Siargao Unveiled: Discovering a Secret Paradise

Hey fellow hivers! Watching @thestrollingmind's recent vlog post on YouTube brought back memories of our adventure in Siargao last December 2023.

We're still on our second day in Siargao, continuing our land tour of mainland Siargao from our Day 2 itinerary.

After enjoying the salty waters of Magpupungko Rock Pools, our next destination had us buzzing with excitement. However, before we could proceed, we needed to backtrack along the road we took to get to Magpupungko Rock Pools. Although it would have been more convenient to visit Maasin River first, the timing was crucial as we were racing against the tide.

From surfing at Cloud9 to Magpupungko: Our Siargao Adventure Continues

As we retraced our steps, the rain had subsided. Despite relying on Google Maps, we still managed to get lost (Sorry @iamcjestrada! HAHA). It wasn't entirely my fault; we mistakenly believed the entrance to the river was not along the road. We soon discovered our error when we spotted vendors selling souvenirs and food near the bridge – marking the entrance to the Maasin river. We couldn't help but laugh at our misstep. LOL

Before embarking on our river adventure, we stopped to purchase souvenirs from a shop across the road.

The entrance to the river awaited us at the end of the bridge, where we paid an entrance fee of Php 20 per person and a boat fee of Php 600 for up to three passengers.

Since we were an odd number, we attempted to negotiate having three passengers in one boat and two each in another. We settled on a total payment of Php 1,940, divided equally among us.

With our boatman leading the way, we set off.

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From the jump-off point, we caught sight of the iconic bent coconut tree that had graced many Instagram feeds.

Despite being uprooted by the recent typhoon Odette, the tree had been reconstructed with bamboo scaffolding, now featuring a tall platform where thrill-seekers could jump into the river.

However, our first stop wasn't the platform; we had a cold spring to explore.

Arriving around noon, we joined the queue of eager visitors awaiting their turn. Feeling hungry, some of us indulged in some pinaypay na saging (banana fritters) from a nearby vendor while waiting. Finally, it was our turn to plunge into the refreshing waters of the cold spring.

We took turns posing for photos before our time limit was up, ending our visit with a group picture in the water.

The return journey was leisurely, with the boat gently gliding along the river's current.

Upon reaching the jump-off point near the coconut tree, some of us couldn't resist climbing onto the platform for photo opportunities. Only @iamcjestrada dared to leap from the ledge.

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With hunger gnawing at us, we remembered a karenderia near the Coconut View Deck, our next stop after Maasin River. Following a late lunch, we took turns posing against the backdrop of hundreds of coconut trees. There was no entrance fee, but donations were accepted for the service of human drones available for drone-like photography. HAHA

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After capturing the mandatory group photo, we headed to our final destination for the day – the Secret Beach.

As we headed to our next destination, we got separated from the tricycle team, but they already knew we were headed to the Secret Beach. I pinned the location of the Secret Beach on Google Maps and followed the route there with John and Chiara.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Secret Beach, we waited for quite some time for the tricycle team to arrive, only to find out that they had already arrived, though we hadn't seen them at the entrance.

Thinking there might be another entrance to the Secret Beach, we quickly walked towards the beach. After walking quite far along the beach, we realized they were at a different Secret Beach. We had to walk back to the road, which was quite a distance from the beach.

It was almost 4 PM when we arrived at the entrance of the other Secret Beach, located beside Nadine Lustre's residence, just a few kilometers from General Luna.

The Secret Beach was somewhat crowded, understandable due to its accessibility and proximity to posh resorts. Unfortunately, we couldn't fully enjoy the beach because of heavy rain. We struggled to find shelter and ended up seeking refuge under palm trees.

As we discussed our separation, we kept telling them that the Secret Beach we got lost at was much nicer than the one on our itinerary. If given the chance to return to Siargao, I'll definitely add the other Secret Beach to my itinerary.

We decided to head back to our accommodations while there was still sunlight. With only one bathroom available, we needed to start getting ready early to ensure we wouldn't be late for dinner.

After everyone had washed and changed clothes, some were already napping. We tried waking them up, but I think they were too tired from today's itinerary. As we walked along the streets of General Luna, we were looking for something budget-friendly to eat for dinner. We stumbled upon a little barbecue place offering a buy-one-get-one deal on their chicken barbecue. Plus, they also served what I think is the best Halo-Halo (Thank you @J-Ann for the Halo2x treat. 🤤).

Despite our best efforts, we couldn't explore all of mainland Siargao in a day. Unfortunately, Sugba Lagoon would have to wait for another trip.

With Day 2 behind us, we eagerly anticipated our upcoming island-hopping adventure, hoping it wouldn't be long before I could share our next adventure. If you missed the first and second parts of our Siargao adventure, you can check them out using the links below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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Day 1: Riding the Waves of Paradise: Our Siargao Experience
Day 2 Part I: From surfing at Cloud9 to Magpupungko: Our Siargao Adventure Continues