Where to stay in Butuan

Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: Dakbayan hong Butuan; Filipino: Lungsod ng Butuan), is a highly urbanized city and the regional center of Caraga, Philippines. It is the de facto capital of the province of Agusan del Norte where it is geographically situated but has an administratively independent government.

This article also covers the nearby towns of Buenavista and Nasipit; both towns used to be barrios (present-day barangays) of Butuan until they were made separate municipalities in 1929 and 1936, respectively. Butuan is governed separately from the province of Agusan del Norte (locals do not vote for provincial officials), but for practical purposes, Butuan belongs to the province. Butuan remains the de facto capital of Agusan del Norte, even after the capital has been moved to Cabadbaran.

Butuan has a number of hotels, you can try sleeping on various lodges and inns at the downtown part of the city.

Getting in

Both terminals have rather squalid surroundings, abounding with vendors and slums. The roads around the bus station are paved with concrete, but nearby is a slum, and across the street is a noisy and smelly public market. The minivan terminal is unpaved and dusty, alongside the overall atmosphere, being near two bustling public wet and dry markets. The bus station building has indoor stalls, which primarily sell snacks to take in the bus, and just behind the bays are a row of shops. Just nearby is a Puregold, which may have a better selection of food and drinks.

Getting around

Most local transport is on multicabs or tricycles. Taxis are available outside the major malls and the airport. The bus terminal is 1 km from downtown and the airport is 2 km from downtown.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.