Siargao Travel Guide – Important Things to Know Before Visiting!

Siargao is EASILY one of the best destinations in the Philippines. 

Originally one of the remotest islands in the country, Siargao blew up in the surfing community thanks to the large waves the island gets. 

Pair that with its chill island vibe and hidden tourist spots, people now stay on this island for weeks, months, if not forever! 

But alright…

Let’s take a few steps back. 

If you only have a few days to explore the island, this Siargao travel guide will give you all you need to know to make the most out of your time! 

We’ll take a look at: 

• Important facts about Siargao you need to know
• The different ways to get to Siargao
• A Siargao travel map
• Where to stay in Siargao

And, of course, what to do in Siargao as well. 

There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive right in! 

Siargao Travel Facts – 5 Interesting Things You Need to Know About the Island

Here are some quickfire facts about the island: 

1. Surfing is a MUST in Siargao

It’s not the surfing capital of the Philippines for nothing! 

The whole island breathes surfing. They even have specialized rigs on their motorbikes to hold surfboards! 

Surfing is what makes Siargao Siargao. 

There are good waves here all year round, but the best season for surfing is November and December. We were told that’s when you get the real monster waves! 

For beginners, you can get surfing lessons in the shallower areas of Cloud 9 beach. 

If you’re afraid, don’t be! After your first few (failed) attempts at riding the waves, you’ll realize that it isn’t that bad – then you won’t want to stop anymore! 

Of all the things Siargao has to offer, surfing is easily the best one.

That’s why I say – if you don’t surf while you’re here, have you even really been to Siargao? 

2. Siargao is Geared Towards Spontaneous Backpackers

The whole town of General Luna is like a utopia for backpackers! 

A small beach town full of hostels and endless opportunities to meet like-minded individuals – what more could you ask for? 

For the younger ones, there are parties every night at the boulevard. And for everyone, there are plenty of spots all around the island that you can go visit anytime. 

Motorbikes are easy to rent, so you can explore wherever, and whenever. You’ll never have to step into a dreaded tourist van! 

The only time you’ll need tours is if you want to go and explore the nearby islands. 

Other than that, you’ll feel super free to be spontaneous. 

3. But It’s Also Great for Organized Tourists

But okay… what if you’re someone who likes to plan your tourist activities? Or what if you’re traveling with your whole family? 

Or maybe you only have a few days for a vacation…

Is Siargao for you? 

The answer to that is yes! 

There are lots of resorts to stay, places to eat, and activities to do that are perfect for groups. 

For example, island hopping activities in Siargao, like the super-popular tri-island hopping, are something big groups will love. 

Then, you can also go for land tours to the other exciting spots like Sugba Lagoon and Magpoponko Rock Pools (more on these later!). 

All in all, I’d still say that Siargao is geared more toward free-spirited backpackers. 

But that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it if you’re not that type of person! 

4. ATMS Abound! 

Whenever you’re visiting an island destination, it’s always good to know beforehand what conveniences you have there. 

In Siargao, ATMS abound! 

You’ll see a Euronet ATM on almost every block in the main tourist zones. So cash will never be a problem. 

For other goods, there are several convenience stores and minimarts around town. But the supermarket is found about 30 minutes away from General Luna, so keep that in mind. 

5. Dogs Are Respected in Siargao

Last but not least, and a bit of a fun fact about Siargao! 

One drastic difference between Siargao and most of the Philippines is how dogs and animals are treated.

I’ve lived in this country my whole life, and I’ve never seen a place where dogs are so well respected! 

There are dog crossing signs here and there, and “Pet Xing” signs instead of the normal ped xing. 

Unlike other places in the country, dogs are not shooed away in restaurants when they beg visitors for food – I even saw a dog jump up a chair once! 

How to Get to Siargao

There are two entry points into Siargao – Sayak Airport on the western side of the island, and Dapa port on the southwestern tip of Siargao. There are daily flights and fastcrafts to and from these points. 

Now let’s take a closer look at how to actually get to these entry points! 

How to Get to Siargao from Mindanao

The easiest way to get to Siargao from Mindanao is to get to Surigao City. 

From Surigao pier, the Evaristo and Sons fast craft leaves for Dapa port 3x a day. You can check the latest schedules and book online here. Right now, it departs every day at 6:00, 10:00, and 15:30.

The fast craft takes 1.5 hours to get to Dapa. From Dapa, the trip to the main tourist zone General Luna takes about 30 minutes.

You can ride a transfer tricycle, or rent a motorbike (there’s a motorbike rental right outside the pier).

Montenegro Shipping also has roros leaving Surigao port 3x a day. This trip takes 4 hours though, so you’re probably better off riding the fast craft. 

Finally, you can actually fly into Siargao directly from Davao. Right now, Cebu Pacific flies from DVO to IAO every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! 

How to Get to Siargao from Cebu

There are daily flights by both Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines from Cebu to Siargao. This makes Cebu one of the main entry points to the island! 

Sayak airport is about an hour away from General Luna. There are plenty of transfer vans waiting around ready to take you there. Or, you can book ahead online, which costs around php320 per way (check it out here).

Or, you can rent a motorbike and have them bring it to you (I rented mine from these guys). 

If you want to save, you can also take a ferry or plane from Cebu to Surigao, then hop into a fast craft for Siargao! 

How to Get to Siargao from Manila

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have direct flights into Siargao. However, you can sometimes save money by flying into Cebu first! 

The direct flights from Manila to Siargao can get pretty expensive. 

That’s why sometimes, a connecting flight from Manila to Cebu to Siargao is sometimes cheaper than a direct MNL to IAO flight. 

For example, a direct flight might cost you around php7,000, while a connecting flight via Cebu might only cost php5,000. 

So plan wisely!

Siargao Travel Requirements

There are no more COVID-related travel requirements to enter Siargao!

They never announced that they were ending the vaccine requirements. But in practice, nobody really checked if you had a vaccine card for a long time anyway.

Siargao Travel Map

A fun Siargao travel map coming soon! For now, check out this cool map by Guide to the Philippines! 

Siargao is a surprisingly big island. 

Most of the action is condensed in the General Luna area, so it might feel small. But once you hop on a motorbike and go exploring, you’ll realize that’s not the case! 

Anyhow, here are some of the parts of Siargao that you need to know about! 

General Luna – The Main Tourist Zone

If you spend your whole trip chilling and surfing in General Luna, then you’ve pretty much experienced Siargao already. 

This is THE place to be. 

All along the tourism road, you’ll find hostels, restaurants, bars, and all kinds of establishments. And you’ll find these in every corner that you turn into too! 

As you go further on, you’ll eventually get to the Cloud 9 surfing zone. 

This is the main surfing area on the island and, dare I say, the Philippines! 

Drive slowly because there are a lot of surfers crossing here, and make sure you spend some time inside Cloud 9 as well! 

Dapa – The Town

If you come to Siargao by boat, Dapa is where you’ll dock. 

It’s perhaps the busiest part of the island, but it’s not at all touristy. 

Here you’ll find a supermarket, motorcycle shops, banks, and all kinds of stores. 

If I could summarize it: General Luna is what you get when foreigners build a town on an island, while Dapa is what you get when locals do! 

Del Carmen – Mangroves Galore

North of Dapa, on the western side of the island, you’ll find Del Carmen. 

It’s a huge municipality that feels mostly empty. 

If you’re road-tripping the whole island, driving through Del Carmen is a LOT of fun. 

The roads here are so wide and so empty, you can breeze right through. 

Aside from that, Del Carmen is also notable for its mangrove forests. 

Hop on a boat to Sugba Lagoon, and you’ll wind your way through these lush waterways. Or, a little north of Del Carmen town, you’ll find this road overlooking the vast mangroves of the place!

It’s almost like the Coconut view deck, except this one is mangroves! 

North Siargao – San Benito, Santa Monica, Burgos, San Isidro

Aside from Taktak Falls in Santa Monica, there really aren’t any popular tourist spots in North Siargao. 

For the adventurer, this can either be a bad thing or a great thing! 

It can be great because what you get here are long swaths of unspoiled beauty. 

As you drive your motorbike along, you can stop almost anywhere and take in the amazing views of the island. 

In some areas, coconut trees line the road, giving you the ultimate tropical island vibes. 

On the northeastern side, you’ll find beach after beach after beach with awesome waves. In fact, these are the lesser-known beaches where surfers go to avoid the crowd in Cloud 9 (Pacifico Beach being the most popular of the bunch). 

So whether you’re just passing through or coming here to surf, you’ll find north Siargao to be quiet but super interesting! 

Mid-Eastern Siargao – Most Interesting Spots

On the mid-eastern side of the island, you’ll find plenty of interesting spots to see. 

On the south-to-north road, the first thing you’ll come across is the Coconut Trees view deck. From a hill, you’ll see an endless sea of coconuts spread across the valley. 

Then drive a few minutes north, and you’ll get to the Maasin River, where you can take a boat to a secret lagoon, or watch fireflies in their mangroves at night! 

Still further up north and into Pilar, you’ll find the Tayangban Cave Pool, where you can explore caves and cliff dive into a cenote. 

Next, there’s the Paghungawan Marsh. It’s interesting to note that saltwater crocodiles were released into the marsh at one point – but you probably won’t see them, so this is just a short stopover. 

Finally, there’s Magpoponko Rock Pools, one of the most famous spots in Siargao! 

Make sure to visit during low tide since that’s the only time these pools are accessible!

The General Luna Islands 

Last but not least, you have the General Luna islands! 

I’ve already mentioned the super popular tri-island hopping tours. Well, this is exactly where they go! 

The three most famous islands off the coast of General Luna are Naked, Daku, and Guyam island – but there’s more! 

Off the coast, there’s also Corregidor, Mam-on, La Januza, and Anahawan. These aren’t visited nearly as much as the three, but from time to time, there are tours that go here! 

Finally, two hours away from Dapa Port, there’s Sohoton Cove in Bucas Grande which is full of jellyfish and underwater caves. 

While this technically isn’t part of General Luna (or even Siargao!) anymore, most tourists get here from the island, so I’ll throw it in here as well! 

Where to Stay in Siargao

In short, the best place to stay is in General Luna. 

The real question is, where should you stay in General Luna? Because there are a lot of options. 

All along the tourism road, you’ll find hostel after hostel after hostel. All you really have to do is choose one. 

Can’t decide? Here are some of the best ones!

Hostels in General Luna:

Hotels and Resorts in General Luna:

Where I stayed in Siargao

Our plan was to spend the first few days exploring, so we just wanted a simple place. Then our last few days we wanted to spend in a bigger, cozier spot. 

So our first stay was in Payag Suites, which is a cozy little resort right in front of Jacking Horse beach, and just a stone’s throw away from Cloud 9. 

There isn’t much to do in this resort, and the room was pretty bare – but we were out most of the day anyway. 

Then we transferred to Ohana Resort, where the rooms were more like villas! It isn’t a beach-side resort, but it was closer to town, and it’s one of the only places with a pool too. 

Overall, I was happy with the places I chose to stay.

I usually stay in hostels, but I was traveling with two of my sisters, so we went for mid-priced hotels instead.

Just goes to show…

There’s GREAT options for all kinds of travelers in Siargao!

What To Do In Siargao

All along this blog, I’ve been hinting at the wonderful things you can do on the island. 

But now, let’s get into the details! 

Note: if you want to read more about these spots, you can check out my Siargao tourist spots post! 

Things to do in Siargao #1: SURF! 

I’ve said it so many times already, but I’ll say it again:

You NEED to surf in Siargao! 

It’s the bread and butter of the island. 

I’ll even say that if it wasn’t for the surfing community, you probably wouldn’t even know this island existed. 

So if you’re not gonna surf for your own fun, maybe try it out to pay respects to the island? 

Yes, Siargao would still be beautiful without the waves. But it would just be another isolated Philippine island that almost no one has heard about. 

The easiest place to surf is in Cloud 9. 

Just walk on the beach and you’ll find a bunch of people offering lessons for php500/hour. You can also rent surfboards and do it on your own for around php200. 

If you’re fine on your own, you can also check out the many beaches along the east coast of Siargao! 

Things To Do in Siargao #2: Jump Off the Sugba Lagoon Dive Board

One of the most famous spots in Siargao is found all the way in Sugba Lagoon in Del Carmen. 

Sugba Lagoon itself is very beautiful. It’s reminiscent of Coron in some ways. The luminous green water will make it hard to resist jumping in! 

To get there, it’s about an hour from General Luna, and about 20 minutes on a boat through the mangrove forests as well. 

You can swim, kayak, or paddleboard here, but the most thrilling thing to do is to jump off the diving board! 

You’ll have to line up for this 15-foot diving board, since a lot of people take pictures here. But for the brave, jumping is a must! 

Sugba Lagoon is included in most Siargao land tours as well, and it’s very often the highlight of the trip!

Things To Do in Siargao #3: Explore Mid-Eastern Siargao (Coconut Viewdeck, Maasin River, Tayangban Cave Pool, Magpoponko Rock Pools)

I’ve already listed the things you can do here, but let me give you a few more details. 

The Coconut Viewdeck is a hill overlooking a sea of coconut trees below, and it’s known as a picture-taking spot. There are even locals here who can take “human-drone” shots of you and your buddies! 

The view here is breathtaking too, so don’t rush! Spend some time to take it all in. 

Maasin River exploded in social media because of the bent coconut tree with a Tarzan swing on it. Sadly, the swing had to be taken down to preserve the tree (they replaced it with a diving board). 

But today, getting on a canoe to a secret lagoon (for php500) makes it worth visiting! The lagoon is very cold and blue, but quite small. If anything, it’s the ride to the lagoon that’s memorable. 

Also, at nighttime, bunches of fireflies come out to play. The firefly tour wasn’t so organized yet when we visited, but it was super worth it to see these firey creatures in all their glory! 

Tayangban Cave Pool was one of the spots I sadly missed. 

I’m told that it’s a cave with bats, and at the end of it, you can cliff jump into a cenote. It’s said to be one of the most exhilarating things you can do in Siargao, so you might wanna check it out. 

I mentioned Paghungawan Marsh earlier, but there’s really nothing much to see here. Maybe just stop for a quick break and look at the marsh? Don’t expect to see the crocodiles though. 

Finally, there’s Magpoponko Rock Pools, which only comes out during low tide. So make sure to check the tides before you visit. 

Magpoponko beach is a great spot in and of itself, but the rock pools nearby make it amazing. 

You won’t find clearer blue water anywhere else on the island! 

As always, you can reach all of these spots by renting a motorbike and going on your own.

Or if you want more convenience, you can always join a land tour. You can find people offering this tour all over General Luna. If you want to book online, you can also do it on booking sites like Klook (check it out here).

Things To Do in Siargao #4: Go Island Hopping! 

Confession:

I’m not a super big fan of island-hopping activities. Probably because I’ve tried so many of them already and most of them are pretty similar to one another.  

But if you’re in a big group, Siargao is one of the better places to try it! 

The Tri-Island hopping tours visit Naked, Daku, and Guyam islands. 

Naked Island is what it sounds like – nothing but sand all alone out in the sea. 

Daku Island is where you get to eat the famous Siargao boodle which, in my opinion, was the best food I tasted in my whole trip! Other than that, the beach here is beautiful, and you can go snorkeling as well. 

Secret Island doesn’t get mentioned in the itinerary (because it’s a secret!). All it is is a shallow bit of sand in the middle of the sea. It’s called Secret Island because it doesn’t break the surface, so it’s as if you’re standing in the middle of the water! 

Guyam Island is the last and most chill of the three. There’s a cafe here serving burgers and coffee, and there are plenty of activities to try like tightrope walking, swing surfing, surf balance boarding, and basketball hooping. 

After that, your tri-island tour will come to a close.

You can’t DIY these island hopping tours. But again, you can find tours all over General Luna. They go for php1,500 per head, but you can get a small discount if you book here.

Things To Do in Siargao #5: Visit the Magical Sohoton Cove

Before you decide to do this, hear me out:

ONLY come here if you’re adventurous. 

If not, it’s probably not worth it. 

Tours here start at php2,500/head ($50), it takes 2 hours to get there, and all the activities need you to be a little bit daring. 

First is the stingless jellyfish lagoon. There are plenty of orange jellyfish here all year round, but if you are able to time your visit with the mating season, you’ll a lagoon PACKED with jellyfish! 

Then there’s the underwater cave, where your guide has to push you deep under the water to get inside the cave. Inside is dark, but the sunlight from outside the cave gives the water inside a beautiful luminous glow. 

Third, there’s the cave that’s half underwater. The stalactites in here are otherworldly. Add the water running through the cave, and you have a super interesting spot. 

Plus, once you’re done exploring the cave, you’ll be forced to jump off a cliff. There’s no other way down so you have to jump!

Finally, there’s Tikihan resort, where you’ll get lunch. The resort also has a Tarzan swing, a dive board, and a slide.

Make sure to enjoy yourself because remember!

It’s another grueling 2-hour journey back!

Again, this tour is NOT for everyone.

But if you’re up for it, you can book it online here, or anywhere in General Luna. We booked it via the place we were staying, and we got in for php2,500 per head.

Things To Do in Siargao #6: Roadtrip the Whole Island!

Last but not least, if you know how to drive a motorbike, driving around the whole island is worth your time! 

You can rent motorbikes almost anywhere in General Luna. Scooters usually go for php300 – php600 a day.

If you want to book ahead, here’s a reasonably priced option. But I’m gonna be honest, there are so many motorbikes for rent here, you really don’t have to book ahead.

Now…

If you plan to do this, my #1 tip is to take your time! 

Don’t rush.

No one is chasing you. 

Instead, take your time to appreciate the views and towns you pass by!

There are two routes you can take if you want to go road-tripping. 

The first is just half the island, like this:

I recommend this route if you’re going to have stopovers at tourist spots. It’s shorter, and you’ll get to enjoy the spots more. 

Or, you could go around the entire island, like this! 

You can also stop over at the tourist spots here. But I feel that if you do this, you’ll either have to leave super early, limit your time at the spots, or speed through the highway. 

Ready to Explore Siargao?

Siargao is one of the most famous islands in the Philippines for VERY good reasons. 

From the moment you step foot on the island, you’ll feel its addicting vibe. Something that you’ll carry with you even when you go home! 

That’s why so many people feel “sepanx” when they leave! 😂

If you’re visiting Siargao soon, I hope this travel guide helped you! 

You truly have a lot in store for you, so get ready to experience one of the best islands not only in the Philippines – but in the WORLD! 

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below! You can also read my 13 Siargao Tourist Spots blog post to learn more. As always, thanks for reading!

– Manoling