Siargao, Philippines is a true tropical paradise which is why it was our favorite island we traveled to in the Philippines. In this blog I’ll go over the top things to do here and what we did, what we loved, and what we decided to skip out on.

If you’re trying to decide how to spend your days on this beautiful island, read along.

Top Things to Do in Siargao:

Cloud Nine

This is what Siargao is known for, cloud nine surfing. A couple Australian guys were out traveling, finding new places to surf, and discovered this area. It’s one of the most popular places now to go surf and live that “digital nomad” lifestyle.

While we did not surf here because I was pregnant it’s definitely something we would have done. We did still check out the area and ate at Shaka Cafe, they really do have some amazing açaí bowls!

You can swim here but it’s honestly not the best waters for it. Surfing is definitely the best way to go. I’d recommend taking a lesson if you haven’t learned to surf already and spend an hour on the waves then refuel yourself at Shaka.

There is a small fee to enter the beach area and pier. Visiting the pier is also a very popular thing to do in Siargao, especially during sunset. There'll be street food and local shops set up along the pier. We did not visit the pier during our time here in Siargao, just didn’t interest me too much. The only time we spent in Cloud 9 was eating at Shaka while watching the surfers.

Boat Day

An absolute must do in Siargao, you have to get out and see the islands. This is where you’ll find some of the best beaches and best waters. There’s a few different options you can take.

You can do the tradition 3 island tour, Daku, Naked, and Guyam.

OR

You can venture out a little further to islands like Mamon or Corregidor either just alone or in combo with some of the other closer islands.

Mamon was definitely our favorite island, it’s what I think of when I want a tropical beach. In this blog I go into what you need to know about Mamon plus the other 3 main islands, what we decided to skip on, our honest thoughts, and how to book a boat trip in Siargao.

Pacifico Beach

Also another popular surfing spot in Siargao. about an hour north of General Luna, Pacifico is a beautiful long stretched beach with white sand. We actually went to Pasikon Beach just a few minutes north of Pacifico. It was a beautiful, serene beach. Not very busy, beautiful clear blue water and some cool rock formations to the left of the beach. There is a small entrance fee as this is private but I do think it’s worth it. Much less crowds here than Pacifico.

If you’re looking for a spot to eat nearby, definitely check out Trogon’s Perch Resort, they have a restaurant overlooking the Pacific creating a really beautiful atmosphere. For non-hotel guests there is a spending minimum, when we went it was 500 pesos per person. A little high but easy to hit when ordering lunch/dinner. Good food, beautiful views, and convenient if you’re up towards this end of the island.

Maasin River

This is one of the most popular things to do in Siargao. You ride along the Maasin river on a skinny canoe with a guide for about 600 pesos per person. You can choose to go to the “secret” fresh water lagoon which is what we did. Overall the experience was very peaceful and we got some cute photos in the fresh water lagoon. I really liked just riding along the river.

You can also jump off the big platform right when you enter lagoon but since I was pregnant, this was not something I could partake in.

I do think it’s worth spending an hour or so here, it’s not too far from General Luna, about 20-25 minutes, and it’s really beautiful canoeing along the river lined with palm trees.

Coconut Plantation

Nearby Maasin River is Coconut Plantation Viewpoint. Simply just a lookout over all the palm trees in this area. It really is quite breathtaking, especially if you love palm trees like me.

It’s free and just a quick stop on your way to Maasin River or anywhere up north on the island.

Boating Through Mangroves

Not something we did but it is a cool activity in Siargao, you can take a boat tour along the Mangroves. This is definitely unique and would be a lovely way to spend a romantic early evening watching the sunset through the mangroves.

We opted out because honestly it looks like a similar experience to Maasin River and we just didn’t have enough time and didn’t want to spend more money.

I think choosing one or the other would be just fine. If you’re on a romantic getaway, I’d probably choose the Mangrove boat tour. If you want instagramable photos and something on the cheaper side, choose the Maasin River.

Magpopongko Rock Pools and Flats

Also something we did not do BUT it is very popular in Siargao. They only appear during low tide so make sure to check the tide before heading out there. The water is a clear turquoise blue that make for great photos and swimming.

This honestly wasn’t something I was super interested in doing during our time here. We only had so many days so I really wanted to focus my time on things I really wanted to do.

Swimming with Jellyfish - Sohoton Grove

This is something I was not aware of until after our trip to Siargao, we saw some videos from a local on a different island and this looks like one of the COOLEST things you can do! Literally swimming through a ton of stingless jellyfish about 1-2 hours south of General Luna Siargao.

If you have enough time this would be a super cool day trip.

What We LOVED In Siargao

Mamon Island

Our top experience was definitely our time on Mamon island. This was just the most stunning island, stunning beach I’ve ever been on. I highly recommend spending the extra time and money coming out here if you want a private tropical paradise and pristine water.

Vintage Jeep Rental

Our second favorite was definitely renting a pink jeep through Island Cruisers Siargao and spending the day driving across the island. Such a fun experience, jeeps are adorable, automatic, and it really adds to the island life vibe. I absolutely loved this day.

You definitely want to book in advance, just message them on instagram. It’s expensive but worth the money.

We drove up to Pacifico beach and checked out everything we wanted to that was outside of General Luna. I highly recommend renting a vintage jeep in Siargao!

Pasikon Beach

Overall just a really beautiful beach that’s actually on Siargao island. Away from the crowds, beautiful water and beach. The beaches near General Luna are not all that great, the beauty is definitely on the islands and on the beaches up north in Siargao like this one and Allegra. Another popular beach more north of Pacifico.

I loved getting a fresh coconut from the locals and relaxing on the beach here.

There’s honestly so much to do in Siargao. To do everything listed above you’d probably need a full week here, maybe 5 full days. We had 3 full days so we really had to choose our time wisely and I think we did.

It’ll be hard to go wrong with what you do here, as long as you go out boating to some of the nearby islands, you definitely will have a memorable time in Siargao.

The only thing you really need to book in advance is the vintage jeep rental. We booked everything else while we were there.

Top Things to Do in Siargao, Philippines