Eden Nature Park

Eden occupies a slope on the flank of Mount Talomo above Davao, land that was logged out by the 1970s and then bought and systematically replanted - hundreds of thousands of trees, mostly Benguet pine, over decades - so what is now a cool, green estate at around nine hundred metres exists because somebody put it back. It functions as a nature resort: guided shuttle tours of the grounds, gardens of orchids and vegetables, a fishing village area, an amphitheatre, a skycycle and zipline, walking trails through the pine, restaurants and lodges. The temperature is several degrees below the city, and on clear days the view runs down to Davao Gulf and Samal Island. It is managed rather than wild - the planting is in rows and the tours are on a fixed circuit - and visitors expecting rainforest should go to the Philippine Eagle Center or up Mount Apo instead.

What you actually see

• The pine plantations - replanted forest in rows up the slope.
• The gardens - orchid, vegetable and flower sections.
• The gulf view - Davao and Samal Island below on clear days.
• The trails and rides - walking routes, skycycle and zipline.

When to go

Year-round - Davao sits largely outside the typhoon belt. February to May is driest. Weekdays are quieter; weekends and holidays fill the restaurants.

Honest expectations

It is a managed plantation estate, not wild forest, and tours run on a fixed circuit. Day passes plus activities add up. There is no public transport up the mountain road.

Nearby

The Philippine Eagle Center is on the same side of the city; Samal Island is across the strait.