Kopiat Island (photo by HENRYLITO D. TACIO)

Despite what you read in the newspapers and see on your television sets, Compostela Valley is a haven. As a tourist destination, it’s blessed with nature’s magnificent work of art. It brims with natural attractions like beaches, waterfalls, forests, mountain ranges, caves, lakes, rivers, and hot and cold springs. Name it, the province has it!

Once you get to the valley, you will understand why its tourism tagline is “Conquering Compostela Valley.” At one time, a travel writer described the province as “rough, rugged, and mostly undeveloped” – but these are qualities that attract the pioneering, adventurous, and bold who travel off the beaten path.

Called ComVal for short, the province used to be part of Davao del Norte until it was made independent in 1998. The province is known for its gold. It all started in 1983 when a Mandaya tribal elder struck gold in Mount Diwalwal. Today, Monkayo, the site of Mount Diwalwal, is the most populous town in the province and is considered the socio, economic, political, and cultural hub of Comval. (For trivia fanatics: In 2007, Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett filmed scenes of an independent movie, "I Come with the Rain", in the mining area.)

If you’re looking for the country’s biggest gold ring, come to Nabunturan, about 90 kilometers from Davao City. The 18-carat, two-toned Solidarity Ring which measures five inches wide and weighs 1.3 kilos, is housed in a glass case with its own guard at the provincial capitol. Local officials, miners, and private individuals from Comval and Davao del Norte reportedly donated gold to forge the ring.

Talking of Mount Diwalwal, it is part of the Diwata range. The mountain range is home to notable species like the Wattled Broadbill (Eurylaimus streerii), the Black-faced Coucal (Centropus melanops), the Writhed Hornbill (Aceros leucocephalus), the Rufous Hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), the Black-Spotted Narrow-Mouthed Frog (Kalophrynus pleurostigma Tschudi), the Philippine Pygmy Fruit Bat (Haplonycteris fischeri), and the Harpy Fruit Bat (Harpyionycteris whiteheadi).

Nabunturan, by the way, is touted to be the Spelunking Capital of the province. Its claim to fame: San Vicente Cave, which boasts of unique stalactite and stalagmite formations. However, only four caves are open to the public.

While still in Nabunturan, don’t fail to visit the popular Toyozu Inland Resort. Here, you can relax in small Japanese-style pools filled with hot spring water. You can adjust the temperature by moving stones over the water passages. For sauna, you can’t get as natural as sitting inside the tunnels with steaming water in the middle.

For those who love swimming in the beach, the best towns to visit while in ComVal are Mabini and Pantukan, which stretch along the Davao Gulf. Both are closer to Tagum City and just about 15 minutes away from each other.

Many resorts dot the coast, making the two towns, the beach, and resorts centers of the province. In Mabini, there’s the often-visited Bern Berioso Beach Resort. Situated at Manaklay, Pindasan, the resort provides nature lovers their day to enjoy the sun and bask in its warmth amidst a feast of colors under lush green foliage spread just a few meters from the shoreline. If you like a quiet and spacious beach, then go to Welborn’s Beach Resort, located in Baybay, Magnaga in Pantukan. “Because not too many people who are not from here know the place,” explained Marina Welborn, the owner who manages the resort. The secluded resort is about 250 meters away from the highway.

Majority of the inhabitants are migrants from Cebu, Samar, Bohol, and other Visayan provinces. The cultural minorities in the province include the Mansaka, Mandaya, Dibabawons, Mangguangans, and Aeta groups such as the Talaingod, Langilan, and Matigsalug.

Up to the present, many people speak Criole Spanish called kinatsila, a term derived from one of the kingdoms in Spain that is Castille. Tourists who have been to ComVal even called the province as the Lost Spain because a substantial minority look like Spaniards, as they are mestizos.

See you there!