Siargao, Surigao del Norte · Philippines
Siargao: one island, a week, a small group
Free, and it commits you to nothing. No payment for a trip is taken through this website.
Siargao. The boardwalk over the reef at sunset. Photo: Billy Palatino, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A week based in General Luna: the beginner wave, boats out to the little islands, sunsets at the free beach spot, and two days left open. Still being planned.
- Where
- Siargao, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
- Length
- 7 days
What I am planning, day by day
This is the shape of it, not a schedule. The order will follow the sea rather than my plan.
Day1
Arrive, and nothing else
Getting to Siargao eats a day whichever way you do it. We land, get to General Luna, and the first evening is for sitting down.
Siargao. Photo: ChaasPrime, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Day2
The water, gently
For anyone who wants it, the beginner wave. For anyone who does not, the same beach without a board.
Sugba Lagoon. Photo: Lucky Ambago Purok Otso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Day3
The boats
Out to the small islands off the coast, with the crew who take people there for a living.
Day4
General Luna, on foot
In the evening everyone ends up at the free beach spot where the skateboarders are, locals and visitors, at sunset, and it costs nothing to be there. There will be karaoke.
Days5–6
Yours
Two days without a programme. Surf again, sleep, or go back to the place you liked best. I will be around for anyone who wants company.
Day7
Out
Flights off the island go early. We plan around that rather than hope.
Where we sleep. I have stayed at Yes Surf Hostel in General Luna, next to one of the best-known beaches on the island, and it is the easiest place on Siargao to meet other travellers. Whether a group of us can be there is a question for them, not a promise from me.
Where to stay in Siargao
If you would rather book your own room than join the group, this map shows what is on the island and what it costs for your dates.
On this island
- Do I need to be able to surf?
No. There is a wave here that exists for people who cannot, and no obligation to get in the water at all.
- Is Siargao not already full of tourists?
Parts of it, at some times of year, yes. I am not going to sell you an empty island. What a small group changes is which boats we use and who gets paid.
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.
Join the waitlist
Nothing is booked yet, and nothing is for sale yet. You can put your name on the list so I know you want this trip. Joining is free and commits you to nothing. When the trip is ready, a registered local operator handles the booking and the money — not me, and not this site.