Butuan Ancient Boats Museum & Agusan Marsh

Long before Spanish galleons arrived, Butuan was a thriving maritime kingdom trading with China, India and the Malay world as early as the 4th century. This full-day tour explores that deep history at the Balangay Shrine Museum, where ancient wooden boats known as balangays, dated between the 4th and 13th centuries and unearthed near the Agusan River, reveal the remarkable seafaring skill of early Filipinos.

These plank-built, edge-pegged vessels, averaging 15 metres long, are among the oldest watercraft found in the country and gave the modern Filipino word barangay its name. The museum, with free admission, displays the excavated boats alongside pottery, gold and artefacts that tell the story of the precolonial Kingdom of Butuan and its tribute missions to imperial China.

The tour then trades history for nature with a visit to the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, a vast wetland about an hour from the city. Gliding through the marshes by local boat, you can spot a wealth of birdlife and other wildlife in one of Southeast Asia's most important freshwater ecosystems, best visited in the dry season from November to April.