Places: Dapitan - The Shrine City of the Philippines

Punto de Desembarco

Once a place of exile. Today, a slice of paradise. Right away, you know you are in a delightful place unlike any other. You see it and feel it - history and beauty washing over you in waves from which there is no escape. Everywhere you turn, the splendor of nature or a pocket of historic nostalgia that tells you Dapitan is a place caught in time. Its special ambiance embraces you in a matchless blend of rustic beauty, tradition, and heritage nestled in a quaint yet modern setting.

From the Dipolog airport, you can take a motorized tricycle to Dipolog Bus Terminal. Fare is Php 60 - 80 (negotiable) .Bus fare going to Dapitan is Php 20 per head.  It departs Dipolog terminal as early as 6 am and leaves Dapitan at 5:00 pm (last trip).  If you cannot come before 5 pm, you can catch the buses coming from Zamboanga / Pagadian going to Dipolog City at the highway.


As for me, I stayed in Dipolog City and just took a day tour of the shrine city of the Philippines - Dapitan. To tour Dapitan, you can either take a tricyle or a single motorized vehicle ( they call it habal - habal ). A habal - habal ride will cost you Php 100/person / Php 200 back and fort and is negotiable.
Our first stop was the Rizal Shrine. The living memento of the Philippine national  hero's year of exile.

Rizal Shrine

Clinic od Dr. Jose Rizal

Mi Retiro Rock of Dr. Rizal (Rizal's Retreat Rock)

The biggest tree in Rizal Shrine

Next is the imposing shoreline marker that indicates where the hero-exile landed.

Rizal cross marker

By 12 pm, we went to Sunset Boulevard to have our lunch. There are many restaurants along the boulevard like Kamayan ni Manay (a bit expensive) and Erlindas Food House. We opted to take Erlindas Food House instead. We dine near the beach and enjoyed watching the tourists and locals swimming at the shoreline of the boulevard. About the price its very reasonable and orders are good for 2 -3 persons. Not bad huh!

Sunset Blvd

Erlindas Food Haouse

Erlindas extension  resto bar at the beach 

Di naman masyado gutom..

After our sumptuous lunch, by 1 pm we went to Gloria de Dapitan. In Gloria de Dapitan, you can see its shops and bars. Its main attraction was the Gloria Fantasyland. It is a world-class commercial center comparable to Disneyland theme parks. It is the biggest theme park outside Metro Manila and it is composed of 35 rides. The operator of Gloria Fantasyland is the prominent name of Dapitan, the Jalosjos Family, who also owns the famous Dakak beach resort.

Gloria Fantasyland is situated at Sunset Boulevard and has a land area of 3 hectares. It is very near to the beach of Dapitan as well as the Hotels and Inns. It’s usually best to visit the theme park at night so you can enjoy the scenic wonders, light combination and stage performances.

Gloria de Dapitan

Entrance to Gloria de Dapitan

Gloria Fantasyland at daytime.

We did not stayed long in Gloria de Dapitan since all shops are still closed and it is advisable to visit this place at night time. We then went on to our Dapitan tour. By 1:30 pm we reached the St. James Church.

St James Church

Inside the St James Church, Dapitan

The Church of St. James the Great is another interesting place to visit while in Dapitan. It sits adjacent to the City Plaza and the Relief Map of Mindanao. It is a 5 minute walk from the foot of Ilihan Hill.

It was constructed in 1871 in honor of St. James, the patron saint of Dapitan City under the administration of the Jesuit friars. The design of the church and its exterior walls are still the same except for the added finishing on the walls.

Near the church’s main door is a marker which says that our National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal used to stand during Sundays to hear Mass. Rizal was exiled in Dapitan for four years from 1892 to July of 1896.

Entrance to the Map of Mindanao by Dr. Rizal

The map of Mindanao designed by Dr. J. Rizal

After spending some time at this historical church, we then proceeded to Ilihan Hill.  It has an estimated height of 60 meters. The foot Ilihan was an ancient burial ground of the Pre-Hispanic Dapitanons. In 1762, Ilihan was established as “Fort de Dapitan” by the Spanish government to protect Dapitan from foreign and pirate invasions. A stone wall was constructed along its slopes and a guard house with mounted cannons. Relics of this ancient military fortress are still visible today. The stone walls and the two cannons are now placed at the City Plaza where the Relief Map of Mindanao is located nearby. It was developed further to become another major tourist destination of Dapitan especially during Christmas season.

The entrance of Ilihan can be found in Barangay Potol, Dapitan. Above Ilihan, one can have a perfect 360 degree view of the urban areas of Dapitan. A small water reservoir is visible and it is used in case the water supply of Dapitan decreases. Ilihan has a dense forest with Mahoganies as the more prominent trees.

Entrance to Ilihan Hill

Stairs going to Ilihan Hill

Almost at the top.. Whew!!

Our next and final stop was Dakak Park. Check out my next post for about the pristine sands and waters of world-renowned Dakak park and beach resort. :)

This is Dapitan, cradle of history, bower of beauty, a traveler's joy awaiting its visitors.