Philippines Travel Blog

How To Go To Siargao Island

Thanks to the Cloud 9 fame, Siargao has become synonymous with surfing. And with that notoriety comes a lot of international attention and of course a huge boom in tourism especially around September, when the waves start coming in and surfing competitions, both local and international, are organized. In response to the surge of tourists, there are now daily flights to Surigao City. If you’re coming in from Manila, for example, there’s a flight that departs from Manila around 9am and will arrive Surigao City around 11am. From there you can then ride the local jeepney that will take you to the pier in time for the 12Noon ferry boat going to Siargao.

Faster Boat To Siargao

Dapa Port

The ferry boat and all other boats plying the Surigao City – Siargao route dock at the Dapa pier. Since the surfing action happens in General Luna, a town some 15 kilometers from Dapa, you will still need to get there. The good thing is that there are options on how to go there. If you’re the adventurous kind, you can always take the habal-habal, a single motorcycle that sometimes carries up to 8 persons in one go. Another option is the tricycle. This one can already carry your boards and bring you safely to GL. Take note that the usual fare for the habal-habal and the tricycle is only around P30/head. You can also take the local jeepney, but this one takes forever because they make sure that every seat is taken before they head-off, also people will be stopping all over the place which means there will be a lot of stops in between. If you have a lot of things with you, you can opt to hire a jeepney to take you to GL. Usually the jeepney will charge you 300 – 500 for the trip. The trick is to bargain like a pro.

Where To Go, What To Do In General Luna, Siargao

More often than not travellers who go to Siargao already have their reservations made in advance. This is a smart move as you don’t want to be homeless when you’re there. One tip for tourists on a budget is to go for resorts that are not run by foreigners. Nothing about these guys but more often than not, their rates are likely to be higher than those resorts run by the locals. One good resort to check out is ChristineNicole. Its rates can range from P500 – 1500 depending on your bargaining skills and of course the season.

Maridyl's Food Hauz

One of the benefits of being a third world country like the Philippines is cheap booze and smokes. How cheap? Well, a pack of Marlboro’s can be had for as low as $0.80 while a bottle of beer can be had for $0.70. Of course when you buy your stuff in the bar/restaurant of the resort where you’re staying, the prices can be really steep. So again, if you’re in a budget or you just don’t want to pay first world rates in a third world country, the best thing for you to do is check out the local hangouts. In General Luna, the store to keep in mind is Maridyl’s Food Hauz. Here the rates remain third world even if they’re serving first world customers. So if you want the biggest bang for your buck, Maridyl’s Food Hauz is the way to go. You can just hire a tricycle or a habal-habal to take you to Maridyl’s Food Hauz, they know the place for sure. If you really want the Filipino experience, then try out their Filipino dishes served carenderia style at very low prices. You can also get your groceries and have your drinking spree there.

Will blog for food.

If you also want a break from surfing and want to go somewhere nice and relaxing for a swim, then you might want to try out Guyam and Daku Islands. Hiring a boat to go to these islands may cost you from P500 – 1000.