1. Rope Swing at Maasin Secret River
On the side of a red bridge in Maasin village is a coconut tree hanging over the water. Local kids will be waving and ask you to take a swing. It is one of the most picturesque places in Siargao. Spend the morning swinging, take the boat on the river and be amazed by their rope swing skills. Please leave these guys a tip as well.
3. Palm viewpoint
On the main road from South to North, you will pass an incredible view overlooking an endless sea of palm trees. There is no sign, but it’s hard to miss a jaw-dropping view like that.
4. Surf at Cloud 9, Siargao
Siargao is surfing. Cloud 9 is one of the world’s best surf breaks and is the place that made Siargao famous. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced surfer, at Cloud 9, everyone can surf.
On the beach (left of the Cloud 9 pier) are loads of instructors ready to teach you how to surf.
5. Pacifico Beach
Pacifico on the east coast is the second biggest tourism area of Siargao. It has a stunning white beach and is famous for surfing. Pacifico is just a 10-minute drive away from the Magpupungko Rock Pools.
7. Island hopping to nearby islands
Siargao is surrounded by one of the biggest mangrove forests in the Philippines and numerous stunning islands. Take a day trip to Sugba Lagoon, do the 3 islands tour, or go even further and overnight at Sohoton Cove. Due to the bad weather condition, we weren’t able to do any of these activities.
8. Discover Siargao!
This may sound obvious but driving around Siargao island is honestly one of the best things to do. The island is untouched and so stunning every new corner makes your jaw drop.
We stopped at a school to have a look inside during their lunchtime. We played basketball, they sang songs to us, and we drank coconuts with them.
9. Alegria Beach
Drive up to the very northern tip of Siargao and visit Alegria Beach. This clean stretch of white sand and blue water is perfect for swimming and sunbathing.
Tip: Visit the nearby TakTak falls if you have more time.
11. Drive the coconut roads
There is a reason Siargao got the title ‘Most Beautiful Island in Asia’. The scenic road along the coastline is filled with white beaches and coconut trees, with scenery that gets more and more impressive after each corner. Simply driving around for hours, talking to locals and how they live, was our absolute favorite thing to do in Siargao.
Siargao Travels Tips
Tourism doubled in 2018 in Siargao. The island is developing rapidly, but you should be prepared for inconveniences like dirt roads, power cuts, or no WiFi. The people of Siargao don’t want to ruin their island, for example, what happened to Boracay, so there are a lot of environmental programs going on to create awareness. Learn more about how to travel sustainably.
Environmental
In all tourist areas is a ban on plastic bags and single-use plastic so you will see bamboo straws instead. All over General Luna town are bins for plastic bottles which are used really well by both tourists and locals.
Read more tips on how to reduce plastic while traveling.
Drinking water is for free in nearly every restaurant, and smoking is only allowed in certain areas.
Money + Budget
The amount of ATM’s in Siargao is limited. We advise you to take enough cash with you. At the time of writing (Feb 2019), there is one ATM in General Luna and two in Dapa. Budget-wise the island is a little more expensive.
- Hotel: 25 – 50 USD / night
- Food: 20 USD / day
- Simcard: 2 USD / day
- Motorbike: 6.5 USD / day
Siargao WiFi & Sim Card
A steady working WiFi isn’t very common. Restaurants offer WiFi, but you can expect it to be extremely slow or not working at all. We recommend you to buy one or maybe even two sim cards. We found that in some areas Smart Sim worked whereas in other regions Globe work better. Get sim cards here.
How to get there & getting around
Siargao is accessible via the night ferry from Cebu or airplane from Manila or Cebu. If you plan to travel to Siargao by plane then make sure you have a morning flight as flights often get canceled in the afternoon (near dark) since Siargao airport doesn’t have runway lights.
You can easily get around the island by motorbike. Rent a motorbike for 350 PHP per day (6.5 USD). However, this doesn’t include helmets. Helmets are limited on the island. You can rent a good clean helmet at Loose Keys.
Where to stay
There are three main tourism towns: General Luna, Dapa, and Pacifico. Dapa and Pacifico are quieter, and General Luna offers the best restaurants.
Restaurants in Siargao
Siargao has most likely the best restaurants in the Philippines in such a small area. It reminded us a bit of the options you have in the best restaurants in Canggu, Bali. These were our favorites.
- CEV (Peruvian)
- Kermit (Italian and more)
- Shaka (fruits/smoothie bowls)
- La Carinderia (Italian)
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Hi! Do you still have a summary of your expenses? I want to go to all the places you mentioned but I’m worried about the transportation fee/s. Been seeing a few rates and theyre quite expensive. Do you have a contact person for this? Like a habal habal driver? Thank you.
Hi Hannah, we have driven everything by ourselves by motorbike so we, unfortunately, don’t know anything about the habal rates. Siargao is a little more expensive compared to other islands in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Siargao is 100% worth the visit.
Siargao is a real paradise. I’d love to be back to that place not just one more time but a couple more ones. this is the only place and time where i felt i was really on vacation because starting with the beauty of this place to the wonderful and friendly locals, my mind just drifted away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. I just love Siargao…