Dinagat
Dinagat Islands travel guide: the tourist spots I filmed
Photo: Sanelyn G. Adarne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Dinagat Islands is a province right next to Siargao, in the north-east of Mindanao. You arrive by boat, base yourself in San Jose, and go out by boat to rock formations and white-sand coves. Almost nobody goes across. I planned a short stay and was still there after more than two weeks. These are the places I filmed, what they cost, and the one I would skip. For a day-by-day plan, see my 5-day Dinagat itinerary.
Nobody goes to Dinagat because you need to be a real explorer, a real traveler to come to Dinagat.
Where is Dinagat Islands?
Dinagat Islands is a province of the Caraga region, north-east of mainland Mindanao, made up of seven municipalities with San Jose as the capital. It became a province on 2 December 2006, under Republic Act 9355 (Wikipedia). Most people cross from Surigao City; the ferry routes, schedules and fares are in how to get to Dinagat Islands.
From the port, the tricycles, here they call them bubbles, took us to San Jose, which makes a good base. Every area worth seeing is reached by boat, so get a local boatman or a tour for the island days. I would not drive long distances by scooter; the roads to the far side are long and rough.
Siargao is the island next door, so if you are pairing the two, where to stay in Siargao covers that side and Siargao in 5 days is a split you can add Dinagat days onto.
Dinagat Islands tourist spots I filmed
1. The rock formations
My first boat day went to rock formations carved by the waves. The water around them is some of the clearest I have seen in the country. After about 30 minutes more by boat we reached a second stop, where the scenery looked like it belonged in a film.
2. The white-sand coves
The second day was coves with powder-white sand, where the water stays shallow ten metres out. You can pitch a tent and sleep on some of these beaches. People here have kept these places natural, and it shows.
3. Lake Bababu, Basilisa
A steep hike of about 25 minutes, depending on your pace, to a meromictic lake in Basilisa: fresh water on top, salt water at the bottom. Our guide told us it is one of very few lakes of its kind in the world. It is also where we saw a hornbill, an endangered bird.
4. The bonsai forest
The road up is only possible by 4x4 pickup truck, and it feels like you are not supposed to go up there. We were about 900 metres above sea level, in a forest of small, old trees with thousands of pitcher plants, from tiny to very big. Dinagat is also a mining province (Wikipedia), and in my video I say this forest will probably be cut down for mining one day.
This is just like a whole different level of Philippines, man.
5. The God and Dina islands
From the coast you see an island that looks like a human face, which locals call God, and on the other side the female version, called Dina.
6. The fruit bats
On the way to the camping trip we stopped where hundreds of fruit bats hang right beside the road, not in a cave. We would never have found the spot without a local who knew it.
7. Camping on a remote beach
With my friend Thomas, who knows the outer islands and lives for fishing, I took a boat to one of the most untouched beaches I have seen in the Philippines: no resorts, no restaurants, no signal, just a tent, a fire and whatever we caught. At night there were hundreds of fireflies. In the morning I bathed in an ice-cold river that runs down from the mountain. Thomas is a local friend, not a tour operator, so ask around in San Jose for a boatman who knows the outer beaches; it is not something you arrange online. The whole night is in my remote beach camping guide.
The amount of stars that you can see in this place is just crazy.
8. A castle on a mountain
The family behind Sana Cafe took us to a castle built on top of a mountain, with islands all around it. A typhoon had drenched it and the ground needs renovating, but the view is one of the best on the island. We could go because of that family; it is not a visit you can book.
Out with locals
The owners of Sana Cafe in San Jose took us to two places I had not seen anyone film, and a friend went spearfishing and came back in ten minutes with dinner. We ended the day with a boodle fight: all the food on banana leaves, eaten with your hands. Sana Cafe is a beachside coffee shop, not a tour operator; the boat trip was a favour from the owners, not a package you can book.
The one I would skip
The shark sanctuary. We drove two and a half to three hours to get there and saw two small sharks. There is a nice beach and a lagoon, but it was not worth the day for me. Sometimes you go somewhere so you know it is not worth it.
Food and what it costs
Eat at the carinderias, the small local canteens. One breakfast for two, vegetables, eggs, fried fish and coffee, cost us 180 pesos in total. Our room with air conditioning, a double bed and a sea view was very cheap too.
Good to know
- There are places with no signal and no Wi-Fi. Download your maps.
- Bring cash. There is not much to pay by card.
- Come with time. Dinagat is slow, and that is the point.
I am planning a small-group trip to Dinagat. The waitlist is free.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Dinagat Islands: region, capital, municipalities, province since 2 December 2006 (Republic Act 9355), Lake Bababu in Basilisa, mining
- Wikipedia, Islander’s Castle: residence, not open to the public
- My YouTube video, 17 May 2026: The Philippines’ Most Underrated (and Misunderstood) Island
- My YouTube video, 17 June 2026: 2 days fishing and camping on a remote beach in the Philippines
Questions people ask
Which part of the Philippines is Dinagat Islands?
Dinagat Islands is a province in the Caraga region (Region XIII), north-east of mainland Mindanao, with San Jose as its capital. Siargao is the island next door.
When did Dinagat Islands become a province?
On 2 December 2006, under Republic Act 9355. The Supreme Court upheld the province in 2011. It has seven municipalities: Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo, Loreto, San Jose and Tubajon.
What is Dinagat Islands famous for?
Wave-carved rock formations and white-sand coves you reach by boat, Lake Bababu, and the bonsai forest in the mountains. In my two weeks there I met almost no other foreigners.
Who owns the castle in Dinagat Islands?
Islander's Castle in San Jose is the residence of the Ecleo family. It is not open to the public; you can view it from the gates.
Is the shark sanctuary worth it?
For me it was not: two and a half to three hours of driving for two small sharks. The beach and the lagoon there are nice, but I would spend the day elsewhere.
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