The small Philippine island of Siargao, and locals can whisper his name slightly, offers its visitors white sandy beaches, turquoise sea, hotels of different comfort levels, coconut palms and tropical forests, mangrove reserves, impressive cliffs with natural turquoise pools, good sea fishing, interesting snorkeling and diving.
But, basically, they go to Siargao not for this. The island is often referred to as the "unofficial Philippine surfing capital" Look up in the Philippines dictionary. Siargao has one of the most famous and best surf spots in the world Look up in the Philippines dictionary, the famous "Cloud 9".
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| Siargao Island |
Where is Siargao Island?
Siargao Island is located in the east of the Philippine archipelago (belongs to the island group of Mindanao), north of the main southern island of the Philippines - Mindanao.
The Siargao shape is often compared to a drop or a teardrop. Its area is about 416 km 2.
There are many smaller islands and islets near Siargao, some of which are uninhabited. In particular, visitors to the main surf spot is often in between catching volnv go on a trip to an uninhabited island Guyam.
Siargao History
For the first time, Europeans saw Siargao back in the 16th century, in 1543, calling it "Isla de las Palmas" (the island of palm trees). And since then, until the opening of the famous surf spot in world history, the island has not been noted for anything special.
Only one unexpected event (which no one remembers on the island anymore) connects Siargao with our country. In the USSR in the 1970s. there were entertainment cruises to the equator without entering foreign territorial waters and did not require exit visas and passports. During one of these cruises from Vladivostok, a young Soviet scientist-oceanographer Slava KurilovLook up in the Philippines dictionary jumped off a cruise ship and sailed with a mask and fins to the Philippine shores for more than two days. Having covered about 100 km, the fugitive from the USSR got to the Siargao Island.
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| Siargao Island |
Details
On Siargao, the tides are high, at low tide the sea goes far, you have to swim, checking the tide schedule.
There are no ATMs on the island and there is not always a favorable exchange rate for foreign currency in cash. It is better to exchange Philippine pesos before arriving at Siargao.
There are many surf equipment rentals, instructors and photographers.
The roads on the island are pretty decent (concrete and gravel), you can take a bike, scooter alone or with a driver. Small buses and tricycles run as public transport.
Surfing on Siargao
The Siargao Island, with its eastern coastline, faces the open ocean, and into an extremely deep part of it (the Philippine Trench of the Pacific Ocean runs alongside it). Every day, the tidal current on the reefs surrounding the island forms a tidal wave, the strongest in the southeastern part of the island, it is here, near the village of General Luna, that the famous "Cloud 9" spot is located. Besides him, there are many other surf spots in the waters of Siargao.
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| Siargao Island |
The surfing season is from June to September.
The "Cloud 9" hosts the annual Siargao Cup international competition.
How to get to Siargao Island
Siargao has a small Sayak Airport (IATA-code: IAO, ICAO-code: RPNS), which receives regular flights of low-cost airlines from Cebu. Since 2017, SkyJet has operated flights to Manila.
Siargao can also be reached by sea, it is connected by ferry service to the large port of Surigao on the island of Mindanao, which, in turn, is served by ferries from Cebu, Manila and other Philippine ports.