2022年11月14日

Now that the pandemic is *nearly* over, I have finally started traveling more this year! While the pandemic made me realize how much I love staying at home, my goal to visit different places never died out.

Earlier this year, my family and I went on a trip to Boracay, and later, to my dad’s hometown in Cebu. We also finally went back and visited our province (my mom’s hometown) in La Union last December. We always go there during summer vacation, and not visiting after 4 long years made me realize how much I missed those things I used to overlook before.

Now to tick off another one of my bucket list in PH, it was about time I visit Siargao! I’ve been planning this with my friends for years, but pandemic + irregular schedule + dem finally starting a family, it seemed like it’s going nowhere. To top it all up, most of my planned trips before the pandemic were cancelled and my hopeful ass used travel funds instead of requesting refund – I had no choice but to use them before they expire. So from a group of 6-8, it was just me and my bf who ended up going. Hopefully when things get better, we can go back as a group just like the old days. 🙂

The weather was great despite heavy rains in Metro Manila. There’s also an annual surfing competition going on so our timing was perfect. Surprisingly, it’s also my first time to visit an area that is part of Mindanao.

I’ve learned my lesson not to rely on travel agencies when it comes to accommodation as it could be a hit or miss, so we decided to separate the lodging from the tours.

Tri-Island Hopping

Doing island hopping tours may seem repetitive when you’ve been to amazing white beaches in Boracay, Cebu, Palawan or Bohol. While those provinces mentioned are pretty popular when it comes to beaches, Siargao islands are no different and are just as beautiful.

Naked Island

Daku Island

Guyam Island

Land Tour

They call it “land tour” but don’t get bamboozled like me as you’re gonna need to prepare swimwear on these activities. Below are some activities included in our land tour:

Coconut view deck

There’s literally coconut trees everywhere in Siargao, I won’t be surprised if that’s their main source of income. You may ask some kids over there to take photos and make sure you try their signature human drone video shot. :))

Maasin River

There used to be a rope swing here but according to our tour guide, it had issues with the land owners surrounding the area. They built a diving spot instead as a replacement.

Sugba Lagoon

If you’re into lagoons, you might want to check this out as well. They have jumping, paddleboarding and kayaking activities.

Magpupungko Rock Pools

Probably one of my favorites because this place is one of the unique things about Siargao. It’s also a bit dangerous to go around with all the rocks and waves. I thought I’ll be able to get away with zero casualty, but I got scraped on both hands and feet while going back to the shore. Oh well. Yep, still a favorite lol.

Cloud 9

No longer part of the land tour, but we booked a place close to the popular Cloud 9 surfing spot even though we didn’t try surfing (might have been for the best since I don’t know how to swim haha). However, it’s still advisable to rent a motorcycle/scooter since the tourist areas aren’t as close as what you expect. I know how to drive a car but not a motorcycle, so I let my boyfriend take the wheel this time. :))

I’ve attempted to do an astrophotography on our last night, but the sky suddenly became a bitch and this is the only result. 🥺

Overall, it was a nice experience and yes, I’ll definitely come back! Kuya Mark, our tour guide, was very hands on and there never was a boring moment with him.

P.S. One of the best and unforgettable experiences I had over there was the beachfront massage at Siargao Bleu. It felt like luxury and will leave you relaxed and blissful – definitely a must-try!

Siargao was hit by a super typhoon Odette last December and I’m happy that they are slowly starting to recover. We didn’t want to be too stingy during our trip, since we want to be able to help them in a way. Sure the fare was expensive, but worth going back to.

• siargao
• travel