Siquijor - Itinerary
- Patricia Narsico
- Nov 30, 2017
- 9 min read
Siquijor is the third smallest province in the country, in terms of population as well as land area (after Camiguin and Batanes). For a time it was a subprovince of Negros Oriental. During the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the Spaniards called the island Isla del Fuego (Island of Fire). Siquijor is commonly associated with mystic traditions that the island's growing tourism industry capitalizes on.
*Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siquijor
When I think or hear about Siquijor the first things that comes to mind is mysticism. I'm not sure where this associate started from, but believe me when I say that Siquijor is more than just that. There are 6 municipalities around the island; Siquijor, Larena, San Juan, Lazi, Maria and Enrique Villanueva; and it takes only less than a day to circle the island.
The island is filled with beaches, marine sanctuaries, waterfalls, springs and some of the friendliest locals you'll ever meet. I traveled alone this time for my birthday and although getting to the island was really tiring, it was all worth it.
Itinerary
Day 1 (Getting to Siquijor)
10:00 AM - South Bus Terminal (Cebu City, Cebu, PH) 03:00 PM - Bato Port (Bato, Santander, Cebu, PH) 04:00 PM - En Route to Tampi port (San Jose, Negros Oriental) 04:30 PM - Arrival to Tampi port 05:00 PM - Arrival to Dumaguete (Negros Oriental) 05:30 PM - Dumaguete Port 06:00 PM - En Route to Larena Port (Siquijor) 08:15 PM - Arrival to Larena Port (Siquijor) 08:30 PM - Checking in Palm Tree Guesthouse 09:00 PM - Lights Out
Day 2 (Birthday)
06:30 AM - Exploring the tidal pools near the resort
07:30 AM - Prep for the day 08:30 AM - Larena Port 09:00 AM - Siquijor Proper 09:15 AM - Breakfast at The Big Belly Burger and Breakfast 10:00 AM - Going around Siquijor 11:00 AM - Marelle’s Underwater World Museum 11:45 AM - Exploring the tidal pools of San Juan 01:30 PM - Late lunch at Coco Grove’s Resort 03:00 PM - Siquijor 03:30 PM - Larena Port 03:45 PM - Palm Tree Guesthouse 04:30 PM - Snorkeling in the beach near the resort 05:30 PM - Back to resort 05:35 PM - Siesta (Netflix and chill) 07:30 PM - Dinner at the resort 09:30 PM - Lights Out
Day 3 (Island Tour)
07:30 AM - Prep for the day 08:00 AM - Start of Island Tour 08:30 AM - Cambugahay Falls 09:30 AM - San Isidro Labrador (Lazi Church) 10:30 AM - Century Old Balete Tree 12:00 PM - Lunch at San’s KTV & Resto 12:30 PM - Salagdoon Beach 01:00 PM - Motorcylce Ride around Maria & Enrique Villanueva 02:30 PM - Triad Café 03:30 PM - Back to the Resort 04:00 PM - Larena Port 04:15 PM - Drinks at The Port Side 04:30 PM - Back to Resort 04:45 PM - Siesta (Netflix and chill) 06:00 PM - Dinner (Leftovers from San’s KTV & Resto) 08:00 PM - Lights Out
Day 4 (Chill Day)
10:00 AM - Prep for the day 11:00 AM - Lounging area the beach near the resort 12:00 PM - Lunch (snacks I forgot I brought from Cebu) 01:30 PM - Back to resort 02:00 PM - Packing bag 04:00 PM - Larena Port 05:00 PM - En Route to Liloan Port (Santander, Cebu) 07:00 PM - Arrival at Liloan Port (Santander, Cebu) 07:15 PM - Departure to South Bus Terminal (Cebu City, Cebu, PH) 12:00 AM - Arrival at South Bus Terminal 12:15 AM - Taxi ride home 12:25 AM - Home
Getting There
There are several options to get to Siquijor, so let's talk about one of the main option which is via Cebu;
Getting to Cebu is pretty straightforward, it's one of the major cities in the Philippines and has flights on a daily basis. Choose your options carefully and I highly suggest waiting for promos like the-piso fare of Cebu Pacific to get your money's worth.
Once you get to Cebu there are two options:
Option A - Maayo Shipping Lines, Liloan Port to Larena Port
Take a bus at the South Bus Terminal and make sure the bus you ride goes to Santander. And from there go down at Liloan, Santander (the conductor usually asks you where you're going down and will inform you that you've arrived).
Total bus ride: 4 hours
Bus Fare: ₱200.00
Take a pedicab, habalhabal (motorcycle) or walk to Liloan Port. Here's a link to Google Maps for your convenience.
There is a boat that goes straight to Larena on a daily basis, but the only time slot is at 10:00 AM. So it's not ideal for if you leave Cebu City late in the morning. Below is the rate for Maayo Shipping Line
Open-Air – ₱200.00
Schedule
Liloan Port to Larena Port - 10:00 AM (daily)
Larena Port to Liloan Port - 05:00 PM (daily)
For more information, call Maayo Shipping Line at this number: 0917 710 7080 or visit their Facebook page
Pros: This will cut your travel time by half
Cons: The time slot is fixed at once a day
Option B - Bato Port to Dumaguete Port to Larena/Siquijor Port
Again take a bus at the South Bus Terminal and make sure the bus you ride goes to Dumaguete (The employees there will ask you where you are headed). From there, the bus will ferried across Tañon Strait to Tampi Port and then continue the ride to Dumaguete City.
Total Bus Ride:
4 hours (Cebu City to Bato Port)
30 minutes (Tampi Port to Dumaguete City)
Bus Fare: ₱240.00 (this includes to ferry fare to Tampi Port)
Make sure to inform the conductor, especially if you're not familiar with the area, that you're going to Siquijor and they'll make sure that you will get to the port.
Once you get to Dumaguete Port you have several options;
Ocean Jet
To Larena Port
Dumaguete Port to Larena Port - 1:10 PM (daily)
Larena Port to Dumaguete Port - 12:00 PM (daily)
Open Air / Tourist Class - ₱ 230.00
Business Class - ₱ 380.00
To Siquijor
Dumaguete Port to Siquijor Port - 8:30 AM, 1:40 PM & 5:10 PM
Siquijor Port to Dumaguete Port - 7:20 AM, 12:30 PM & 4:00 PM
Open Air / Tourist Class - ₱ 230.00
Business Class - ₱ 380.00
For more information, call OceanJet at these numbers: (032) 255 7560 | +63 917 638 0000 | +63 922 857 5500, or visit www.oceanjet.net.
GL Shipping Lines
To Siquijor
Dumaguete to Siquijor - 5:45 AM, 10:15 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM (Daily, except on Saturdays)
Siguijor to Dumaguete - 5:50 AM, 9:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 3:45 PM (Daily, except on Saturdays)
For more information, call GL Shipping Lines at these numbers: (035) 480 5534 |+63 915 891 1426
Delta Fast Ferry
To Siquijor
Dumaguete to Siquijor - 6:00 AM (Monday), 9:00 AM (Daily), 10:15 AM (Saturday), 1:30 PM (Daily) and 4:30 PM (Daily)
Siquijor Port to Dumaguete Port - 5:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:00 PM (daily)
Tourist Class - ₱ 160.00
For more information, call Delta Fast Ferry at these numbers: Dumaguete Branch (035) 420 1111 | (035) 420 08888 | (035) 400 6043 | Siquijor Branch (035) 422 9292
Montenegro Lines
Dumaguete to Larena - 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM (daily)
Larena to Dumaguete - 6:00 AM and 2:00 PM (daily)
Open-Air –
Standard or Adult Fare – ₱ 170.00
Student Privilege – ₱ 116.00
Senior Citizen Discounted Fare – ₱ 109.00
Children Boat Fare – ₱ 68.00
For more information, call Montenegro Lines at this number: (035) 283 5820
Pros: There are plenty of options and you get to go around Dumaguete City if you want
Cons: Time travel can take up to 10 hours
This was my first time travelling to Siquijor and getting there I opted for Option B (Montenegro Lines). I left the house at around 10:00 AM and got to the resort at 8:30 PM, that was a grueling 10.5 hours travel time. We got stuck in Bato Port for about an hour and it was traffic in both Cebu and Dumaguete City.
Coming back to Cebu I opted for Option A because I found out there that Option A existed and that literally deducted the travel time by 4.5 hours.
Means of Transportation in Siquijor
There are several transportation options in Siquijor;
Tricycle/Pedicab
HabalHabal (Motorcycle with a driver)
Renting a Motorcycle
Jeep
Tricylce / Pedicab
This is the one of the most convenient ways to get around the island. You have two options if you wanna use this as your mode of transportation;
Option A - using the public pedicabs; this is the cheapest among the two. The drivers are really friendly and will tell you places you should definitely visit. The only downside to this is that the drivers usually wait for the pedicab to be full. The price range depends on the destination, below are samples;
Larena to Siquijor - ₱ 20.00 - 25.00
Siquijor to San Juan - ₱ 25.00 - 30.00
Option B - using the special pedicabs; when I say special, it means renting out the whole pedicab for a trip or to get to your destination. The options is good if you wanna get to your destination faster. Although this can get expensive depending on your destination, below is an example;
San Juan to Siquijor - ₱ 150.00
You can also rent out a pedicab to do an Island Day Tour. The price is between ₱ 1,200.00 - ₱ 1,500.00 depending on how people you're with. To get accredited pedicabs to give tours you can visit the local tourism office found near the ports or ask the front desk of your hotel/resort.
HabalHabal
This is basically a motorcycle with a driver that will chauffeur you to your destination. The price range again depends on where you are headed, below is an example;
Siquijor to Larena - ₱ 100.00
This good if you want to get to where you're headed quickly.
You can also hire a drive to give you an island day tour and this is the option I did because I was alone. I asked the front desk of the resort if they offered it and the owner said they did and it was around ₱ 800.00 for the whole day; she also said that I get to choose the places we would visit. And in the event that the hotel/resort does not offer this you can also them if they know any or ask the local tourism office.
Renting a Motorcycle
This is the most abundant mode of transportation. Once your disembark from whatever port you land (Larena or Siquijor) there will be "Motorcycle for Rent" signs everywhere; even at resort or hotels they will have the option for you the rent out one. The price, from my knowledge, is standard to ₱ 350.00/day.
Jeep
This is the cheapest way to get around, but the downside is that it isn't as many as the other options. So I won't really recommend this one because it takes a while to get this ride.
For the trip I got to experience 3 out of the 4 modes of transportation. Mainly because I did not know how to drive a motorcycle and that's a skill we should acquire if you love to travel.
Accommodations
Disclaimer: I'll be basing my chooses through Agoda because I use it in all my travels in terms of accommodation; mainly because if you keep using the site you get more discounts, plus it's convenient.
The criteria I'll be using is the overall rating and number of reviews the place has. Of course this all in my opinion, you can choose to go differently; also note that we did not go to these places, expect for the one we stayed in. And note the photos from Agoda
Below are three resorts or hotels at three different price points
Rating: 8.0
Reviews: 133
Location: Sandugan,Larena
Pros: You will get your money's worth. The service good and the rooms are adorable. The owner, Gina, is very accommodating and friendly. This is also WIFI
Cons: There isn't any air-conditioning, although there is a fan in the room. And no free breakfast
This is where I stayed in my trip. I loved it and I would definitely recommend this place anyone.
$$ - White Villa Resort
Rating: 8.5
Reviews: 249
Location: Siquijor Circumferential Road, San Juan
Pros: The resort is beach front, which means easy access to the sea at any point of the day. It also has a swimming pool if you prefer swimming in fresh water. Asides from that it offers free breakfast, welcome drinks, & has WIFI in all their rooms
Cons: If your a solo traveler, it may get a little bit to pricey.
$$$ - Kawayan Holiday Resort
Rating: 8.6
Reviews: 46
Location: Cangmunag, San Juan
Pros: The view is unprecedented and the rooms are amazing. There is a pool within the resort, free breakfast and WIFI in all the rooms.
Cons: This is an expensive places to stay and it hard to access the beach because it's location on a cliff
Expenses
My budget for this trip was ₱ 7000.00 and below is a detail table of my total expenses for this trip;
Tips
Here are a few tips if you wanna visit Siqiujor (which I recommend you should);
For Mobile Data, I recommend using Globe because the signal is much more stable & constant than Smart or Sun.
If you want rent out a Motorcycle to explore the island and going around the island (you can actually do this in less than a day)
Always bring water!
This concludes part 1 of my post about Siqiujor, as a mentioned earlier I'll be posting more about my trip there.
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