Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Old Barracks Suites
Kidapawan
T
064 288 1299.
Surprisingly comfortable lodgings with a choice of clean
singles (P700), doubles, triples (P900) and family
rooms
(P1000). There's also a decent restaurant and free wi-fi.
P800
General Santos
Around 140km southwest of Davao on Sarangani Bay,
GENERAL SANTOS
- or “Jen-san”
- is the Philippines' southernmost city, a dense, noisy metropolis of more than half a
million that isn't a significant tourist destination; it's something of a frontier town,
founded by General Paulino Santos and 62 pioneers from Luzon in 1939. Its recent
history has included a series of terrorist bombings, and it remains in the British foreign
o
ce's red zone (advising against all travel), though there haven't been any attacks in
the city itself for several years. Today General Santos is best known as the centre of the
tuna industry, and the hometown of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao - it's also a
gateway to beautiful
Lake Sebu
.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
GENERAL SANTOS
By plane
General Santos International Airport
is about
20min and 12km west of the city, an easy trip by taxi
(P300-350), or habal-habal (P100) if you don't have much
luggage. Despite the name there are only domestic flights
connecting the city with Cebu (2 daily; 1hr 10min) and
Manila (4 daily; 1hr 45min).
By boat
Ferries arrive at Makar wharf, 10min and 2km
west of the centre on P. Acharon Blvd.
By bus
Buses from Cotabato (several daily; 5hr), Davao
(every 30min; 3hr 15min) and Koronodal (hourly; 3hr)
arrive at the City Terminal near Bulaong Ave on the western
edge of the centre, near the river.
By tricycle
In the city, tricycles are the best way to
get around.
8
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
JMIX Bar
JMP Building 2, Aparente St
T
083 554 2368.
Owned by boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, who
grew up in Gensan and still lives here as the congressman
for Sarangani, this is a good place for a drink and a game
of pool. You might even get to meet the great man, a mean
pool player himself.
Daily 11am-midnight.
Ranchero's Grill
National Hwy
T
083 563 9298.
Sumptuous grilled seafood, steak, ribs and grilled tuna
jaw, and a good line in shakes, including some unusual
flavours - try the dragonfruit.
Daily 11am-10pm.
Tierra Montana Hotel
National Hwy
T
083 554 7733,
W
tierramontanahotel.com.
Good-value, modern, stylish
hotel offering well-designed a/c rooms with wi-fi and
flatscreen TVs. Ther
e's also
a pleasant pool and jacuzzi area.
Breakfast included.
P1650
T'boli and Lake Sebu
Fifty kilometres west of General Santos, the small town of
T'BOLI
sits on the shores of
enchanting
Lake Sebu
, in a natural bowl surrounded by wooded hills and rolling
plantations. This is the ancestral homeland of the T'boli tribe, whose members often
wear traditional woven clothes and eye-catching handmade jewellery. It's a great place
to see T'boli culture first hand; you can also rent a boat and take a
trip on the lake
itself
(45min; P400) and shop in the weekly
Saturday market
for brassware, beads and fabric.
The main sights around the lake are the
Seven Falls
, a series of plunging cascades you
can hike up to or fly over on what is probably the most thrilling
zipline
in the
Philippines (P300). The annual Lem-Lunay T'boli
festival
, held here every year on the
second Friday of November, concludes with traditional horse fights.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
T'BOLI AND LAKE SEBU
By bus
To reach T'boli, take a bus from General Santos
to Koronadal (1hr 30min), from where buses, jeepneys
and a/c minivans head south to Surallah (45min). From
Surallah it's another 30min or so to T'boli and Lake Sebu
by minivan or habal-habal.
Tourist information and tours
On arrival make for the
Lake Sebu Tourism O
ce (
T
0906 389 0328), which can
help with accommodation and tours. Alternatively contact
a travel agent in General Santos, such as Go Sarangani
Travel (
T
083 304 4398,
W
gosarangani.com).
