Siargao, Surigao del Norte

October 2018 - Siargao, Surigao del Norte

We talked about visiting the island  right after our trip to Batanes 4 months prior. By chance, my friend was able to book a promo flight. We were also preoccupied with our own jobs so we really did not have much time to make a gameplan, lol. However, we did our duties to research about the whatabouts on the web and learned that we had to book an accommodation in advance since it would be hard to find available rooms. We both agreed to stay at Point 303 located a few yards away from Cloud 9.

Our home in Siargao - Point 303

On our first day, we set off at around 5:30 am to travel to Clark Airport from Manila. We arrived in Clark, Pampanga at around 8 am and we were already hungry so we checked in and ate our breakfast. Our flight at 10:35 am was not delayed and in an hour and 45 minutes we were already in Siargao. It was raining hard when we reached the airport, we were were a bit disappointed about the weather then. Eventually, while on the tricycle to General Luna, the rain stopped. The ride from the airport to our hostel was longer than expected but we enjoyed the views along the way.

When we finally arrived General Luna, we dropped our backpacks in our accommodation and prepared for our island tour that afternoon. We met some of my friends who were coincidentally in the island too. We had a chat a day before and we decided to team up for the tour. At around past 2 pm, we were already on our way to Naked Island.

 L-R: Liezah, Me, Rose and Paul at Naked Island

Naked Island has no shade at all, hence the name come from. No trees but boasts of its white sand and clear, blue water surrounding it. The sun was scorching hot when we got there but there were people enjoying taking pictures and taking a dip in the water. Rose took a drone shot of us on the island. Afterwards, we went off to the next island.

Daku Island

Daku Island was just a few minutes boat ride away. Daku means big and the island has a vast area for cottages and small eateries. Since it was very hot I enjoyed the shade of the coconut trees in it. We stayed and idled for a while there. It was just nice to chill and enjoy the vibe. After being satisfied we went to the next destination.

Guyam Island was our last stop for the tour. In contrary to Daku, Guyam means small. It just took us a few minutes to roam around the island. There were many people in the island because it is a popular spot to watch the sunset. We decided not to stay longer and at around past 5 o'clock we were already on our way back to General Luna.

Guyam Island

At around this time, Liezah and I were feeling hungry since our last meal was at the airport. Despite, all of us agreed to go to Cloud 9. While walking along the Boardwalk, it was a surprise to see a very handsome surfer, there stood Luke Landrigan, haha! Of course, we took the chance to meet and greet him. Then, on top of the surf tower, we just took pleasure of the ocean view and watching the surfers riding the waves from afar.

with Luke Landrigan 

Later on, we resolved to have dinner altogether and met at Mama's Grill. We had a good meal and talked about our upcoming whereabouts. We had different plans so we decided to meet at night the next day. We retired earlier to rest that evening.

We woke up at around 5:30 am the following day. We prepared for our land tour and had our breakfast at an eatery nearby. Our tricycle driver arrived at 7 am and we started our journey. We passed through a very nice view of coconut trees on top of the road and also along the road. We stopped for a while to take pictures then we continued to go to Magpupungko. It was a long trip, when we got there we had to pay the entrance fees. It was only around 8:30 am and our tricycle driver told us that we can stay there until 10 am. We never thought of staying that long. And so, we walked through the rocky bayside to the rock tidal pools and from afar we could see many people were there already. The pools looked lovely though crowded. We decided to walk on to the other side and finally found a nice uncrowded spot to swim in. The water is clear and very cool though, it rained a bit at times. We also enjoyed watching the strong waves  crashing through the rocks from afar. We did not notice the time and we were actually there until around 11 am. When we agreed to go, we went near the waves and took some nice photos there.

Magpupungko Rock & Tidal Pool

Outside, our driver was already waiting for us. Unfortunately, he needed to change his flat tire and advised us to eat lunch there. So, we ate our lunch at a carinderia and had the chance to taste local food. We had smoked fish and adobo ala Siargao with tuba vinegar. It taste different but I love it! The rained poured hard at noon but it was also sunny.

Sugba Lagoon

Finally, kuya Ricky called us to continue to our next destination. It was quite a long ride to Del Carmen port. We were led to the office and to our surprise, we had to pay another tour fee. We were not informed about "paying another tour fee" beforehand, so we were very disappointed but the show must go on and we accepted since we were there already. We don't want to have any regrets, shit happens, lol. We embarked on our boat and joined our boatmen to Sugba Lagoon. We resolved not to stay long to swim there since we already had a lot of time in Magpupungko. The boat ride took 15 minutes to reach the lagoon. The sight was so beautiful, it reminds me of Coron, Palawan. We watched some people jump off the infamous dive board while everyone cheered. For a few minutes, we looked around and took photos. Then, we decided to head back.

The road back was longer than expected. The weather in Siargao is very much unpredictable. In some parts, it'd be raining hard and in some parts, it'd be all dried up and sunny. Liezah needed to buy something so we dropped by a public market in General Luna before finally heading back to Point 303. After we cleaned up, we just idled for a while and rested. We had to wait for Paul and Rose and have dinner together. They had their tour to Sohoton that day. I received a chat message,  they got back at around 6:30 pm. When they were all set, we met at Kermit's Surf Resort. There was a long queue of people there but we waited patiently for our turn to get a table. Kermit's vibe that night was chill and superb. Over popular pizzas and pasta, we talked and laughed all about our day tours. Then, we agreed to party that night. After our dinner, we went to Harana Surf Bar and Resort.

   

Party and booze at Harana Surf Resort

Good vibes, chill atmosphere, live reggae music, dances, laughters and booze all around. I did not expect to get so drunk, LOL. We went back home past 12 midnight. And I fell asleep right away.

The next day was terrible. I had a hangover! Damn, lol. I felt sick but I had to be over it until our flight this afternoon. I took a shower and we headed out to eat our breakfast at Kayaha. Good relief, I felt okay after having a meal. Liezah had an appointment at Isla Cabana and I accompanied her. I was speechless at the sight, Isla Cabana is paradise on Earth.

Our tricycle driver arrived at 10 am. It was time to go home! We were all ready and set to head to the airport. We passed through souvenir shops before finally going.. We shall return to feel the simple, laid-back and rustic vibes of the island.

Boardwalk, Cloud 9

Here is a sample budget itinerary for the trip: