Discover Butuan City

Discover archaeology in Butuan City at a specific site: the Butuan Boat Site Museum is located in Barangay Libertad and is managed by the National Museum of the Philippines. Its exhibition includes artifacts from Butuan Boat 1, photographs of archaeological investigations, and other archaeological finds. For travelers who want to learn about history through tangible objects and excavations, it is a cultural highlight of the city.

The Butuan Boat Site Museum

For Butuan Boat 1, the museum displays both artifacts and the excavation site. The exhibition also includes photographs of archaeological investigations of the Butuan boats from the 1970s and 1980s. Wooden coffins, human skeletal remains, and a burial site dating from the 14th to 15th century are also among the exhibits. Objects, photographic documentation, and archaeological sites are presented side by side. During your visit, you can distinguish whether you are looking at an artifact, the documented investigations, or the burial site.

The dates refer to different things: the 1970s and 1980s are the period of the archaeological investigations shown in the photographs; the 14th to 15th century is the dating of the burial site. This allows you to consider the research documented in photographs separately from the burial site's date.

Archaeological finds from Butuan

Another exhibition title in Butuan's cultural context is “Ginikanan/Gigikanan”; archaeological finds from Butuan are displayed under this title. This offers a broader perspective than the specific focus on Butuan Boat 1: here, the subject is finds from Butuan, while the other exhibition focuses on a particular boat and its excavation site. If you include both topics in your travel plans, you will get two different perspectives on the archaeology of the place.

For a family trip, this variety can be a conversation starter when children and adults are interested in different things. Those who want to learn more about the research documented in photographs can focus on the images; those who prefer looking at individual objects can start with the artifacts or wooden coffins. So, when planning together, you do not all have to settle on the same focus.

Including the museum in your travel plans

If the museum is an important reason for your trip, take its location in Barangay Libertad into account when choosing a vacation rental in Butuan City. At the same time, consider the accommodation's location in relation to the other destinations you plan to visit during your stay. That way, you can choose your base according to your planned itinerary, rather than just one activity. Check the museum's current visiting arrangements before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Buenavista, Socorro, Alegria, Cabadbaran City, Santa Monica, San Francisco, General Luna, Lanuza.

For the regional travel overview: Caraga.