Siargao has changed fast. Ten years ago it was a surf island with a handful of places to stay, and now General Luna has espresso, cocktail bars and a queue for the good restaurants. The surf is still the reason to come, but the list of things to do in Siargao is much longer than it used to be, and a lot of visitors now never touch a board.
Here is the realistic version, with fares, fees and what a few days actually costs.
Surf Cloud 9 and the beginner breaks
Cloud 9 is the wave that made the island, a fast right hand reef break with a boardwalk built out over it so people can watch. It is not a beginner wave. The reef is shallow and unforgiving and every season produces cuts and worse.
If you are learning, the beginner spots are Jacking Horse near Cloud 9, and Quiksilver, both sand and reef mixes that are far more forgiving. Lessons run around 500 to 1,000 pesos an hour including board and instructor. Board rental alone is around 300 to 500 pesos for a few hours.
Peak swell season is roughly August to November, which is also the busiest and most expensive time. December to March still has waves and fewer people. April to July is the flat season, when the island is cheapest and greenest and the surf crowd thins out.
Honest negative: watching from the Cloud 9 boardwalk is free and takes ten minutes, and for a lot of visitors that is the correct amount of Cloud 9.
Island hop to Naked, Daku and Guyam
The standard three island tour and the single most popular day out on Siargao. Naked Island is a bare sandbar with no shade at all, Daku is the biggest with a village and lunch, Guyam is a tiny palm topped islet.
A private boat runs around 1,500 to 2,500 pesos for the boat, split between your group, and joining a shared tour costs around 800 to 1,200 pesos per person. There are environmental fees at each island of around 50 to 100 pesos each, collected on landing.
Lunch is usually grilled fish cooked on Daku, either included or around 250 to 400 pesos extra. Bring cash for the fees, sunscreen and a hat, because Naked Island has genuinely zero shade and people get burned there every single day.
Sugba Lagoon
A bright green lagoon in Del Carmen with a diving platform, paddleboards and kayaks. It is the best half day on the island for people who do not surf.
Getting there means a van or motorbike to Del Carmen port, around 45 minutes to an hour from General Luna, then a boat of around 30 to 45 minutes. Boat hire is around 1,600 to 2,000 pesos split between the group, plus an entrance fee of around 50 to 100 pesos. Paddleboard rental at the lagoon is around 300 to 400 pesos.
Go early. By late morning the platform has a queue and the tour boats have arrived. Combine it with the Del Carmen mangroves on the way back.
Magpupungko rock pools
Tidal pools on the east coast at Pilar, roughly an hour from General Luna by motorbike. Entrance is around 50 to 100 pesos.
The critical thing is tide. The pools only exist at low tide, and at high tide the whole area is simply sea. Check a tide table before you set off, because plenty of people ride an hour each way and arrive to find nothing to see. The rock ledge you jump from is around 4 metres.
Honest negative: it is a long, hot ride for a swim, and if the tide is wrong it is a wasted morning. Only go if the timing works.
Ride the palm tree road to Pacifico
The road north from General Luna through Pilar and up to Pacifico runs through dense coconut palm and it is one of the better rides in the Philippines. Motorbike rental is around 400 to 600 pesos a day, plus fuel.
Pacifico has a quieter surf break and a much lower key scene than General Luna. Alegria on the northern tip has a long empty beach. This is Siargao as it was before the boom, and it is where people go now to escape the version they came to see.
Ride carefully. The road is good but the combination of new riders, sand patches and dogs causes a steady stream of injuries. Wear a helmet even where nobody else does.
Corregidor Island and the Siargao day boats
Not to be confused with the Corregidor near Manila, this small island off Siargao is a quieter island hopping alternative when Naked and Daku are busy. Boats run around 2,000 to 3,000 pesos for the group and it makes a good half day when the main circuit is crowded.
Tayangban cave pool and the inland stops
A cave pool near Pilar where you wade and swim out through a short passage, with a guide fee of around 200 to 300 pesos plus entrance of around 50 pesos. It takes around 45 minutes and pairs naturally with Magpupungko since they are close.
You will get wet and there is a low section where you duck under. Anyone claustrophobic should skip it. Waterproof your phone or leave it with the guide.
Nearby, the Pacifico and Alegria stretch has several unmarked beaches that are empty most days. This is worth an afternoon of just riding and stopping wherever looks good, which is how Siargao is best experienced anyway.
Practical things worth knowing before you arrive
ATMs on Siargao run out of cash regularly, especially at weekends and in peak season, and card acceptance outside the bigger resorts and restaurants is patchy. Bring pesos with you from Cebu or Manila.
Power cuts happen. Most established places have generators, cheaper ones do not. Internet has improved a lot but is still unreliable enough that Siargao is a frustrating place to work remotely during bad weather.
There is no hyperbaric chamber and medical facilities are basic. Serious problems mean a flight to Cebu. Reef cuts get infected fast in the tropics, so clean them properly and do not ignore them.
Maasin River and the leaning palm
A short ride from General Luna, a river lined with palms and one famous leaning trunk with a rope swing. Entrance around 50 pesos.
It is pleasant and it takes half an hour. It is also thoroughly photographed and there is usually a short queue for the swing. Worth combining with something else rather than making a trip of it.
Del Carmen mangroves
One of the largest mangrove forests in the Philippines, and a genuinely worthwhile boat trip that most visitors skip in favour of the lagoon. Boat tours run around 1,500 to 2,000 pesos split between a group, taking around an hour to 90 minutes.
There is a stilt walkway and a chance of seeing saltwater crocodiles in the protected area. It is quiet, it is cool under the canopy, and it is the best thing on the island for anyone tired of beaches.
Sohoton Cove, a long day trip
Sohoton is in Bucas Grande, not on Siargao itself, and reaching it means a boat of around two hours each way from Siargao. Tours run around 2,000 to 3,500 pesos per person depending on group size.
The draw is the stingless jellyfish lagoon, the cave you enter by ducking under a rock at low tide, and the jumping platforms. It is a full day, roughly 6am to 6pm, and the sea crossing can be rough.
Honest negative: the jellyfish lagoon is seasonal and numbers vary a lot. Ask what people saw yesterday before paying. Our Dinagat Islands guide has more on the timing.
Eat and drink in General Luna
The food scene is genuinely good now and it is one of the real reasons to stay longer. Expect around 350 to 600 pesos for a main at the tourist facing restaurants, which is expensive by Philippine standards, and around 100 to 180 pesos at a local carinderia.
There is proper coffee, several bakeries, poke and pizza and a lot of health food. For local eating, the market in General Luna and the roadside grills are far cheaper and better than they look.
Honest negative: Siargao is now one of the more expensive islands in the country for food and drink, and the prices in General Luna surprise people arriving from Cebu or Bohol.
Getting to Siargao
By air. Sayak Airport at Del Carmen takes flights from Cebu, around 1 hour, and from Manila, around 2 hours 15 minutes. Fares swing wildly with season. The airport is roughly 45 minutes to an hour from General Luna, and the shared van transfer is around 300 to 400 pesos per person.
By ferry. From Surigao City, fast ferries to Dapa take around 2.5 to 3 hours for roughly 400 to 600 pesos. This is the cheap route and it is a good option if you are already in Mindanao. Dapa to General Luna is around 30 minutes by van or tricycle for around 100 to 300 pesos.
Flights are frequently cancelled or delayed in typhoon season. If you have an onward international flight, leave a buffer day.
Where to stay in Siargao
Budget, roughly 800 to 1,500 pesos a night. Hostel dorms and simple fan rooms in General Luna and along the Tourism Road. Plenty of choice and a strong social scene.
Mid range, roughly 2,500 to 5,000 pesos a night. Boutique places with pools around General Luna and out towards Cloud 9. This is where most of the island’s new building has gone.
Upper, roughly 7,000 pesos and up. A growing number of design resorts, mostly between General Luna and Cloud 9.
Book well ahead for August to November. In the flat season you can often turn up and negotiate.
What a Siargao trip costs
A day, budget. Dorm bed around 900 pesos, food around 800 pesos, motorbike share around 250 pesos, one activity around 500 pesos. Roughly 2,450 pesos per person per day.
Five days, mid range, per person. Flights from Manila both ways around 7,000 pesos, airport transfers around 700 pesos, four nights at around 3,000 pesos shared works out around 6,000 pesos, food around 3,500 pesos, island hopping around 1,000 pesos, Sugba Lagoon around 900 pesos, motorbike for three days around 1,500 pesos, a surf lesson around 700 pesos. Roughly 21,300 pesos.
Siargao is not the budget island it was. Plan for Boracay prices with worse infrastructure.
Best time to visit Siargao
August to November is peak surf and peak crowds, with the biggest swell and the highest prices. It is also the wettest and most typhoon exposed window.
December to March is the sweet spot for most people: still surfable, drier, less crowded, prices moderate.
April to July is flat season. The island is green, quiet and cheap, the water is calm and clear for island hopping, and if you are not a surfer this is arguably the best time to come.
Siargao took a direct hit from Typhoon Odette in December 2021 and rebuilt. The island is exposed and the risk is real during the season.
What to skip in Siargao
Skip Cloud 9 as a beginner. The reef will win. Skip Magpupungko without checking the tide first. Skip Naked Island without a hat, since there is no shade whatsoever. Skip renting a motorbike if you have never ridden one, because the local clinic sees the results daily and most travel insurance will not cover an unlicensed rider.
Skip Siargao entirely if you want cheap and undiscovered, because that Siargao stopped existing several years ago. If that is what you are after, look at Dinagat Islands nearby instead.
Quick FAQ
What are the best things to do in Siargao? Surf or watch Cloud 9, take the three island hopping tour to Naked, Daku and Guyam, swim at Sugba Lagoon, visit the Magpupungko rock pools at low tide, ride the palm road north to Pacifico, and boat through the Del Carmen mangroves.
How many days do you need in Siargao? Four to five. Two days covers island hopping and Sugba Lagoon, and you need the extra days for the north of the island and for weather.
Do you need to surf to enjoy Siargao? No. Island hopping, Sugba Lagoon, the mangroves and the food scene fill several days on their own, and the flat season from April to July is arguably better for non surfers.
How do you get to Siargao? Fly to Sayak Airport from Cebu in around an hour or from Manila in around 2 hours 15 minutes, or take a fast ferry from Surigao City to Dapa in around 2.5 to 3 hours for roughly 400 to 600 pesos.
Is Siargao expensive? By Philippine standards, yes. Mains at tourist restaurants in General Luna run around 350 to 600 pesos and mid range rooms around 2,500 to 5,000 pesos a night. Budget roughly 2,500 pesos a day at the low end.
When is the surf season in Siargao? Roughly August to November for the biggest swell. December to March still has rideable waves with fewer crowds. April to July is generally flat.
Getting to Siargao from the Visayas? See our breakdown of how to get from Cebu to Siargao, and for a quieter alternative nearby try Agusan del Norte.
