SIARGAO ISLAND HOPPING – GUYAM, DAKU & NAKED ISLAND

There are so many awesome things to do on Siargao Island but one of the most popular activities is to get off the island and go island hopping from Siargao. There are three beautiful islands only a short long-tail boat trip away from General Luna, which is the tourist part of Siargao. Guyam Island, Daku Island, and Naked Island are the three stops along the tour, which includes pick-up, drop-off, and a seafood lunch.

To book your Siargao Island hopping experience online, the best price and most reliable one is this activity on Klook. The price is very similar to what you will find at the street vendors (and likely on the same boat). For about $15-20 you get your full day of island hopping and lunch included. It’s hard to go wrong.

Wondering about the best spot to stay on Siargao? I wrote this guide that breaks down the island into the best regions with my personal hotel/hostel/resort recommendations: WHERE TO STAY ON SIARGAO ISLAND

What to pack for the Philippines?: After four trips to the Philippines, there are some items you NEED to pack. You can Click Here to view my recommended Philippines Packing List.

Siargao Island Hopping Rates

The rates will vary from around $20 to $40 depending on where you book and what type of lunch is included. If you book online with Klook (click here to view the Klook activity page) you have a rate of about $15-20 including a well-recommended lunch. This generally includes gourmet seafood, banquet style lunch, and a visit to Guyam, Daku and Naked Island.

We managed to do the island-hopping in reverse of the usual order to avoid the crowds and stay on Naked Island until sunset. We were the only boat at both Guyam and Naked Island. You can also find many vendors in the streets of General Luna who will offer you a price of between $20 and $25 per day for island hopping. Sites like Get Your Guide and Viator also offer island hopping but not at competitive prices for some reason.

The alternative is to book an entire boat from a local at the wharf, which ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 pesos, which is about $30-40. You can then pile in 5-10 guests depending on the size of the boat. This will not include lunch and may not include entry fees. That depends on how you organize it with the boatman.

You can buy fresh fish and seafood from the dock in the morning, take it to Daku and have the local shop barbecue it for you. Or you can just buy a local lunch for $1-2 before you leave. Ask at Solaria or any of the guesthouses you may be staying at if they know a boatman. You won’t need to ask more than two people before you find a guy.

If you are on a budget the second option is a little less luxurious but far cheaper. If you want a relaxing island experience where everything is taken care of for what is still quite a cheap price of about $15-20 you can book a regular Siargao Island Hopping tour with Klook. It’s a good option for solo travelers, couples or small groups.

** We also added in a stop by leaving extra early to Corregidor Island. It will make your day a lot longer and involves a short little hike but was something we wanted to see. I suggest it for adventurers but not people like for a chill island-hopping day if you plan to hit the other three islands as well. Visiting Corregidor Island and one other island might be a better choice.

Island Hopping Siargao

Corregidor Island

Corregidor Island is a 45-minute boat ride from the harbor. It isn’t part of the usual island hopping schedule and would be something you organize as an additional location. I wouldn’t try and add it to the regular schedule as it can be quite a long day but I will show you what it’s like here in case you want to combine it with the tour and remove Naked Island for example.

When we arrived there were no other tourist boats around. We quickly made our way into the middle of the island and began our short trek through the village and up towards the summit of the island. Making our way through the muddy fields in the pouring rain was not how we had envisaged our island hopping to go but the fun is in the adventure.

Finally, we made it to the top of the hill after enduring knee-deep mud through the fields. The scenery atop Corregidor is pretty epic. Coconut palms stick out of long grass, which covers rolling hills. A few cute little coves hide underneath cliffside drop-offs.

View Full Blog Post: CORREGIDOR ISLAND

Guyam Island

When you think of a private tropical paradise, Guyam Island is the type of spot that comes to mind. It takes about 20 seconds to walk from one side of the island to the other, weaving through the 100 coconut palms that are about the only things on the small patch of sand.

One local man in a hut keeps watch about who comes and goes and will happily climb and grab you a coconut for 50 pesos. The water around the island is crystal clear. However, a big reef surrounds the entire island.

We hung out on the beach here for over an hour. Our longtail boat was the only sign of humans in sight. Guyam Island is a spot where you really feel like you are stranded on a remote island.

Daku Island

Daku Island is going to be the middle island and your lunch stop of the day. If you opted for the budget tour with a private boat at the set price of 1500 pesos you will be on your own here. Hopefully, you brought some good snacks or your own seafood, which the locals will cook up for you.

If you are on a tour like we were, Daku Island is a pretty good chill spot. You will have one of the little bungalow huts included in your fee and after an hour or so of chilling in the sun and exploring the palms, a seafood feast will arrive. Squid, grilled chicken, adobo, mango, pineapple, salad, and drinks. There’s nothing more satisfying than a seafood feast while looking out over the blue water in the Philippines. Trust me on that.

If you head around the coast on Daku you will venture into the palm forest, which is always a good time. We never say no to climbing a palm and heading off for a walk. Around the coastal side of Daku, we also bumped into a few cute kids and hung out with the locals for a while.

By this stage of the day you are full of great food, your tan is coming along strong and you are 100% relaxed. It’s time for the last stop on the island-hopping itinerary.

Naked Island

The final stop of your Island Hopping Siargao experience is Naked Island. No, it’s not a nudist island it just doesn’t have anything other than sand on it making it a naked island. A bit of grass is growing on the island nowadays thanks to birds dropping seed but for the most part, this sandy patch in the middle of the ocean is bare. The sandbar is so small I swam around the whole thing before hanging out with the crew in the shallows for a couple of hours.

There isn’t anything to see on this island at all. It’s 100 meters of sand, but that is the beauty of it. Have a beer, kick back in the sand or refresh yourself in the water. It’s also a good spot for sunset if you can manage to stay out that long.

WHERE I SUGGEST TO STAY ON SIARGAO

Budget Hostel in General Luna: The White House:  The best budget option for dorm style/hostel accommodation on Siargao Island is called The White House in General Luna. For just $10 a night you can grab yourself a dorm bed.

Value Pick in General Luna: Lampara Siargao Boutique Hostel: Lampara Siargao is an oceanfront boutique hostel conveniently situated on the exotic island of Siargao. 

Luxury Pick in General Luna: Nay Palad Hideaway: Nay Palad Hideaway is one of the most luxurious accommodations in the Philippines. With its beautiful outdoor pool, terrace with either garden or ocean views, comfy seating areas, and is the resort you will see featured on Instagram all the time!

WHERE I STAYED ON SIARGAO ISLAND

Siargao is pretty straightforward when it comes to picking a region to stay. 90% of people choose to stay somewhere near General Luna. All of the bars, restaurants, tours, ports, and hotels are near General Luna and Cloud 9 surf break.

There are a couple of other regions you could stay in like Pacifico but unless you are purposely looking for isolation, General Luna is your spot. So what are my suggestions for where to stay in General Luna?

First, I’ll tell you where I stayed. Because I stayed for over a month, I managed to find an Airbnb. It was 4 blocks back from the beach, had wi-fi, A/C, a private bathroom, patio and inside were just two bunk beds. It was super basic and I stayed here with two mates and my sister. It was 900 USD for the entire month, which we split four ways so it was just $225 each.

There’s a photo below of our sweet Airbnb pad on Siargao Island.

Save money in Siargao by staying at an Airbnb! Get a FREE $40 Airbnb Coupon by using my code when you book! 

Best time to visit Siargao Island

The best time to visit Siargao depends on what you are looking for. Many consider the best time of year when the weather is best but that also means crowds. I will give you a few options below about when is the best month to visit Siargao Island:

September: Siargao hosts the ‘Cloud 9 Surfing Cup’ each September, an official WSL Pro event

July – November: The best time period for surfing in Siargao is July until November. The easterly Mindanao current provides the islands with waves that came from the deepest regions of the Pacific.

March-May: If you aren’t as interested in the surf but are craving that sun. March until May should bring you guaranteed sunny days. But it’s the Philippines so you can’t guarantee it.

Where is Siargao Island Located

Siargao is located in the region of Mindanao in the Philippines. Mindanao is the southern region of the Philippines.

How to get to Siargao Island

When I visited in 2017 there was only one flight a day from Manila and one from Cebu. Now there are 10-15 flights a day so the question of how to get to Siargao has become much easier. Without going into deep detail on every single option. These are the options for how to get to Siargao:

• Fly from Manila $90-$100
• Fry from Cebu  $90-$100
• Ferry from Surigao City to Siargao Island $5

There are ferries that leave from Manila and Cebu but they go to Surigao City first and then Siargao Island.

ARE YOU FOLLOWING MY SIARGAO SERIES OF BLOGS

Sunset: 11 AWESOME SUNSET SPOTS ON SIARGAO ISLAND

Cliff Jumps: 9 CLIFF JUMPING SPOTS IN SIARGAO

Where to Stay: WHERE TO STAY ON SIARGAO ISLAND

Island Hopping: SIARGAO ISLAND HOPPING – GUYAM, DAKU & NAKED ISLAND

Ultimate Guide: 40 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON SIARGAO

Itinerary & Expenses: SIARGAO ITINERARY & EXPENSES ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE

Sohoton Cove Itinerary: SOHOTON COVE NATIONAL PARK TOUR – CAVES AND LAGOONS

Visit Sugba Lagoon: SUGBA LAGOON FROM SIARGAO ISLAND

Hidden Lake on Poneas Island: DISCOVER THE HIDDEN LAKE OF PONEAS ISLAND, SIARGAO

MORE PHILIPPINES BLOGS

I have also visited many other places in the Philippines that you may want to add to your itinerary and remove one of. the locations I visited. There is no right way to travel to the Philippines. The reality is that you will miss some awesome places no matter what Philippines backpacking route you take.

You can check out the links below to my other Philippines backpacking guides.

Caramoan: CARAMOAN ISLAND HOPPING

Romblon Island: ROMBLON TRAVEL GUIDE: 17 AWESOME THINGS TO DO

Tablas Island: TABLAS ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: 20 AWESOME THINGS TO DO

Sibuyan Island: SIBUYAN ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: 9 AWESOME THINGS TO DO

Sohoton Cove: SOHOTON COVE NATIONAL PARK TOUR – CAVES AND LAGOONS

Carabao Island: CARABAO ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: 5 THINGS TO DO

Cebu Itinerary: CEBU 5-DAY ITINERARY – DETAILED ADVENTURE TRAVEL GUIDE

Cebu Things To Do: 16 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON CEBU

Philippines Backpacking Guide: PHILIPPINES BACKPACKING: 2019 BUDGET TRAVEL GUIDE

Ultimate Philippines Itinerary: ULTIMATE PHILIPPINES TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR 3-4 WEEKS