Last Updated on March 28, 2019 by Tina
Siquijor Island in the Central Visayas Region in the Philippines is known by most Filipinos as the land of witchcraft, sorcery and supernatural phenomena. I guess this is the reason why many people wouldn’t consider visiting this place. Personally, I never experienced any of these things when I was there last month. Or maybe I did… I got enchanted by the beauty of the island that I decided to extend my stay there for another day.
Need reasons why you should visit this island? Let me give you nine:
1. It has amazing sunsets.
“I never met a sunset I didn’t like.”
I have read this a couple of times used as a sunset photo caption on Instagram. And I would use the same for the sunsets in Siquijor. Every single day that I was there, I would always stay at the restaurant of Cliff Garden (the hostel I stayed at) or at the cliff to watch the sunset. The sunsets were amazing, even on my first day when it was so gloomy.
2. It is an underrated travel destination in the Philippines.
When you mention the Philippines, people would usually think of Cebu, Boracay, Bohol, Palawan or Siargao. Not too many people would think of visiting this place. Most may not even know this place. Which is a good thing I would say especially if you hate touristy spots because the island is not crowded.
3. Great place to disconnect from social media and the busy city life.
There are so many spots in Siquijor that have very weak or no mobile phone signal. If you want to spend a few days to take a break from the online world, this island is the perfect place for you. Here you can enjoy the views and not get distracted by emails or phone calls. You get fresh air everywhere you go and there’s no traffic.
4. It can be explored in a day or two.
Siquijor is the third smallest province in the country. Because of its size, you can easily explore the whole island in a day or two. There are two types of tour in Siquijor, the Coastal Tour and the Mountain Tour. I did both. If you have limited time and could only do one, I recommend you do Island Tour. You can arrange your tour from the tricycle drivers waiting outside the port or if you have a large group then you can hire a van.
It would save you a lot of money if you know how to drive a motorbike. Just rent one at one of the stores near the port and explore the island. This would also save you a lot of time because you could skip the ones that you really don’t feel like going to.
5. You can do a side trip to this island from Bohol, Cebu or Dumaguete
There are ferry trips from Tagbilaran, Cebu, and Dumaguete to Siquijor and since the island can be easily explored in one day then you can do a side trip from one of these places.
6. The island is beautiful.
Siquijor has plenty of beautiful waterfalls and beaches. And what I love about it is that they are very clean and have crystal clear water. And not crowded.
7. There are a lot of activities to choose from.
I stayed in Siquijor for more than three days even though you could explore the island in two days yet I never got bored. There’s just so many things to do there. You can do cliff jumping at Salagdoong Beach or Lugnason Falls, snorkel in Tubod Marine Sanctuary, do cave spelunking in Cantabon Cave, swing jump into the pool of waterfalls in Cambugahay Falls, have breakfast or lunch at U.Story Guesthouse while enjoying the beautiful view of the sea or spend a day relaxing in Paliton Beach.
8. The locals are friendly and are good Tagalog and English speakers.
You don’t have to worry about getting lost in Siquijor because the locals are very friendly. Just like most Filipinos, they can converse very well in English and Tagalog so there is no problem asking them for directions or recommendations. Their friendliness is also one of the reasons I never got bored during my stay there, even when I was waiting for my trip back to Dumaguete outside the port. There was a tricycle driver who offered to take my photo outside the St. Francis de Assisi Church. Then he kept me company while waiting and shared stories about how Siquijor used to be when he was younger.
9. Plenty of options for the accommodation.
Siquijor has a range of options for accommodations depending on your budget. From luxury hotels to backpacker’s hostel, Siquijor got you covered. You could do glamping on the island too. You can check out Agoda or Booking.com for the accommodations in Siquijor.
I hope with these nine reasons I was able to convince you to experience this place too. What are you still waiting for? Book that ticket and go!
