Caraga
Caraga is a region in the northeastern corner of Mindanao in the Philippines.
Provinces
| Agusan del Norte Has one officially designated city, and 10 municipalities of various sizes. |
| Agusan del Sur |
| Dinagat Islands |
| Surigao del Norte |
| Surigao del Sur |
Cities
- 1 Butuan the regional center of the Caraga region, and de facto capital. The city guide also includes places in the nearby towns of Buenavista, Carmen, Las Nieves, and Nasipit.
- 2 Bislig
- 3 Socorro (Surigao del Norte)
- 4 Surigao
- 5 Tandag
- 6 Cabadbaran
– Agusan del Norte provincial capital. - 7 Magallanes
Other destinations
Understand
Caraga is a peaceful nature refuge away from the insecurity Mindanao experiences. That said, the region has a relatively relaxed tourism industry, except for Siargao. The region has a plenty of undiscovered natural wonders, slowly being uncovered by some tourists.
Most of the people in the area are Cebuano speakers, with a minority of indigenous ethnic groups like Surigaonon, Butuanon, and numerous Lumad tribes. Caraga is one of the most impoverished regions in the Philippines, with families having a daily income of ₱220 as of 2001.
The region derives its name from the Cebuano or Surigaonon word kalagan, which means spirits or souls, but the real etymology is shrouded by legends.
Get in
By plane
Surigao City, Siargao and Butuan have airports receiving domestic flights from Manila, Cebu, or Davao. Surigao City (SUG IATA) has flights from Cebu with Cebgo. Siargao (IAO IATA) receives flights from Manila, Cebu and Davao on Cebgo and PAL Express. Butuan (BXU IATA) is served by daily flights from Cebu on Cebgo and Manila on Cebu Pacific and PAL Express using Airbus A320s. All the other airports with commercial flights are primarily served by turboprop aircraft due to infrastructure limitations.
By bus
Philtranco has bus services between Manila and Davao or Cagayan de Oro, with major stopovers at Surigao or Butuan. They take the ferry from Leyte into Lipata port in Surigao.
From Davao, Bachelor Express, with buses in a yellow livery similar to those by Ceres in the Visayas and Gold Star in southern Luzon (and also owned by the Bacolod-based group that operates those brands) has trips to Butuan, Surigao, and Tandag.
Get around
See
Do
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
The Islamist insurgency in the rest of Mindanao is not experienced in the region, but communist rebels hide in remote areas. Most likely for the travellers are road accidents, most commonly incidents involving motorcyclists. Wear helmets securely and avoid driving drunk if you rent a motorbike. Driving habits are also dangerously reckless, so beware of other local drivers around.