The Ultimate Guide to Siquijor

Have you been planning on visiting the Philippines for a while now and have finally come around to researching your trip? Then you will know the internet is saturated with information on this topic.

That’s why my husband Phil and I have created this up to date Blog Post Extravaganza to help make planning your trip to the Philippines super easy. This comprehensive guide will breakdown the Must See’s in Siquijor but also link to our other Must See’s in the Philippines. These include Moalboal, Coron, Bohol, Nacpan and Port Barton (notice El Nido is not on that list – click here to find out why). The posts are packed to the brim with everything we learnt on our month long trip and include some super helpful time and money saving tips.

Why visit Siquijor
What to do in Siquijor
Cambugahay Falls
Lugnason Falls
Paliton Beach
Tubod Marine Sanctuary
Where to stay in Siquijor
Where to eat in Siquijor
Getting to Siquijor
How long to spend in Siquijor

Why visit Siquijor

Mystic tales and witchcraft legends surround this small island off the coast of Negros. Waterfalls and snorkelling are the order of the day on this island, the most famous being Cambugahay Falls.

What to do in Siquijor

Cambugahay Falls

This waterfall play ground is reachable via a 30-40min scooter ride from the popular towns. Parking fee’s here are 10php and the local kids that ‘own’ the rope swings will show you their skills before diving into its turquoise blue waters.

You are welcome to join in on the swinging action for 50php. There are multiple tiers to the falls complex so have an explore and enjoy the cool waters.

Lugnason Falls

We also visited the smaller and quieter Lugnason Falls. A short ride from San Juan followed by a 10 min walk down to the falls where you will arrive at another jumping and swinging play ground. The water level was quite low when we visited but good enough for swimming and floating in the jungle.

Paliton Beach

Paliton beach (also known as Little Boracay) is often the poster child for Siquijor with it’s powder white sand and warm waters. We found the beach a great place to watch the sunset with an ice cold beer although a little overated. The water is quite shallow with layers of sea grass so it isn’t a great place for a clear ocean swim.

Tubod Marine Sanctuary

The best snorkelling we found on our trip was at the Tubod Marine Sanctuary near San Juan. This hard to find beach is actually in front of the Coco Grove Beach Resort. Near to the resorts entrance there is a small pathway and area to park your scooter with access to the beach.

As this is a Marine Reserve there is a booth with a changing room to collect a 50php fee for each person wishing to snorkel. The coral and fish here were amazing once you snorkel out past the sea grass, it is an underwater paradise. You can also stay on the beach for the whole day if you wish and it was our favourite beach on the island.

We did visit Salagdoong Beach as it’s featured on many instagram accounts and blogs due to the diving boards here. It takes quite some time to get here from San Juan and we didn’t think it lived up to the hype. There is a small beach where you can snorkel, but you can’t use the tables unless you pay for them for the day and they charge to park your scooter.

Where to stay in Siquijor

Aventura Bed & Breakfast – located in San Juan this accommodation had fantastic bamboo huts set amongst their beautiful palm grove garden. There were some fantastic places to eat close by and great access to the beaches and sights of the island. Tubod Marine Sanctuary is just up the road so it’s perfectly located. The easiest way to book this is through their Facebook Page.

Aventura Bed and Breakfast, Siquijor, Philippines.JPG

Where to eat in Siquijor

Roch Cuisine – our favourite place to eat is located on the road side just outside of San Juan heading north. It is the perfect sunset spot for a beer and some local fresh street food made by the ladies who live across the street. Arrive early though, (think 5.30pm) when it’s gone, it’s gone! Do not miss the Mango Cake, it’s so delicious. Just read the reviews to know why you need to visit here.

Rastaman Grill – we enjoyed eating at this road side restaurant who offered great rice dishes on a nightly basis.

Marco Polo – Sit in cute wooden cabanas eating fantastic and great value pizzas overlooking the ocean.

Getting to Siquijor

You can get to Siquijor by ferry from Dumaguete on Negros and Bohol. We caught an Oceanjet ferry from Dumaguete and bought the ticket at the window when we arrived. It costs approx 350 PHP for an air conditioned seat and they charge a port fee of 25 PHP. There is also charge for your luggage which is done by weight, our bags cost about 80PHP each. We heard that there was a luggage scam where they over charge you but this was the correct amount according to the weight chart.