Dinagat: the island next door to Siargao

My video from the Dinagat Islands

What I am planning, day by day

1. Day1

   Get there and do nothing

   Into the port, a tricycle to San Jose, they call them bubbles here, and that is the day. The weather on this island is not what you expect from the Philippines: not too hot, not too cold.

2. Day2

   The boat, and the rock formations

   Out with a local boatman to the rock formations the sea carved by itself. Thirty minutes further there is a cove I do not have words for, so I will not try here.

3. 

   Day3

   The coast, slowly

   Coves, powder-white sand, and water that stays shallow ten metres out. You can pitch a tent and sleep on some of these beaches if you want to. People here have kept this place the way it is, and it shows.

4. Day4

   A rest day, on purpose

   Not a filler. Three days of boats and sun is enough, and the fifth day is better if the fourth was quiet.

5. Day5

   Out with the people who live here

   The owners of a coffee shop in San Jose took me to two places I had not seen anyone film. Whether we go there depends on them, not on me, and I will ask rather than assume.

What this is not. There is no resort strip, no restaurant row and in places no signal. Every island here needs a boat. If that sounds like the problem, this is the wrong trip.

Where to stay on Dinagat

If you would rather go on your own than wait for the group: San Jose is the town you base in, and you go out from there by boat. Expect a handful of places rather than a strip of resorts, that is the island, not a search gone wrong. On some of the beaches you can camp instead, which is what we do on purpose on this trip.

On this island

Dinagat? I have never heard of it.

It is an hour from Siargao, one of the most visited islands in the country. Most people just never look across the water.

Is there anything to do if I do not like boats?

Honestly, less. The island is reached by boat and so is most of what is worth seeing on it.

Can we camp?

On some of the beaches, yes, and I have done it, two days on a beach with no resort, no restaurant and no signal, cooking what we caught. If enough of the group want that, we build it in. It is not compulsory.

What I am planning to include

• Local boats, local guides and local cooks, booked and paid by the operator who runs the trip, at a rate they set.
• Rooms on the island: small places owned by people who live there, not a chain.
• Transport between the stops, so you are not standing by a road guessing.
• Me, travelling with the group the whole way, not meeting you at the end of it.

What will not be included

• Flights. Not to the Philippines and not the domestic hop to the island.
• Travel insurance. Get your own.
• Visas and entry rules. Check those for your own passport with an official source.
• Food and drinks outside the shared meals, and anything you book on the side.
• Anything that involves feeding, touching or riding a wild animal.

Cancellation, in plain words

There is nothing to cancel yet. The waitlist is free, and you can leave it with one click in any email from me. The real terms will come from the operator who runs the trip, in writing, before anyone pays anything — and never through this website.

Questions everyone asks

Is this a real trip I can book?

Not yet. It is a trip I am planning. The waitlist is how you hear about it first — there is nothing to book and nothing to pay.

Do you have a DOT accreditation number?

No, and I am not going to put a number on this page that does not exist. When this trip runs, a registered company will operate it, and their registration will be named here before anyone pays anything.

What will it cost?

When there is a real price it will be here in writing, with what it does and does not include. Not before.

Can I join if I already live in the Philippines?

Yes. These trips are planned for people flying in and for people who are already here.

How big is the group?

Small, and capped. The exact number comes once the boats and the rooms are arranged.