Each island in the Philippines has its own feel and its own culture. Siquijor is a beautiful island that is dotted with corn fields, rice fields, coconut and banana trees, and volcanic rock. It has the typical laid back island personality that can bring a calming effect over you. We planned to make Siquijor a full day trip from Dumaguete pier. Read on to how to you can experience Siquijor Island in a day. You can also read about how not to do Siquijor in a day here- we chose to call it “learning to be flexible”.
From Dumaguete pier purchase a ticket from one of the two or three companies that send boats to Siquijor. If you can, go earlier in the week to see what the boat schedules are. You cannot rely on the schedules posted on the internet because they are not kept up to date. To go all around the island in a day choose the 8:30am boat or earlier. If you read the post linked above, you will know that you need to arrive very early if going on a weekend or choose to go on a Monday morning and save yourself the long lines in the sweltering heat.
The boat ride will be around one and a half to two hours. We planned on forty-five minutes, but it really takes about twice that amount of time. Be prepared to be asked if you want a tour by a mob of tour guides waiting on the dock for you. There are three modes of transportation for the tour: van, jeep, or tricycle. Tricycle is the cheapest, next is the jeep, and the most expensive is the van at Php2500. We are adventurous and do things on a budget so we went with the tricycle.
Tricycle Pros
- inexpensive: Php 1,000
- good for small groups
- its an adventure
Tricycle Cons
- so loud
- slower
- not as comfortable
For five hours our family of five rode on the tricycle. It is a good thing you get a lot of breaks from riding on it. The tricycles are so loud and bumpy it doesn’t make for a particularly conversational experience, but our family is always all together so it provides some contemplative time for each of us.
Stop 1: white sand beach- depending on the time of year you visit you will be able to play here. In September it is not a good time of year to play at this beach as the trash from the south makes its way to shore. It is pretty to look at.
Stop 2: The famous enchanted tree. Here you can pick up a bottle of good luck, all you have to do is mix it with perfume or cologne and wear it. The tree is a majestic and truly enchanting creation. Below the tree is a foot spa. So convenient under a beautiful landscape. Then you learn that the foot spa is actually a fish foot spa. Stick your feet in the water and let the fish come suck off the dead skin. You have to try it. Jake was the first brave individual and the rest of us followed. It was a bizarre feeling and very ticklish, I couldn’t last long. Tage was the only one who could stand the tickles long enough to get his feet all cleaned off. Claire screamed and kicked. Averi was timid and only liked the small fish. You have to at least give it a try.
Stop 3: Lunch. Your driver will take you to a place they think you would like. We actually chose our own place near a bakery. We prefer the made to order versus the already made eating establishments. Tage is a stubborn eater so the bakery works well for us. Tell your driver what you like and they will know where to take you.
Stop 4: A church. There are lots of ancient churches dotting the Philippine islands. Each one has its own unique design and feel. This one has a lot of statues to see and look at.
Stop 5: Cambugahay Falls will take your breath away, literally and figuratively. Literally by the steep rocky steps you walk down to get to the falls. Figuratively when you see them and their icy blue waters. It is truly a beautiful place to explore. We really wanted more time here; your driver will tell you how much time you have at each location. There are three levels of falls to swim in. The first falls pool is deep, the second is good for children swimming and jumping off the waterfall to the deep pool below. The third level has a cave you can swim to and explore inside for a little ways. For Php50 you can swing like Tarzan on rope swing as many times as you like. The water is incredibly refreshing. You’ll want that refreshment because then you have to walk back up those steep rocky steps to the road.
Stop 6: Insert our own stop: The Santa Maria Church. This church has one of seven unintentional terrifying statues that exist in the Philippines. Google them, they are bizarre. Of course we had to see the one that exists on Siquijor. This statue is of a woman holding a cross with Jesus on it and in the other hand a skull. Even after reading the description of the woman’s life, I cannot figure out why they would put a skull in her hand. It fits the definition of creepy statues.
Stop 7: Beach resort with cliff jumping and swimming. The cliff jumping is meant for older children and adults. We would not let our children jump from these platforms, they were a much higher jump than the waterfall we had all jumped off of. Jake took the plunge, though. We spent the rest of our time wading in the ocean while the children collected sea shells. Rocks around the ocean have crabs climbing on them and little fish are swimming at your feet. We could have stayed here for much longer as well.
Stop 8: Treehouse over the water. While you can get some great pictures here, I do not think it is worth the stop. You can skip this and not worry that you missed out on something. Bridges built on tree branches and logs create a network of walkways leading to different treehouse you can rent for a day or night. Over the ocean is an area where you can watch the sun set or rise and order a shake or a drink if you’d like.
After this stop your driver will take you back to the pier or your hotel if you are staying over night. We went to the pier to take a boat back to Dumaguete in the dark. First we played on the white sands while the sun set. Siquijor is a backpackers paradise with lots of options for overnighters. Enjoy seeing corn growing by the sea shore, which was a first for us, and the enchantment of this unique island.