Last Updated on September 1, 2017 by Tina
Sumilom Island was the second stop of our island hopping activity last Sunday. It is an island in Surigao City which is 25-30 minutes pump boat ride from our first stop, Basul Island. From the city proper, it takes 45 minutes ride by pump boat. From this island, getting to Panaon Island in Leyte would take an hour ride by pump boat.
Prior to docking on the island, our boatman Kuya Jimmy suggested we go around the island first to check the best spot. The island has a long stretch of white sand beach with huge rocks in between and is lined with trees, a majority of which are coconut trees. We decided to dock by the sandbar in between the island and a rock formation.
Sumilom Island is not a popular tourist destination in Surigao City but this does not necessarily mean the place is not beautiful. The views on this island are breathtaking and the place is so peaceful. For me, this is the best place in Surigao City that I had been to so far. And what is good about it not being popular is that we had the whole sandbar to ourselves.
There are no resorts on the island and no open air cottages but there are so many things to do aside from swimming. Here you can do fishing, snorkeling, photo shoot or soul-searching. According to Carl Jay, there are so many different types of fish here.
We didn’t stay too long in this place (stayed here for less than 2 hours) because we still had another island to visit, but had we known that this place was way better than our next stop, we should have had our lunch here instead.
Tips
- As I have mentioned earlier, there are no cottages in the area so if you plan to stay long here, bring a beach mat and a beach umbrella.
- Be careful when going to the top of the rock formation, the rocks are slippery.
- One of my companions saw a snake in one of the rocks, so watch out for that too.
How to get there:
From Manila to Surigao City: As of the moment, there are no direct flights from Manila to Surigao City. You can take a flight from Manila to Cebu then Cebu to Surigao. Alternatively, you can take a flight from Manila to Butuan and from Butuan, take a bus or van to Surigao City.
From Surigao City to Sumilom Island: Take a tricycle to Punta Bilang-bilang or Boulevard and from there you can hire a motorized boat that will take you to the island. Or you can contact our boatman Kuya Jimmy at 09071178718. You can also arrange an island hopping tour with Kuya Jimmy.
