Many stories from friends, tourists and travelers I heard, overheard about Siargao, “Oh I love Siargao”, “I’ll definitely go back”, “Nice Surfing out there” lots of good and exciting stories that will compel you to go.

I’m a beach guy, being born and raised near the ocean and surrounded by surfers friends in my hometown, I grew up hearing this place. I always wonder how Siargao Island look like, what to do there, and how’s the people. These questions go on and on for quite a long time over my mind that’s why this island made it to my travel bucket lists.

Then I made it! Look what I, my cousin Jerome and friend Ruben discovered during our short trip in Siargao. I fell in love, surprised and wanted to go back.

*Special thanks to Hon. Mayor K. A for hosting us. Cheers!

Here is my Itinerary for 4 Days in Siargao Island, Philippines

Day 1 : Ronaldos’s Inn & Restaurant, Bravo Beach Resort, Isla Mercato, Nomad Bar & Grill, Boyum’s, La Santa, Baile Restobar

Day 2 : Sea Of Coconuts, Rope Swing, Akeiko’s Locale Bar & Grill, Pacifico Palms Resort, Magpupungko Rock Pools, Cloud 9, Boyum’s.

Day 3 : Sohoton Cove National Park, White Beard Coffee, Boyum’s, Trattoria Altrov’é, RumBar

**Day 1:**
> Arrived into **Del Carmen Airport**.
> Stay at **Ronaldo’s Inn & Restaurant**.
> Walk along the seashore to feel the breeze, smell the aromatic sea air while immersing your tired feet into warm salty water. You deserve it!
> Light snack at **Bravo Beach Resort**. Enjoy tapas, tacos and breads.
> Walk along the strip at tourism road. Check out some shops, bars and restaurants.
> Dinner at **Isla Mercato**. I ordered BBQ’s at Raffy’s Grill. Drink local cold beers and play beer pongs.
> Walk to **Nomads Bar and Grill** (affordable drinks) and **Boyum’s** to enjoy live acoustic music and drinks.
> Party at **La Santa** **Surf Shop & Bar** (lots Europeans). The bar is quite small and busy so you have to wait for awhile to get your drinks. To be honest, I did not enjoy the vibe there. But you have to go. Maybe you going to like it there.
> Party at **Baile Restobar** (mixed of locals, tourists and travelers). Party until you drop. I am very surprised about the nightlife.
We partied on Thursday night and every bar is busy along tourism road then the next three days its really quite even friday and saturday night!

**Day 2:**
> Breakfast at **Ronaldo’s Inn & Restaurant**. I ordered Beef Tapa with brewed coffee while waiting for our pick up.
> Make a quick stop at **Sea of Coconut** viewpoint. Watch the coconut palms and trees dances along the wind. There are local vendors that sells bamboo straws, buy one if you can. I think its better to get it from here compared to the souvenir shops.
> Do the Rope Swing. You can choose to do the canoe ride along the river too. *(Be careful on your landing on the rope swing, my friend cut his heel and we ended up in the hospital for 2 hours because the wound is bleeding so much.)*
> Lunch at **Akeiko’s Locale Bar & Grill**. Enjoy and drown yourself with Filipino food.
> Chill at **Pacifico Palms Resort.** Take a nap on their hammocks and enjoy the view. Surely the sea air will knock you out to sleep here.
> Enjoy the tidal pools at Magpupungko Rock Pools. Make sure you know the tide schedule to enjoy it longer.
> Surf at **Cloud9.** Don’t miss this! (depends on the wave, weather and your skill level). Board rental and instructor costs around 500 PHP.
> Dinner at Ronaldo’s Inn & Restaurant. Order their BBQ’s! Chill and drink at **Boyum’s** until you drop.

DJI_0058 (1).jpg — **Day 3:**
> Breakfast at **Ronaldo’s Inn & Restaurant**. Tried their Silog’s.
> Explore the local market. Buy fresh fish, meat, rice and fruits.You need it for your the lunch in Sohoton Cove. Buy some snacks too as it is a 4Hr boat ride back and forth.
> Get on the boat from General Luna pier to Sohoton Cove National Park. This tour was arranged by someone for us, so we did not paid anything. I saw the fare chart at the pier and it costs around 5,000PHP for six persons.
> Arrived at Sohoton Cove National Park. The boat stops at **Titikan Lagoon.** There is an entrance fee.
> Jump on to the small orange boat then wander and enjoy the **Jellyfish Sanctuary**.
> Take the free helmet for safety and board to one of the private pump boat. The boat will take you to **Hagukan Cave** and **Magkukuob Cave**. Enjoy the ride and beautiful limestone rocks.
> Swim and dive under the rock ledge to enter **Hagukan Cave**.This luminescent dark cave will amaze you. Start splashing the water and see how it glows.
> Stop at **Magkukuob Cave**. Climb up into a dark cave about 5 meters and throw your self from the cliff. Put up some show and your flexibility skills but don’t injured yourself!
> Lunch at **Titikan Lagoon**. Fill your hungry stomach. We ate grilled fish, chicken adobo, rice and mixed fruits (mango, banana & pineapple) for dessert. Take your drone and fly it around.
> Leave Sohoton Cove National Park and stop at Naked Island. No one is naked there. It’s just plain white sand. Swim and relax. Time to absorb everything happened during the day. Don’t leave trash!
> Arrived at General Luna pier. Walk to **White Beard Coffee**. This place serves one of the tastiest cinnamon roll (as in promise) and the best coffee too! the owner is a former barista of Google Singapore. So he is not playing on his coffee. He roast and made signature coffee blends. Visit this coffee shop, I really recommend it!
> Take a shower and do a quick nap. Chill at Boyum’s for live musics get some beers to kick-off the night.
> Dinner at **Trattoria Altrov’é**. You have to leave your slippers to enter the dining areas. Tasty Italian recipe with local twists. We ate pizza, pasta, lasagna etc. (there are some mosquito so put some insect repellent).
> Get on to the tricycle. We let our guide bring us to anywhere. We stopped on one bar and we saw big crowds of local people, tourists and travelers. There’s a live DJ and everyone is having a good time. So if you want to party in Siargao, ask the local they knows best. After a long night of drinking and dancing, we move out and ate some fishball and Kikiam along the street. Lots of food carts waiting outside of the that bar.
> Visit **RumBar** and continue drinking until the closing time.
> Sleep if you can!

**Day 4:**
> Breakfast at **Ronaldo’s Inn & Restaurant**.
> Shop along tourism road.
> Try the vegan ice cream at **Buonana.**
> Leave General Luna to Del Carmen Airport. Fly out to Cebu then Singapore.

I imagined Maldives to be super expensive to travel. Well it is! looking for the resort prices on the booking sites? yes, It might discourage you to visit, but there are inexpensive ways to enjoy these incredible group of islands, experience its white sandy beaches and pristine turquoise sea water. You just need to be open and go with the flow like a Maldivian local.

Big thanks to my friends for inviting me for this memorable surf trip, a total opposite of my solo lonely travels (well I love my trips). This trip has been an amazing one. Relaxing, Calm and full of life and time hanging out with beautiful surfer souls. I’m really stoked!

Here is my Itinerary for 5 Days in Himmafushi, Maldives

Days 1 - 2: Male (1 Night)

Days 2 - 4: Himmafushi (3 Nights)

Days 4 - 5: Paradise Islands Resort Maldives, fly out to Singapore (1 Day)

Male

**Day 1:**
> Arrived into Ibrahim Nasir Airport. Took the ferry from Hulhule ferry terminal (airport terminal) to Hulhumale terminal - Male. *(costs 1USD)*. There is a bus too.
> Stay at **Novina Hotel**. Male is a small city, I walked from Hulhumale ferry terminal to this hotel.
*TIP: call the hotel hotline instead of making a reservation online. It can save you some dollars.*
> Visit the museums and go around town. I hang around the shops and restaurants nearby the Novina Hotel as it is centrally located. Make sure to have a local currency and USD if you want to do some shopping. There are no shopping malls.
**Day 2:**
**> Meet my surf buddies** at Hulhumale ferry terminal. I arrived one day earlier than them. Rented a mini elf to Villingili Ferry Terminal to transfer the Surfboards (costs 10USD). Bought a 2:30pm ticket to Himmafushi (costs 3USD) travel time is approximately 1.50hrs.
***TIP:*** *There is a speedboat from Male to Himmafushi that runs 8am and 6pm only at Jetty number 6* and it is 1min walk from Hulhumale ferry terminal. I just found out when we arrived at Himmafushi. If you are on the rush you can take that speedboat. Travel time is approx. 30min and cost 15USD. You can also arrange a pickup from your hotel at Himmafushi if you already booked ahead.
> Arrived at Himmafushi and stayed at **Jailbreak Surf Inn.** This inn is very affordable and offers all inclusive accommodation plus one free speedboat transfers to the surf breaks everyday.
**> Afternoon Surf at Jailbreak.** Be careful on the exposed reef and follow local instructions on entry and exit points.
*TIP: Be modest on what you are wearing especially on women the country is Muslim.*
**> Dinner. Chit Chat. Walk Around the Island and Sleep** (Alcohol is prohibited. It is banned for local population so you cannot but it in stores.) Get some ice cream instead.
*TIP: “If there’s a will theres a way”* *- but be careful.*
> Arrange the breakfast and speedboat transport to the surf breaks for the next day. There are two surf breaks The Sultans and Jailbreak. They usually visits two then up to you to decide where to surf.

Himmafushi

**Day 3 & 4:**
**> Take a heavy Breakfast.** It’s a surfing session anyway. Prepare your surfboards and gears. Make sure to wax your boards and put your sunscreens before you get on to the speedboat. Its a bit challenging when you do it on a speedboat and with the waves form all directions.
**> Surf at Jailbreak point**. The line up is crowded when we get there. Be careful and be responsible with yourself and others. As this is an exposed reef break, watch out on shallow waters. (Sing shallow by Lady Gaga it’ll help). Underwater current is strong so make sure you are prepared. I haven’t surfed for years so I don’t risk being careless when I got there. The speedboat captain will signal after two hours to bring you back on the island jetty. Morning surf is finished.
**> Explore the island** go to some local stores to get some ice cream, visit the island groceries, find places to chill. I went to **Bun Me** cafe for the ice cream.
TIP: Do not drink the coconut water offered by the locals as they may offer it to sell you something. Also, make sure to check all stores before buying souvenirs get the lowest price possible. Haggle but be fair to the locals. Check what you bought before leaving the store.
> **Look for the Himmafushi signage** take some pictures. Walk on to the shores and look for Blacktip reef shark. There are plenty of them roaming around near the signage and around the island. If you want to be adventurous and had a close encounter go on to the water and just stand still.
> **Just** **chill.** Wait for the afternoon surf session. If you want to do other activities aside from surfing (Scuba, Resort visit, water sports etc.), talk to your hotel staff they have local contacts. You can also ask for night floating bar and safari that happens every night. We availed a day resort trip on our last day since our flight will leave Maldives at 10PM.
> **Watch the Sunset at Bikini Beach**. If you are not surfing, go to bikini beach for the sunset. It is so relaxing and calm. Women can wear your bikinis on this area as it is hidden for locals. Wait for the sunset. You’ll love it!

Paradise Resort Maldives

**Day 5:**
**> Arrived at Paradise Resort**. This resort is located at Lakanfinolhu atoll. This all inclusive resort is 30min away from Male or Himmafushi by speedboat.
> **Drink at Athiri Bar** try all inclusive drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) until you can. Good luck!
**> Explore the resort** take photos on the water hammock. Enjoy the palm tress and snorkel with sting rays, blacktip shark and school of fishes. Do watersports activities. Watch out for the currents. Keep within the sight of lifeguards to be safe.
> **Lunch at Bageecha**. Buffet meals serving a combinations of western, middle eastern, Indian and local cuisines.
**> Leave the resort at 5PM to Himmafushi** then take the speedboat to the Airport. The speedboat will make a quick stop at Male Jetty #6 to drop other passengers then continue to the airport. Overall travel time is approximately 30min.
**> Fly out to Singapore!**

Please watch the video by bro @_jcangeles for his Blue Odyssey Series shot during our Himmafushi trip below

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