“Where will the wind come from? They say it is the breath of God. Who really shapes the clouds? What is it that causes this giant disturbance of water masses.?” – From the movie “Big Wednesday” by J. Milius, 1979
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Itinerary (2 full days + transfer)
- Day 1: Transfer to Siargao
- Day 2: Island hopping
- Day 3-4: Land tour and return
- Conclusions
Introduction
It seemed appropriate to start this article with a quote from a milestone of cinema, whose protagonists are three friends who love to be on the crest of the wave, partly because of their passion for surfing, partly because of their way of living life (the movie is about something else, but I avoid any spoilers in case you haven’t seen it, also because I would advise you to fill this gap as soon as possible). In fact, the image of surfers is not accidental; I would say that it is among the first things that come to mind when thinking about the beautiful island of Siargao, which annually gathers people from all over the world, as it is one of the absolute best destinations for those who love that sport. The area of the island most renowned for surfing is the southeastern part of the island, particularly the so-called Cloud 9, which is frequented not only by surfers but also by more or less enthusiastic spectators.
The decision to include Siargao among the destinations of my trip to the Philippines (which I will discuss in more detail in other articles), however, was not due to a passion for surfing, which in fact I do not have, but to the excursions that can be made on the island and to some nearby ones. After all, the best season for surfing roughly corresponds to our winter months (until the end of February), which do not, however, correspond to the driest season, which begins instead in May, unlike in the rest of the country. Having visited the Philippines in April, Siargao was therefore included as the last destination, so as to move the visit towards the beginning of the dry season and consequently increase the chances of finding sunny days.
To get to Siargao, it is necessary to have a stopover in Cebu or Manila. We (i.e., my wife and I) arrived from Puerto Princesa, having a stopover in Cebu.
Itinerary (2 full days + transfer)
Unfortunately, we only had two full days, which we used for excursions. The first was a visit to the islands south of General Luna, the second a package that included Sugba Lagoon, among other things. Regarding the second excursion, we would have liked to do one that also included Kawaghan Island, but it was not possible to arrange it from General Luna (located south of Siargao), as excursions that include that island can only be booked from Del Carmen (located north, in the airport area), so we opted for the Land tour, which includes, in addition to Sugba lagoon, Secret beach, Palm Tree view point, Maasin river and Magpupunko pools.
Below is the itinerary at a glance:
| Day | Itinerary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domestic flight to Siargao | Flight PPS-IAO (stepover in CEB) Night in General Luna |
| 2 | Island hopping | Night in General Luna |
| 3 | Land tour | Night in General Luna |
| 4 | Transfer to MNL | Flight IAO-MNL in the morning |
Day 1: Transfer to Siargao
As mentioned in the introduction, there are no direct flights to get from Puerto Princesa to Siargao, so we had to opt for a layover flight, which in our case is in Cebu. The scheduled stopover is quite risky, being only about an hour and a half, in which moreover you have to retrieve and re-embark your luggage, so even a short delay may cause us to miss our connecting flight to Siargao. Consequently, you can imagine our joy when we leave for Cebu with a one-hour delay! Upon arriving in Cebu, my wife and I strategically split up. While she goes to wait for our luggage, I head to the desk of Philippines Airlines, the airline with which we would be arriving in Siargao, to try to persuade them to wait for us to depart. Fortunately, thanks in part to the kindness of the airline staff, we manage to overturn the laws of physics and board the flight to Siargao, which departs on time.
The view from the plane is fabulous; unfortunately, I am not seated window-side, but I still manage to take some noteworthy photos.
after landing in Siargao, we arrive by van in the General Luna area, where we had our accommodation. The transfer is arranged by our bnb under our request following their suggestion, as there is no possibility of finding tuk tuk or van bookable directly at the airport.
It is already evening hours, so after booking the excursion for the next day, we enjoy the sunset from General Luna beach.
Day 2: Island hopping
For our first day in Siargao, we take advantage of the good weather to visit the islands south of General Luna. The package includes a snorkeling point, Naked Island, Guyam Island and Daku Island, the cost is PHP 1400 per person (about €23), for the group tour.
The first stop is the snorkeling spot, which is the one I enjoyed the most among those I saw on the entire Philippines trip, although the level was not exceptional, or at least not comparable to that of the Great Barrier Reef or the Cook Islands. Snorkeling lasts about half an hour, some of the corals have beautiful colors, but the area within which one can swim is not very large. By this point in the trip, my underwater camera had given up on me (as I will tell in other articles), so I cannot show photos.
The second pit stop is at Naked Island, so called not because it is a nudist beach, but because the island is devoid of trees or anything else. It is reminiscent in some respects of Nakupenda Island in Zanzibar. There are very few people, which allows us to see the colors of the sea well from the sandbar. The stop will be short, partly because the island is very small, and our swim will also be short. The colors are as beautiful as those seen on other excursions to Palawan or Malapascua.
After Naked Island, it is time for Guyam Island, a very small island that is no more than a 5-minute walk around. There is also a small kiosk on the island, which I believe also sells soft drinks (the “I think” is because I did not use it or ask about it). There are few people here, but it seems like they are a lot given the size of the island. The colors of the sea are very similar to those on Naked Island.
After Guyam Island, it is the turn of Daku Island, where the longest stop is scheduled, which also includes lunch. The island is indeed larger than the other two, there are a few people, but nothing dramatic. The colors, as Donnie Brasco would say, what am I telling you for?
Lunch is served with an aesthetically pleasing composition; the menu is typical of Filipino excursions, with rice, meat, very fresh fish, and lots of fresh fruit.
After lunch we return directly to General Luna. We still have a good part of the afternoon, which we use to relax at Secret beach, a small beach with an adjacent meadow, which we reach by tuk tuk from the harbor, unaware that it would be among the stops planned for the excursion organized for the following day.
The day ends with another spectacular sunset at General Luna. For dinner, we opt for a decent burger at one of the few places open.
Day 3-4: Land tour and return
It is our second and last full day in Siargao, and the first (and only in the entire Philippines trip) that we see rain, which will be with us for a good half of the day. We opt for the land tour, which we share with other people and for which we spend PHP 1100 each (about €18). After pick up at the bnb, we head to the north of the island, first pit stop at Palm tree view point, which we had actually already passed by coming from the airport on the first day, but without stopping. It is an immense expanse of palm trees; the stop lasts just long enough for a few photos, partly because it is a bit in the middle of the road. The view, however, is quite worth it.
The second stop is at Maasin river, the rain comes and goes. The river is a deep green color, the water is clear, in fact some people go swimming, we however are not too tempted, so we avoid. Again, the stop is rather short.
The third stop, which will be the longest of the day, is at Sugba lagoon, which we reach by a small motor boat. The lagoon is very distinctive, with different shades of green, and different from those we saw in Palawan. After a few ritual photos, we take the kayak to go around the lagoon, taking advantage of a moment of favorable sky.
After finishing our stop at Sugba lagoon, we head to Magpupunko pools, which are only visible at low tide. From what I had seen in photos and various videos, I have to say that my expectations were not very high, but I actually had to change my mind because this is really a must-see and very special place, which basically consists of a series of natural pools carved into the rocks, with water that remains crystal clear when the tide recedes, and with spectacular colors. For convenience’s sake, however, we did not bring our phones, so no photos. The visit to the pools lasts as long as it takes, and since some sun reappears here we take our time, while our van waits for us at the entrance.
Last stop again at Secret beach, which lasts only a short time because of the rain that resumes falling heavily, but who cares, we had already seen it the previous day, without, moreover, being charmed by it. Still, we returned home satisfied with the excursion, and we prepared ourselves psychologically to the fact that the next day would also be the day of the return trip. The next morning’s domestic flight to Manila offers no particular excitement, so I avoid prolonging the storytelling unnecessarily.
Conclusions
In one of the many more or less (especially less) reliable rankings compiled by some trade magazine (in this case it is CNT, Condè Nast Traveler), Siargao was placed first among the most beautiful islands in all of Asia. Honestly, I have little faith in such rankings, not least because they often use extremely questionable parameters of judgment, and already considering the Philippines alone, I find myself disagreeing with their assessment. However, I also think that, at least in this case, those who judged this island in such a good way still had their good points.
Siargao is a somewhat different island from others visited in the Philippines, the nature is very wild and does not seem to be much affected by mass tourism. At the time of my trip, there were very few tourists, and in any case I did not see many accommodations compared to other more popular islands, such as El Nido and Coron.
Island hopping is absolutely recommended; the colors are like those seen on other excursions I have taken part in the rest of the country. Regarding the land tour, definitely Magpupunko pools and Sugba Lagoon are not to be missed, while Maasin River and Secret beach did not seem so special to me. I do not recommend private tours, even with group tours we found very few people.
If I had to make my usual top list of the island, I would say:
- Sugba lagoon
- Naked Island
- Magpupunko pools
In hindsight, I would spend the first (or last) night in Del Carmen, so that an excursion to Kawaghan Island and Sugba lagoon could be easily arranged, which I would substitute for the Land tour, making sure, however, that I could separately include the Magpupunko pools, which are absolutely unmissable. For the latter destination, it is important to inquire about the propitious times of low tide, which are highly variable.
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