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Our guide:
Abe Tolentino
Abe’s family hails from Siargao and
he heads home to the province every
two to three months. As an avid surfer,
he is lucky enough to spend at least
two to three weeks at a time in Cloud
9
paradise. When in Siargao, Abe
recommends this three-day plan.
1
Arrive around noon on Friday at
Sayak Airport and take a 45-minute
van/motorcycle ride to General Luna.
2
Check in at the cozy Siargao Inn
owned by Rico
Rietenbach and his wife Nildie (one of
the top female surfers in the country).
3
Head out to Cloud 9 or any of the
nearby surf spots for an afternoon
session. Just ask your resort managers
for the best place to check out. End the
G U I D E T O F U N I N T H E P H I L I P P I N E S
day with dinner, at the nearby Sagana
Resort (www.cloud9surf.com) and try
the tuna tataki and fried spring rolls.
4
Wake up at 5am to catch the sunrise
surf session at Cloud 9 or nearby surf
spots, followed by breakfast at Ate
Laida’s Sari-Sari Store (people will
tell you where it is). Try her banana
pancakes!
5
Ask your resort to arrange for
snorkeling gear and packed lunches,
and head north to the beautiful
Magpupungko natural tide pools in
Burgos. This is about an hour away
by motorcycle/van so prep all your
essentials for a half-day outing. Make
sure that you leave more than an hour
before low tide or else you won’t see
the pools.
6
Get ready for a night out in General
Luna. Take a short
habal-habal
(
local
motorcycle taxi) ride to the Boulevard
and dine on freshly grilled fish or
barbecue chicken from Lalay’s BBQ
Stall. Tip: Ask him if he has good fish
for Kinilaw, and if he does, order some.
7
After dinner, join the locals for
a couple of songs on the videoke
machines on the Boulevard or head
down to some drinks, music and
mingling at great bars: Ninebar is home
to the gin pomelo concoction called
Jungle Juice; the new roadside bar
Drop-in offers cold beer and a laid-back
atmosphere; Kawayan is a beautiful bar
and restaurant, perfect for a quiet night;
and Tattoo Disco is where Saturday
nights usually end.
8
The following day, arrange some
packed lunch and go island hopping.
Rent a pump boat and cruise to
Daku, Guyam or to Naked Island aka
Pansukian. Take your time exploring
these small islands and snorkeling
around them. You can pass by the local
market and bring along some fresh
fish to be grilled on the beach. Your
boatman can help you organize the
meal. Watch the sunset from the beach
on Daku and head back to General
Luna for dinner.
The following day, catch some
sunrise surf before breakfast and get
ready to check out and head to the
airport.
Cebu Pacific flies to Siargao from Cebu.
SIARGAO
