Surigao del Sur is simply heaven for me. When we first planned this trip, I had no expectations since I was thinking that it was just another province to visit, a place to fill in the gaps of our itinerary. But I was proven wrong. Surigao del Sur has its own unique beauty. The Britania Group of Islands was captivating and I can honestly say it’s one of the best place I’ve ever been. For my part 3 of #BudgetTrip goes to Mindanao, (read: (4D3N) Php 4,600 Budget Travel Guide to Davao-Surigao del Sur-Samal; Davao City Budget Travel Guide: Where to Go, Eat and Stay), here’s a full guide on where to go, eat and stay in Surigao del Sur.
HOW TO GET HERE
There are many entry points to Surigao del Sur. Via plane, the only flight available as of now is via Cebu Pacific (Cebu-Tandag). The easiest way is to get here is to ride a bus. There are many buses passing along coming from Butuan, Agusan del Sur and Davao City. For our trip, we took the Davao-Surigao del Sur route.
WHERE TO GO
Since we spent our first day in Davao City, to save money and time, we decided to go up to down, starting from Davao City to Cagwait down to Barobo – Hinatuan – Bislig then back Davao City again. If you are going to follow this route, we highly suggest to travel by night since travel time from Davao City to Cagwait is 7 hrs.
CAGWAIT WHITE BEACH
The first stop of our trip is the Cagwait White Beach in Cagwait. From Davao City, ride a bus at Ecoland going to Cagwait. Bus fare is Php 510 / Php 430 student discount. From the bus terminal, ride a tricycle and tell the driver to drop you off at the white beach.
We literally had no idea about the place since information is scarce but we’re lucky to have a great tricycle driver. She recommended Lolenghayaw Beach Resort where we took our breakfast. There is no entrance fee. We ordered their buttered chicken and squid.
Cagwait White Beach, despite not being purely white, is a serene place. We had the entire beach all to ourselves. It was quiet and the sand was fine.
BRITANIA GROUP OF ISLANDS
Once we were done, we headed to our next destination: Britania Group of Islands. We rode a tricycle back to the bus terminal. We rode a jeep bound to San Agustin but luckily, upon learning that we are headed to Britania, the driver decided to drop us off exactly there since we were the only passengers that morning. Fare is Php 50. We then took a tricycle to Joan’s Beach Resort where the drop off for the pump boats are. Fare is Php 20 and entrance fee is Php 25.
We paid Php 1200 for the pump boat and that includes a trip to 4 islands:
Hagonoy Island
Naked Island
Hiyor Hiyoran Island
Boslon Island
Before starting your island hopping trip, you can ask them to cook lunch for you. Fresh seafood costs around Php 100-1000 depending on the type.
Britania is simply the best place I’ve been to. We were all alone in the place and it was just super beautiful. The sand was soft and white and the water is crystal clear. Just look at the photos!
ST. AUGUSTINE PARISH
After our island hopping, we went straight to Hinatuan to spend the night. From Britania, we rode a trike back to the highway (Php 20) then took a jeep to Barobo (Php 35) and another trike going to Marky’s. (Php 5). Marky’s is a small hostel owned by, you guessed it, Marky! He’s also a traveler and his place is currently managed by his parents. It’s a popular backpacker’s inn in Hinatuan. Rate starts at Php 250 per night.
It rained the entire night and luckily, the weather cooperated. For our next day’s trip, our agenda is the Enchanted River and Sibadan in Hinatuan and the Tinuy-An Falls in Bislig. Usually, habal-habal offer packages for the entire trip. We got it for just Php 500. But before leaving the place, we paid a visit first at the Saint Augustine Parish near the hostel.
ENCHANTED RIVER
I was very excited to see the famous Enchanted River of Hinatuan. It’s a very popular destination but I was deeply saddened when I saw it. It was disappointing. I was expecting it to be all natural but it was highly developed already. Cottages lined outside and while we got there early, there was a bit of a crowd so we decided to go to Sibadan instead. When we came back, it was worse. Crowd was at its max. It was like a public pool. 🙁
UPDATE (2017): Swimming in the enchanted river is no longer allowed to preserve it.
SIBADAN
From the Enchanted River, you can rent a boat going to Sibadan, a resort with fish cages. The boat rental is paid per hour but it’s not that expensive. We only paid Php 51/head for a group of 5. Entrance fee to Sibadan is Php 10 each. You are free to swim with the fishes and the stingray in the cage. It’s around 6 meters deep.
Swimming with the fishes sounds like a cool idea. NOPE. It was not cool. It was horrifying. Well at least for me. The fishes were huge and I almost drowned because I panicked the entire time. Imagine diving and you see large shadows approaching you. That’s how my experience was. I don’t know about you guys but I still find it really creepy. Haha!
TINUY-AN FALLS
After swimming in the river, we hopped back to our habal-habal and went on a 2-hour ride going to Tinuy-An falls in Bislig. It was a painful ride especially that we’re bouncing up and down because of the rough road but the view was worth it It’s a huge waterfalls with many layers. You can even climb to get to the upper portion. Entrance fee to the falls is Php 50. Guide is required if you want to climb the upper layer although there is no fixed rate. We just gave Php 100 for the entire group.
WHERE TO EAT
We didn’t get to try the different restaurants in Surigao Del Sur since our time is very limited. Also, restaurants are limited and you can only find most of them at the town proper. Carinderias are everywhere though so finding a good spot to eat is not hard.
WHERE TO STAY
During our entire trip, we ate at Lolenghayaw Beach Resort in Cagwait and stayed at Marky’s Hostel (Php 250/head) in Hinatuan. If you want to stay in Tandag, the cheapest you can get is Qbens Lodge and Donelles Haven Pension House. Here’s a list of available hostels in the area:
BUDGET HOTELS
Tandag
Hinatuan
MIDRANGE HOTELS
Tandag
Hinatuan
That’s it for my Surigao del Sur travel guide. Hope you enjoy this #BudgetTrip Series. Don’t forget to read the entire series:
- (4D3N) Php 4,600 Budget Travel Guide to Davao-Surigao del Sur-Samal
- Davao City Budget Travel Guide: Where to go, eat and stay
- Samal Island Budget Travel Guide: Where to go, eat and stay
For contact persons, you may contact our guide and drivers which we met along the way:
09494568433 – Kuya Boyet Habal Habal Enchanted
Cheers~!
– Justin –
2 Comments. Leave new
How manh hours going to Cagwait from davao?
it took us around 7 hours. it’s best to travel at night. 🙂