Siargao: Surf, lagoons and island hopping

Siargao is known as the surfing capital of the Philippines, and Cloud 9 deserves the reputation, but the island would be worth the trip without a single wave. Palm forest covers the interior, sandbars and islets sit offshore, and a mangrove lagoon in the west is the colour of aquarium glass. It has become popular quickly, so prices and traffic are higher than the rest of Mindanao.

Getting There and Around

• Flights land at Sayak Airport (IAO) from Cebu and Manila; book early, as seats are limited and sell out in peak season
• The budget alternative is a ferry from Surigao City on the mainland, roughly 3 hours
• General Luna, known locally as GL, is where most visitors base themselves
• A scooter is how everyone gets around; the main roads are good, but sand and afternoon rain make them slippery
• Island hopping boats leave from GL; trips are shared or private and easy to arrange the day before

Surfing

• Cloud 9 — a heavy right-hand reef break with a wooden viewing tower; for confident surfers only
• Jacking Horse — the beginner wave, forgiving and close to GL, where most lessons happen
• Pacifico — bigger, emptier waves in the north, worth the ride even to watch
• Board hire and lessons are everywhere in GL; the swell is biggest between August and November

What Else to Do

• Island hopping — Guyam, a postcard islet of palms and sand; Daku, big enough for a lunch stop; Naked Island, a bare sandbar with no shade at all
• Sugba Lagoon — a mangrove lagoon near Del Carmen with a diving platform and paddleboards, about an hour from GL
• Magpupungko rock pools — a tidal pool that only appears at low tide, so check the tide table before riding up
• Maasin river — the leaning palm over the water, and the coconut-lined road out there
• Sohoton Cove — a long day trip by boat to caves and jellyfish lagoons on a neighbouring island

Where to Eat and Stay

• General Luna — the widest choice of food, from Filipino grills to cafés built for surfers, plus the island's nightlife
• Catangnan — quieter, walkable to Cloud 9, popular with returning surfers
• Pacifico or Burgos — the north end, where it's genuinely peaceful and you'll need a scooter for everything
• Try kinilaw, grilled tuna belly and the calamansi-and-chilli condiment that comes with everything

Book flights and accommodation well ahead: Siargao's popularity grew far faster than its airport, and arriving without a plan in high season is expensive.