Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte has long been in my bucket list of places to visit in the Philippines. This town in the northern part of Mindanao has long been under the tourist radar although it has been featured in quite a few publications over the years. Dapitan City is most well-known for being the place of exile of Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal, and has plenty of historic sites for visitors to explore over a weekend. The city is also known for Dakak, a beach resort which has managed to capture the imagination of local tourists due to heavy promotion back in the 1990s.
During a recent trip across the northern coast of Mindanao, I finally had a chance to visit Dapitan. I was able to cover both this city and the neighboring town, Dipolog City over two days. These were the places I visited:
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