If you ask anyone what to do while in the Philippines, they will undoubtedly say “island hopping.” There are so many little uninhabited islands to explore, so it’s not hard to find someone to charter a small boat and take you out. Rather than going with one of the official tours, we found a guy with a boat by asking some locals. This way ends up being the cheaper route if you can find 4-5 people to fill a boat and is more flexible if you want to go on your own time. There are three beautiful islands only a short long-tail boat trip away from General Luna, which is the tourist part of Siargao...Guyam Island, Daku Island, and Naked Island. Make sure to try the fresh seafood on Daku Island!
Also, be aware that almost every stop requires a marine sanctuary fee (approximately $1) that you pay when you arrive. The Philippines is known for their hidden administrative fees that can suddenly pop up, especially if you aren’t a local.
This is a spot on the island that you will likely drive to without even planning on it. Rent a moto in town and as you head north of cloud 9, toward destinations like Pacifico, you will veer around a sharp corner and all of a sudden be looking out over thousands of coconut palms. It’s stunning and makes for a nice stop to rest the butt.
If you are looking for a place to surf in the Philippines, Siargao has surf breaks for all levels. For people like me who suck at surfing, you can hit up the beginner waves at Jacking Horse. There are plenty of locals waiting at the shore to teach people like me. And if you want to surf with the more seasoned surfers on some bigger waves, the most famous surf break is out at Cloud 9. If you go in low season (May - August), and the waves aren’t rolling in that well you can also pay $6-8 USD to rent a stand up paddle board and drop in on some waves that way.
You can find a lot of people chilling on Cloud 9 pier at the end of the day, hoping to catch the sun set over the water but it doesn’t face far enough west. For a much less touristy adventure, you can head north of town and visit the huge Santa Monica pier. We took an afternoon to travel north of General Luna by moto, stopped at Pacifico Beach Resort for some iced coffee and then hit up Tak Tak Falls before catching the sunset here. This is the one spot on the island where it is easy to watch the sun drop down over the horizon on the ocean and it is #ohmywow
One of the best places to visit near Siargao wasn’t actually on Siargao. After some coffee at Shaka Cafe, we took a moto to Dapa. We managed to find a small boat ferry ($3) to take us to Socorro town. And then we had to convince some local boat men to take us around the island to Sohoton Cove - think El Nido but way less touristy. When we arrived, the boat men took us straight to the municipal office where we were asked to pay the foreigner tourist fees. But we knew we didn’t have enough money to make it home so we opted out of every organized tour (caves and the large lagoon) and told them we would stay in the public areas. Part of the fees cover a trip to Titikan Lagoon, which we missed but there were some other great sights to see instead. Some of the smaller lagoons were just as pretty and empty, boasting crystal clear water. One of the lagoons even has a smaller cave to explore. The fact that the cave helmets were free was a surprise after the loads of other hidden costs.