A Solo Female Traveler’s Guide to Siargao (And 10 Mistakes to Avoid!)

Siargao instantly became my favorite solo travel destination. And in a short amount of time, I made plenty of mistakes. Here’s a solo female traveler’s guide to Siargao and 10 mistakes to avoid!

If you prefer to read, I have a detailed recap below!

DAY 1

I arrived in the afternoon, got settled in my Airbnb, and rode on a motorbike to Cloud 9 for surfing lessons but that didn’t happen because I came during low tide.

So I ended up renting a bicycle and rode myself over to Harana Surf Resort to eat.

I ordered the hummus plate, parmesan fries, sago’t gulaman while lounging on a giant pillow, with a DOG on my lap?

And after that, I went home. Which brings me to–

Mistake #1: Biking at night with no headlight

If you rent a bicycle, double check to make sure it has a headlight or call for habal-habal to bring you home instead. You see, I wasn’t thinking so I decided to ride in the dark. If you watch the video, you can hear me freaking out. I was also scared of seeing a white lady ghost. Yeah. Don’t be like me.

DAY 2

Before the Sohoton Cove tour, I got lost on my way to Bravo Resort, the meet-up point. So–

Mistake #2: Not allowing extra time to travel to the meet-up point

Leave earlier than you think in case you get lost so that you don’t hold your tour back or get left behind. And if you rented a bike, here’s–

Mistake #3: Loosely placing your belongings in your basket instead of inside your bag

Because I was in a rush, my iPhone decided to jump out of the basket and onto the road. Now I have more cracks on my phone!

It takes about 3 hours to reach Sohoton Cove and on a boat with a loud engine, you’ll be left with a ringing in your ears especially if you’re sitting right next to it which is–

Mistake #4: Not bringing earbuds or earplugs

So to avoid that, bring earbuds or earplugs. Otherwise, bring something to read or bask in the ambiance!

Sohoton Cove was beautiful. It reminded me of Coron and Bohol. It was like a mix of Chocolate Hills and lagoons. Do you see how my purse is wet? My expensive mirrorless camera and iPhone was inside. So–

Mistake #5: bringing a purse instead of a waterproof bag

So bring a waterproof bag. They’re sold everywhere in Siargao.

At the cove, we hit 3 spots. The first is Hagukan Cave, a cave where you swim underwater to enter. It’s dark inside and the only source of light is through the entrance, underwater. And it’s really pretty in there. Kind of luminescent! And you don’t have to worry about hitting your head while swimming through because the guides help you with that (I still hit my head anyway).

The next spot is Magkukuob Cave. Over here, you get to do a little spelunking in chest deep water.Or if you’re petite like me, it’s neck-deep water! What’s awesome about this spot is that you get to climb stalactites and stalagmites to reach a diving board. It’s about 12 ft high and once you’re there, you can’t back out. It’s not that high anyway but it’s still a good thrill!

And the last spot is the Stingless Jellyfish Sanctuary! I really, REALLY wished I had footage but my GoPro broke at this point. It turned out water had leaked into the battery compartment. So that makes–

Mistake #6: Neglecting to rinse your camera gear anytime it touches salt water

Salt water is CORROSIVE. So always rinse your gear or anything in general that touches salt water. I was using the GoPro Hero Black 5 by the way. And no, the rice trick did not work. But thank you guys for helping!

In the sanctuary, you can’t swim with the jellyfish or their tentacles will fall off. Plus everyone’s sunblock and mosquito repellant will contaminate the water which will make their tentacles fall off. And you can’t pick them up either or their tentacles will fall off! But what you CAN do is touch them! And it’s wonderfully- eerie. Imagine touching a giant tapioca ball. 

And the last part of the tour was lunch! And guess what, it came with rum and beer!

At the tour, I met a solo traveler, Angelique, who invited me to dinner with friends she’d met on another tour. We met up at Kermit’s, a restaurant known for their pizza. When you go here, arrive as early as possible because the wait is pretty long. Like 45 minutes. But if you do end up waiting, you can always order drinks at the bar! And if it’s happy hour, it’s buy one get one! And yes, the pizza does live up to the hype!

Day 3

On this day, I went on the Corregidor Island Hiking Tour. I learned my lesson from yesterday so I gave myself extra time to head to Bravo Resort. So even when I forgot my camera battery and had to rush back to get it I still arrived on time! I even had time to stopped by Bake Siargao, a coffee shop with interior decoration goals. You can go here for a quick bite on your way to anywhere. So on my way to the resort, I came across–

Mistake #7: Failing to test your bike brakes or not knowing how else to brake

So avoid this making sure to test your brakes or jump out of your bicycle. I almost ran into 2 people so I ended up running into a wall instead. I walked away totally fine. Thank goodness! 

So Corregidor island! It was only an hour boat ride away and the hike to the top of the island is scenic. You walk through the town proper, pig pens, and the beach before hiking up. So–

Mistake #8: Forgetting to bring footwear

I know this is obvious but if you’re used to walking barefoot, you usually forget where you leave your slippers.  Or you know, maybe you crashed into a wall and you were still processing what happened so you forgot to bring your slippers. I don’t know! So I ended up hiking barefoot and for the most part, it was actually doable! I made it through the hot rocks but it started to get unbearable when it got too pokey. But maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’re secretly a masochist. No just kidding. It actually got too much that my tour guide, Symon, lent me his slippers.

And once you reach the top, you will. Feel. Amazing. There’s something about blue skies, an open field of grass and a breeze through your hair that feels amazing. I even think it’s better to go barefoot once you’re at the top. Do the hippie thing you know? You’ll feel light after.

After the hike, you’ll arrive back to your hut for a delicious lunch. Then you’ll have a couple hours to swim in the water, play drinking games, and lounge in the sun. And if you don’t want to move too much with your food baby, I suggest sitting at the shore and let the water wash over and move you. It’s really fun! But of course, you get sand EVERYWHERE. It even went inside my bikini top where the pads usually sit lol At this point, you’ve been under the bright sun for hours which brings me to–

Mistake #9: Neglecting to bring your sunblock

I didn’t really get sunburnt but some of the ladies did so bring your sunblock and keep applying it.

So we learned this drinking thing from Symon, if you don’t have a chaser, chase it with a smile! And that was the tour!

For dinner, I met with another solo traveler, Melissa, who was on the tour with me. We ate at Mama’s Grill, where they grill you all sorts meats and veggies on the spot. So if you like barbeque, definitely go here!

Next, head over to where the party is! Ask around where the party is every night because it always changes. At that night, it was Viento del Mar. I got to meet a follower and now my friend Jini! And we all drank and danced together!

Day 4

I went on the 3-island hopping tour which you’ll find out, is pretty much a booze cruise and it is AWESOME.

The first island you’ll go to is Guyam Island where you get to chill, walk around, take pictures or sit in the water and drink like I did! If you have portable speakers, definitely bring it on this tour! Everyone will love you.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfC3DEvDhB6/?taken-by=lora.dee.explorer

Next up is Naked Island! It’s completely bare from trees but makes a nice picture if you’re at the tail end #travelfam

The last island is Daku island, where you’ll spend most of your time. This is where you’ll eat lunch, drink at the beach, play drunk Jenga, frisbee, and beach volleyball! If you’d been drinking since Guyam island, so about 11am, you’ll definitely be tipsy at this point. Everyone couldn’t stop talking and laughing.  A group of us connected really well so after the tour, we met for dinner at La Carinderia and later again at Harana and Rum Bar.

Day 5

I left on the morning of Day 5. And I share with you my last and most important mistake to learn from.

Mistake #10: Not getting enough sleep and hydration

Can you imagine drinking straight from 11 am to 2 am in 2 days? That’s 30 hours total and I did that under the hot sun. I nearly fainted by the time I arrived in Manila because I was so dehydrated. So SERIOUSLY, always have a water bottle on you and get lots of sleep. LOTS OF IT.

All my tours were booked with My Siargao Guide and I suggest you guys go with them because #1, they’re a really amazing & fun team of people and #2, hello– booze?

And also shout out to Marty and the guys at Fat Lips Surf Shop for teaching me how to ride a scooter, encouraging me but still laughing at me when I attempted to ride it, dropping me off at a bike rental shop instead, and shouting “YEAH JOJO!” everytime I cycled by.  And also for being so helpful when I rented their GoPro because mine broke.

And thank you to Ate Zuss for being so quick to reply during my stay at her Airbnb. Click here to see the Airbnb listing.

And that wraps up my Solo Female Traveler’s Guide to Siargao! I hope you were able to learn a thing or 2 from my mistakes. So be smart and stay safe when traveling alone and get out of your comfort zone! 

Since starting Traveling Petite Girl a year and a half ago, Siargao was the best trip I’ve had and it was the people who made it amazing.  Solo travel doesn’t mean you’re alone the whole time, it means there’s plenty of opportunities to make new friends and Siargao is the perfect place to do that. And guess what, I’ll be back in the 2nd week of July 2018 so come join me! I’d love for us to hop on a boat and drink together hahaha

And don’t forget to watch Melissa’s videos of Siargao! She shows you things I wasn’t able to film like the nightlife.

• Siargao Travel Guide 2018
• My Siargao – Cinematic Edition

If some questions came up for you, ask me in the comments and I’ll definitely reply. If you watched my video, give me a thumbs up and comment if you liked it, and subscribe so you don’t miss another one!

I love you & talk to you soon! ?

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