the boulevard.
3. Dakak Park & Beach Resort – Situated right at Dakak beach in Dapitan City for a tropical beach getaway.
DIPOLOG TRAVEL GUIDE
ARRIVING AT DIPOLOG
This is me taking my first ride ever on a tricycle from the airport. Technically it was more of a hybrid ride between a tricycle and habal-habal because I sat right on the back of the bike. Kill two birds with one stone, right?
Meet Tito (uncle) Raymund. He’s Alyssa’s wild uncle and the mastermind behind all our crazy festivities. He was there to greet us when we arrived at the house.
To get a feel of the environment here’s a picture of a happy cock with his family.
This is where I slept when Alyssa gets mad at me. Cousins to the Incredible Hulk, she’s always mad!
Our place allowed us to watch watch the sunset everyday.
LECHON SPIT-ROASTED SUCKLING PIG
There was a birthday party that night and no Filipino party is complete without lechon, a spit-roasted suckling pig. I’ve had great roasted pigs in my life but none of them can compare to the way they prepare it in the Philippines. The crispiness of the skin is out of this world!
RED HORSE BEER LOCAL FAVORITE
Red Horse Beer is the local favorite and not for the weak, with an ABV of 8%. It’s known to “give you a kick!” A liter of this bad boy will only cost you on average 80 PHP or 1.5 USD. There’s a special way to drink this among friends and family called “one cup.” Everyone shares one cup and the cup is passed to the next person once the current holder is done drinking. It’s been said 1 of every 1000 bottle has a smiling horse as a logo. I never saw one but be sure to keep an eye out!
DIPOLOG SUNSET BOULEVARD
Once the party ended the next party started. We cruised over like bad ass biker gangs to Dipolog Sunset Boulevard in search for…you’ve guessed it.
Karaoke! We passed around many more cups of Red Horse while chowing down sig sig, the Filipino sizzling pork dish Anthony Bourdain claimed will win your heart. AC/DC was the fan favorite of the night with me trying to sing in Tagalog being the most embarrassing.
BALUT FILIPINO DELICACY
A Filipino party also won’t be complete without balut! Just kidding. You can skip this for the faint-hearted. Balut is a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell. You can find a long line of vendors along the boulevard waiting to serve you this fresh Filipino delicacy. Rated as one of the world’s most terrifying food, this dish consistently ranks as one of my favorites. You’re exploring a whole new world so why not go wild. Don’t knock it till you try it!
COFFEE SHOPS
This is the coolest concept of a coffee shop i’ve ever been to called Chapters. The decor was inspired by Walt Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
Chapters is also filled with paintings and pictures of all the places the owner has traveled to. You can call it a living scrapbook. Unfortunately the shop located on the boulevard was setting to close permanently with the owner moving onto the next chapter of her life.
HALO HALO DESSERT
A much less frightening version of balut is halo-halo. It’s a Filipino shaved ice dessert consisting of evaporated milk, fruit slices, jello, ice cream, and other sweet toppings minus the balut.
FISHING WITH FROG BAIT
Once the sun went down we went searching for frogs for a specific purpose.
We made friends along the way too. Meet Angus!
Once we’ve gathered enough frogs we used them as bait for our handcrafted fishing rods.
Can you spot Kermit in the water? We were aiming to catch a giant local catfish but didn’t have any luck. The experience itself was well worth the anticipation and efforts.
DAKAK BEACH AND RESORT
Head north to Dapitan City to make a day trip to Dakak Beach Resort. It is a white sand beach with crystal clear water. The waves are not rough making it perfect for swimming and jet skiing. It is not overrun with tourists so some days you’ll feel like you have the entire beach to yourself! There is an entrance fee which can be used as credit towards food and drinks.
The surrounding cliffs and forests really amplifies the beauty of the beach!
FILIPINO BOODLE FIGHT DINNER
BBoom BBoom by MOMOLAND was a popular KPOP song at the time. Here are the kids trying to teach us the dance before dinner is served. Link to Music Video.
My first boodle fight dinner! Food including lechon, adobo, shrimp, and rice are placed on top of a table lined with banana leaf. Once boodle fight is commenced, everyone will eat with their hands while standing up. It’s a free for all event so be quick and feisty!
LINABO PEAK 3003 STEPS GATEWAY
The 3003 Steps to Linabo Peak is well worth the hike. It is a difficult climb if you are not physically fit so bring plenty of water and pace yourself.
The trek up is quite scenic with natural vegetation, streams, and even a small village with an elementary school. You might gain some extra members to the party as we had puppies follow us from the bottom to the top and back down!
Once at the top and are done gasping for air, you are then rewarded with a breathtaking view of both Dipolog and Dapitan City. As the saying goes, “the best views comes after the hardest climbs.”
BOAT TAXI
We opted to take a water taxi back towards home. Can you believe we waited under a car bridge to catch one of these?
The ride back was scenic and serene. It’ll make you forget a city exists nearby.
VOLUNTEER SCHOOLS
I ran into this class of jolly kids after the boat ride. I tested them in math and they got an A+! Alyssa’s aunt volunteers at a school in Dipolog so I will be planning on donating supplies. They are also in need of volunteer teachers. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in contributing!
FISH FOR YOUR OWN FOOD
There’s a restaurant nearby where you can buy bait and fish for your own food. They’ll even cook it for you for a small price.
SEE YOU LATER, DIPOLOG!
Dipolog is a small city with a huge heart. The people there are always smiling even through the toughest times. My time there made me realize how awful we live our lives in the west poisoned with consumerism. I really enjoyed living the simple life surrounded with good people in a beautiful place. This is why I fell in love with Dipolog.
Make sure to stop by Bael Canteen with two locations at the Dipolog Airport!
what a wonderful way to express in words the beauty of dipolog, my hometown. thanks for a pleasant description.
Thank you for your valuable feedback!