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Sugba Lagoon In Siargao: The Original Guide

Sugba Lagoon In Siargao: The Original Guide

Sugba Lagoon is one of the most popular things to do on Siargao. It’s a short day trip from General Luna, Siargao to a spectacular lagoon surrounded by epic mountains. The day trip costs around 1500 pesos (30 USD) per person or more if you book it in the tourist are of General Luna. However, we managed to find a way to get to Sugba Lagoon for 300 pesos (5 USD) per person.

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

How to get to Sugba Lagoon 

Sugba Lagoon is about an hour boat ride from Del Carmen or an hour and a half boat ride from General Luna. You can book a tour online pretty simply.

The best one I know if is online with Klook (all the others are overpriced). I’ll drop the link here to the activity booking page: Sugba Lagoon Day Tour (+2 other islands). The tour also includes a visit to Kawhagan and Pamomoan Island.

Back in 2017, we had mopeds and managed to source a local boat driver to take us to Sugba Lagoon and back for 1500 pesos total for the entire boat. We found the boat driver at the wharf near Del Carmen overlooking the mangrove forest. This is definitely the DIY version of visiting Sugba Lagoon and it isn’t super easy to figure out but all things going well you should be able to find a local at Del Carmen or the wharf who will be willing.

There was no cheap tour like the one I linked above, which we definitely would have chosen. I think back then it was around $50 USD per person from what we heard so we made our own route but for just $20 USD you can get there with the online booking here: Sugba Lagoon Day Tour (+2 other islands)

 Below is the map showing Sugba Lagoon’s location in relation to General Luna.

 

Sugba Lagoon

Despite being a recommended Siargao tourist spot Sugba Lagoon isn’t crazily overcrowded such as spots like Kayangan Lake in Coron. You won’t have the lagoon to yourselves by any means but it’s a big enough area to find your own piece of paradise to chill, take photos and hang out. It is a 4000-hectare sanctuary, which you will enjoy on the drive-in as well as while you hang out in the main lagoon. There may be a line for the diving board but other than that it’s very spacious.

A big pontoon house is the main area where you will base yourselves for the day. Here you can claim a table and set up for the day. We left at our bags unattended at many points and the locals kept a steady eye on them for us.

At the pontoon house, fresh seafood lunches are available at a pretty decent price. A whole plate of fresh squid/calamari and rice for two people was only 400 pesos or $8 USD, which is fair considering the isolation of the location.

The pontoon house also rents out the equipment for activities. We rented a huge bamboo raft for an hour at $200 pesos. Others took stand-up paddleboards for a spin around the lagoons.

If you aren’t looking to hire any equipment you can still have a great time swimming in the lagoon and the pontoon house has a sweet diving board. You can grab some cool photos if you shoot from the second floor of the pontoon house out into the open lagoon.

Hidden Tree Cliff Jump at Sugba Lagoon

Sugba Lagoon has gotten quite busy. When I visited in 2017 we shared the lagoon with about 15 people. Fast forward two years and I find myself in a line of thirty people to jump off the diving board. Not a vibe. Luckily I knew there was another spot nearby so off we headed

The best thing to do is to rent a stand-up paddleboard or a kayak. If you are facing away from the diving board you will paddle to your right and follow the rocks around the corner. It is a 500m paddle. We swam but it’s far and many people wouldn’t enjoy the swim!

Once you get into the other lagoon, enjoy the serenity of no other tourists. Keep your eye out for a platform on the far side of the lagoon. It has been semi-dismantled now for some reason but is still climbable.

However, it is quite dangerous. The steps up the tree are missing and you are literally stepping between nails on a slipper branch. Slip off and you have a 7-meter fall onto the rocks. So, attempt this one at your own risk. Many were doing but one slip and you are in big trouble.

At the top of the tree is a nice wooden platform, which I would see is about 7-8 meters high. It has epic views of the lagoon and you can see how deep the water is from up there. We never touched the bottom once but do your own depth check in case rocks or branches lurk below the surface.

The jump was awesome and easily the BEST cliff jump in Siargao and easily the highest official jump! Here’s a little video of my jump.

 

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!

Nay Palad Hideaway Resort

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! 

siargao island pictures photo gallery

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.

siargao island pictures photo gallery

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.

siargao island pictures photo gallery

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

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Somewhere, out There – Weltreise 2020

Sunday 12th of January 2020

[…] Sugba Lagoon: Großartige idyllische Lagune in einem Archipel aus Karst-Inseln. Man kann StandUp-Paddlen, vom Sprungturm springen und in der Lagune schwimmen. An den Inseln drumherum gibts überall versteckte kleine Strände. Abstecher machen zur Kawhagan Island und Pamomoan Beach, die durch einen flachen Kanal miteinander verbunden sind. […]

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Saturday 13th of July 2019

[…] You can arrange your trip to Sugba Lagoon from General Luna, for 1500 PHP and for a whole day. But there is another, cheaper way. You can go to Del Carmen, where you can find people offering a trip to Sugba Lagoon for only few hundred PHP per person. See more details here.  […]

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[…] 5. Visit The Sugba Lagoon – It’s a short daytrip from General Luna, Siargao to a spectacular lagoon surrounded by epic mountains. Read the Sugba Lagoon Guide here. […]

Farah

Thursday 17th of January 2019

Hello, your blog is very interesting! However, I was wondering if you were the one who took all those beautiful memorable photos?