Spending four days in Siargao was one of the best and happy days of my 2018. It is a beautiful island with the coolest people on earth! No wonder people just can't stop talking about it!
While it is known to be the surfing capital of the Philippines, there are other interesting things you can do to fully enjoy the island. My favorite spot was in Pacifico especially in the 'forbidden' tower. This is where you can see the BEST view in Siargao. And the best activity for me was the Sohoton Cove tour. By the way, in case you're wondering, I travelled 24 hours just to get here from Tacloban City, Leyte. If you don't want to pay for expensive plane tickets and you're based in Eastern Visayas, you might want to check my travel guide here --> Tacloban to Siargao Travel Guide
Anyway, here's a sample itinerary that you can use as a guide to fully enjoy your Siargao experience!
DAY 1 - MAGPUPUNGKO ROCK POOLS AND SUGBA LAGOON
We arrived in Siargao at 9am, ate breakfast, freshened up, wore our OOTDs and at 12NN we were already on our way to our first destination which was the Magpupungko Rock Pools.
Note: a perfect timing is what you need when deciding to go to this place. The beauty of it will depend on the time of the day (should be low tide). The habal-habal drivers and locals usually know this and you can just ask what's the best time to be at Magpupungko for that particular day. During our time, we arrived at 1pm and it was really nice but the place was full of crowd. It was a weekend so I suggest you go there on a weekday for a more serene Magpupungko tour.
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| This the the lagoon. The water looks so beautiful under the scorching heat of the sun |
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| Summer + Weekend = Big crowd. I shall return on a weekday. |
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| On our way to the lagoon of Magpupungko Beach Resort |
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| You can also enjoy taking a photo with the waves here. Photo grabbed from my friend Carri, you can follow her in IG @lexdoloricon |
After an hour, we decided to go to our next destination, the popular Sugba Lagoon which is about 30-45 minutes away from Magpupungko. We were a group of 3 persons only and the boat going to Sugba Lagoon was good for 6 persons so in order to save money, we decided to wait for other travellers. The 30-minute boat ride going to Sugba Lagoon was pretty refreshing. We passed by the massive mangroves and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Again it was a weekend so the place was crowded which wasn't thrilling for me. Anyway, it was a good place to have a brave soul and dive off a tall ramp and/or peacefully paddle a board. I would suggest you go there early on a weekday to achieve that IG-worthy photo you've been dreaming of.
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| For a better IG photo of this, I think it's better if you come in the morning :) |
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| If we fits, we sits 😁😁 |
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| 5PM is Sugba Lagoon's closing time so we have to go home na. |
DAY 2 - SOHOTON COVE ADVENTURE AND BUCAS GRANDE TOUR (Stingless Jellyfish Sanctuary)
This was my favorite activity in Siargao (because I'm not into surfing 😁). Again because we were only a group of 3 persons, we waited for other tourists to share the boat which was good for 8 persons. Luckily, we've met 5 gentlemen who allowed us to join in. The first part was the Bucas Grande tour where we had to be in pairs for each small boat manually paddled by a boatman. It was a beautiful encounter with the sting-less jellyfishes and the smooth boat tour around the enchanting water of Bucas Grande. This tour shouldn't be missed when in Siargao!There are several tour operators offering this trip but if you want a DIY, you can just go to the General Luna port early in the morning and haggle with several boatmen there (they are just everywhere). You might also get a chance to join a group if you're alone to save money.
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| On our way to Bucas Grande 😍😍😍 |
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| With my loveteam for the day. I can still remember his name. . Ronald. No wait, I think it's Donald. haha sorry |
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| This is just outside the Sohoton Cove where you can do a cliff jump. I was too scared, I didn't try it. 😓 |
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| Inside the Sohoton Cove. It feels so magical inside but you need to surpass a challenge before getting there. Check out the video at the bottom to know more! |
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| Meeting new friends in Sohoton 😊 |
We also did the Tri-Island tour which was just on our way back to General Luna. This includes a short stop in Guyam, Daku and Naked Island.
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| You have to find this legendary bent tree in Guyam. I think it's the main attraction.😁 |
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| Got a little bit naked in Naked Island 😉😉 |
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| Several cottages in Daku Island. It's more like a residential area. |
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| Meeting new friends in Daku Island 👍 |
DAY 3 - SURF AND CHILL AT CLOUD 9
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| Afam surfers everywhere 👀 |
We spent the whole morning surfing. I mean my friends went surfing while I watched over our valuables. I tried surfing before and it was killing my neck so I just decided not to do it anymore. The best part here is chilling with new friends from Dumaguete City and some from other cities! Shout out to Marione, Hazel, Louise, King, Ken, LA and many more!
Surfing board rental with instructor would cost you Php500 for one hour.
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| Just chilling while they go surfing. 😉 |
DAY 4 - PACIFICO TOUR
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| Welcome to Pacifico Public Beach! |
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| The view from the tower 😍 |
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| My friend Carr enjoying the beautiful scenery |
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| Pacifico Public Beach |
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| No crowd at all - perfect for introverts! |
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| Thanks for the gift of friendship! These guys made my Siargao experience extra fun! |
Where to eat in Siargao:
Food establishments are just everywhere in General Luna. As long as you have enough money, you'll never be hungry. Most of the restaurants are expensive but you can also find cheaper food outlets. If you see that the restaurant is full and the ambiance is just plain, then that's the sign that it's cheaper. I like eating in Emelia's Restobar & Seafoods Paluto because the food is delicious and they offer really big servings with a cheaper price.
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| Final dinner together with new found friends in Emelia's Restobar |
Where to stay in Siargao:
If you're a backpacker who enjoy meeting new friends, I would recommend Paglaom Hostel. Most of our new found friends were staying there and they liked it. During our time in Siargao, this was fully booked so we looked for another option and found Moonlight Homestay. I like it here because the room (which can be shared by 10 people - friends and/or strangers) has an AC and we get to have free breakfast plus coffee for only Php380 each. They are a little bit far from the main road so it's better if you have mobile data so you can just use google maps in finding these hostels. For any other hotels, you can check the Tripadvisor website.
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| Inside our room in Moonlight Homestay |
EXPENSES (estimate)
Day 1 Expenses: Php967
Magpupungko Entrance fee - P50/head
Sugba Lagoon Entrance Fee - P50/head
Pump boat - P1600/trip (good for 6 pax) = P267 each
Paddle Board Rental (optional) - P300/hr = P100 each (our group rented only 1 board for the 3 of us)
Tricycle with driver - P1500 (whole day good for 4 pax) = P500 each
*Life Vest Rental (optional) - P150
Day 2 Expenses: Php1638
Sohoton Cove Permit Fee - P50/head (P100 if foreign guest)
Entrance/ Environmental Fee - P50/head (P150 if foreign guest)
Sohoton Cove Eco Tour - P830/trip (good for 8 pax) = P104 each
Bucas Grande Paddle Boating/Jellyfish Sanctuary - P100/head
Boat Rental (Sohoton + Tri-Island) - 4k/trip (good for 4-6pax) = P1334 each
Tricycle with driver - P1500 (whole day good for 4 pax) = P500 each
Day 3 Expenses: Php1000
Surf Rental with instructor - P500/hr
Tricycle with driver - P1500/trip (whole day good for 4 pax) = P500 each
Day 4 Expenses: Php500
Tricycle with driver - P1500/trip (whole day good for 4 pax) = P500 each
Accommodation 380 x 4days = Php1520
Total = P5,625 (excluding food and nightlife expenses)
Note: If you really want to fully enjoy Siargao, make sure you prepare extra money for the nightlife parties. Every night, one restaurant or bar will serve as a host and this is widely communicated within hostels for people to know where they should go to party with other tourists! It's actually a good way of doing business and making people gather together to have fun. You can also ask the motorcycle or habal-habal drivers since they usually know where the party is. Some nights could be a little bit boring but some are really fun. Rhum Bar was really a good host. Everyone was enjoying the beat of their good reggae music.
Also, if you know how to drive a motorbike, better rent one for only 350 to 500 per day to save money.
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So that's it! For those who are coming from Leyte or Samar, you can actually do a long drive or commute via Liloan or San Ricardo. Check out my travel guide here.
Note: If you really want to fully enjoy Siargao, make sure you prepare extra money for the nightlife parties. Every night, one restaurant or bar will serve as a host and this is widely communicated within hostels for people to know where they should go to party with other tourists! It's actually a good way of doing business and making people gather together to have fun. You can also ask the motorcycle or habal-habal drivers since they usually know where the party is. Some nights could be a little bit boring but some are really fun. Rhum Bar was really a good host. Everyone was enjoying the beat of their good reggae music.
Also, if you know how to drive a motorbike, better rent one for only 350 to 500 per day to save money.
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| Fun night with these strangers in Rhum Bar 🙌 Because it was so fun, one of my friends got totally drunk haha |
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| They were our boatmen during our Sohoton Cove and Tri-island Tour. If you feel like trusting these guys, you may contact Jeffrey 09488863869 . Of course they can be trusted. We didn't have any problem with them 😊 |
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See more of our adventures in Siargao in these videos below!
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