Siquijor is one of the less popular but incredibly beautiful islands in the Philippines. It’s located right under Cebu and therefore the perfect escape for a few days! Siquijor offers white beaches with crystal clear waters, awesome azure waterfalls, friendly locals and scenic drives, making it perfect to explore by scooter. You can explore the entire island’s coastline within 2 hours as it’s quite small, yet it has many things to offer! Find out about the best things to do in Siquijor in this blog post.
Things To Do in Siquijor
In our opinion, Siquijor has to be included in your Philippines Travel Guide. Due to its small size, but diverse attractions you should spend 3 days on the island to explore the beautiful hidden spots.
Cambugahay Falls
The Cambugahay Falls are on the top of Siquijor’s Things to Do! This stunning waterfall is divided into three levels that all include a gigantic azure pool. The best part about these waterfalls are the rope swings that make your day a fun adventure spending hours of swinging and jumping inside the refreshing water.
➳ Good to know: If you pay 50 PHP you can swing an unlimited amount of times!
There’s no entrance fee to get to the waterfall and you don’t need a tour guide for visiting. Walk down the 150 well-made stairs until you finally reach the azure pool.
➳ Tip: As the waterfalls are a very popular attraction in Siquijor, make sure to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Also, check out the top level, there are some beautiful photo spots!
Cambugahay Falls and its beautiful photo spots.
Paliton Beach Siquijor
Paliton Beach is known as Siqujor’s best beach located close to the town of San Juan. White sand and clear waters make it possible to spot a few starfish in the ocean, the palm trees offer some shadow making it a perfect spot to relax. Apparently, the sunset is great to watch from here! We didn’t visit that beach, as we had a stunning “private beach” at our accommodation, where we spent most of the time.
➳ Read ‘Places to Stay’ in this blog post to get to know more about our accommodation.
Lagaan Waterfalls – Insider Tip!
Our top spot in Siquijor! Lagaan Waterfalls are not really popular and we stumbled by the entrance with our scooter more by coincidence. There is a small sign located on the main road pointing towards a small gravel road leading into the jungle. We didn’t expect much but were so amazed by this place- it’s so worth to visit!
Lagaan Waterfalls have a natural waterslide, rope swing, small caves and cliffs- a perfect spot to spend a fun day away from tourist crowds!
Compared to Cambugahay Falls there are much fewer tourists. We almost had the place for ourselves with only one more couple. We spent hours having lots of fun jumping from the small cliffs, using the natural waterslide, explore a hidden cave and rope swinging. The spot is hidden inside the jungle, which is why you need a tour guide to reach it, but they usually are very cheap, super friendly and available in front of the entrance.
➳ Also Read: Full Philippines Travel Guide.
Butterfly Sanctuary
If you’re up to something apart from water and beach, the Butterfly Sanctuary is one of the different things to do in Siquijor! Hop on a motorbike and drive along the route leading up some hills and mountains offering beautiful views. You’re going to see colourful butterflies in the garden, drink coconuts and help to support this project.
➳ Good to know: The owner of the Butterfly Sanctuary started the project to save the vanishing amount of butterflies due to deforestation and new buildings. He releases butterflies from his garden back into the wild on a weekly basis.
Salagdoong Cliff Jump
Want some more action? Visit Salagdoong Beach in Siquijor! The drive down the scenic coastline on Siquijor to Salagdoong is beautiful. Besides the cliff jump located on top of a rock reaching a height of 10 meters, there’s a waterslide too and the nearby beach is great to relax. There’s a restaurant located in front of the beach for great lunch options.
*Parking
80 PHP
➳ Tip: This attraction is only accessible during high-tide!
Old Enchanted Balete Tree
The Balete Tree is 400 years old and a popular quick stop on your way to one of the other tourist attractions in Siquijor. At the base of the tree is a freshwater pool, also used as a fish spa. You can dip your feet in the water and the fish eat away your dead skin. It’s a nice place for a break during your own scooter tour, but not really worth to visit with a booked tour.
➳ Tip: There are many small souvenir shops around at this attraction if you’re looking for some gifts.
Best Restaurants
As San Juan town is the best and most popular area to stay at, there are many good places to stay eat too.
Annabelle’s
Annabelle’s Express Diner is not the most popular restaurant, but the best local place to eat in Siquijor! With super fresh seafood, freshly made traditional Lechon and yum veggies this place is not only traditional Filipino but also cheap. You can get meals from 2 USD including a drink.
You go around the restaurant like in a supermarket and choose which fish, meat or vegetables you would like, the staff then prepares your lunch plate.
➳ Good to know: Lechon is a traditional dish in the Philippines. It’s basically a whole roasted pig with crispy skin. If you’re not a veggie you have to try it, Ville loved this dish!
Luca Loko
Luca Loko is a delicious restaurant offering yum brekky including Smoothie Bowls, lunch and dining options. Besides that, there are many vegetarian, vegan and glutenfree options available.
Baha Ba’r
Another great restaurant in Siquijor is Baha Ba’r with local cuisine and Asian meals. Also Vegetarian and vegan friendly!
How to get to Siquijor
Siquijor Island is not very hard to reach as it’s located close to Cebu, Dumaguete and Bohol. There is no airport on Siquijor but you can take a fast ferry.
The best locations to take the ferry are Dumaguete (40 min) or Bohol (90 min), as both of these locations are reachable by airplane.
If you travel to Siquijor from Cebu, you have to:
- Take a bus from Cebu City down to Liloan Port (4 hrs)
- Take a ferry from here to Dumaguete
- Take a ferry from Dumaguete to Siquijor
We travelled with OceanJet, as they offer fast ferry services and are convenient to get from A to B. The prices are more expensive though than taking a slow ferry, but the best opportunity if you have limited time in the Philippines.
*Tickets Oceanjet
From 250 PHP
➳ Good to know: You have to pay a terminal and luggage fee on top of your ferry prices.
Places To Stay
The main area to stay in Siquijor is San Juan town, where the great beaches and restaurants are located. From the port it’s easy to get here, just take one of the waiting TukTuks. The drive takes about 25 minutes.
Charisma Beach Resort
Charisma Beach Resort is an amazing accommodation located in front of a dream beach and is the place where we spent our 3 days in Siquijor.
The resort offers a restaurant, bar, outside pool and an amazingly beautiful beach part that is almost empty all the time. The sand is white and the water really clear, it’s a tropical paradise!
The shared lounge in the resort is a great place to have breakfast or lunch and use the free Wifi.
➳ Don’t miss: The resort even has a Spa & Massage Place that you need to check out! I had the best massage here and the place is designed really cozy and relaxing.
Rooms
Even though resorts sound way more expensive than other accommodation options, Charisma Beach resort is really affordable!
*Bunk Bed in Mixed Dormitory: 14 USD per night
*Private Rooms: from 27 USD per night for 2 people
Charisma Beach Resort and its tropical paradise beach.
Glamping Siquijor
Glamping is a magical way to spend your nights in Siquijor. Sleep in a cozy tent under the stars located only a few steps from Solangon Beach. The garden and private beach part are beautiful for hanging out and there are hiking, snorkelling and cycling possibilities within the area.
You can choose between different tent sizes varying from couple-tents to group-tents up to 8 people.
*Tent prices
from 41 USD per night for 2 people.
Good to know
Here are two travel tips for you when visiting Siquijor that I wish I knew before coming here.
Motorbike Rental
The only way to get around on the island is by TukTuk or motorbike. We highly recommend you to rent a scooter for the days you will explore the island. It’s the easiest and most flexible way to visit the Top Things to Do in Siquijor. You can rent scooters directly at the harbour after your arrival by ferry.
*Price
350 – 500 PHP per day (depending on the season)
ATM
Be aware that the only two international ATM’s on Siquijor are located in Larena and Poblacion. From San Juan, it takes about 40 minutes to get to Larena and about 1 hour to get to Poblacion. Plan enough time for heading to the ATM’s if you run out of money (or even better: come to Siquijor Island with enough cash in your pocket). 🙂
➳ Must Read: Top Places in Cebu & Best Canyoning Experience.
These were the Top Things to Do in Siquijor in 3 days! I hope you enjoyed reading this guide. 🙂 Does Siquijor Island seem like your perfect travel destination? Leave your thoughts below!
