2-Day Itinerary: Experience The Captivating Beauty of Siquijor Philippines (via Dumaguete)

Summer is very near, yes it is! If you plan a vacation with friends or family, you might as well consider this magical place in the Philippines as one of your destinations  - the Siquijor Island.

Siquijor is one of the places I've always wanted to visit. Afterall, I got curious about it due to the great stories and beautiful  tourist attractions I've heard from friends and the internet.
Thankfully, my friends invited me to join them conquer this wonderful place.

Before the invitation, it was few months already since I last had our getaway. Everybody was caught up busy with work schedules and personal activities. I missed them and the experiences we shared together. So, during that one night, right after I saw the invitation message in my Messenger app, I immediately answered YES, I would join! I was thankful that they never forgotten me.

We planned our itinerary and expenses days before our trip. It really helped us a lot. We were 7 individuals during this adventure. This experience with them is one of my favorites.

AK, Ems, Sipin, ate Nova, April, Minang, kuya Ricky

Before Our Travel

1. Booked a resort at Siquijor.  
This was done online then followed up with phone calls/text messages. We chose Diamond de Siquijor resort. I liked the place and accommodation (not to mention the name itself was quite similar to my middle name, haha). Definitely recommended to anyone who wanted to check in.
Contact number: +639975831152
Price: Php 2,380.00 for the seven of us. Php 1380.00 per room good for 2 people (with free breakfast). Php 200 per excess person.

Diamond de Siquijor

2. Booked a tour guide with a jeepney vehicle.  
We choose jeepney because we wanna feel Siquijor's fresh air and the summer breeze of the place. Plus, it's way cheaper than VHires.
Contact number: +639361107863
Price: Php 1,800.00

Itinerary (Good for 2 days and 1 night)
DAY 1 - Saturday

How did we get there and what were our activities?

A) 3:00 AM (dawn)
- Meetup at Cebu City's South Bus Terminal.
- Rode non-aircon Ceres bus going to Liloan Port of Santander, Cebu City (Php 162.00 per person)

B) 6:00 AM (morning)
- Rode pumb boat from Liloan port going to Sibulan Port of Dumaguete City (Php 62.00 per person)
- Breakfast at Sibulan port. I loved fish tinola! (Php 60.00 - 100.00 per person)
- Rented tricycle going to Dumaguete port. This was the starting point of the fastcraft that we needed to ride going to Siquijor port. (Php 25.00 per person)

My many loves!

C) 7:00 AM (morning)
- Bought ticket at Dumaguete port for our trip to Siquijor. When we arrived here, the first trip was already full so we got to wait for the next trip which was 12:30 in the afternoon. Since it was 5 1/2 hours away still, we had sufficient amount of time for a stroll at the place. (Php 224.00 per person for OceanJet fastcrat including port entrance fee)
- Bought foods in one of Dumaguete's convenience stores; good for 2 days consumption. The reason was we just wanted to make sure not to consume potioned foods in Siquijor. Sounded silly, yes, but we just wanted to make sure hehe!

Wait, the plastic full of our snacks is a bit of a loner! Haha

D) 12:30 PM (afternoon)
- Rode fast craft going to our destination. At last!

E) 2:00 PM (afternoon)
- Welcome to Siquijor!
- Checked in at Diamond de Siquijor resort. Left our baggages and got ready for the tour!
- Our rented jeepney fetched us and the tour began!

F) 10:00 PM (evening)
- Back at the resort . Ate dinner in the resort's restaurant. (Php 100.00 - 135. 00 per person)
- Freshened up ourselves.
- Story telling and lots of chika-chika with my friends. We also played cards.
- Slept. Good night. :*

Sikit-sikiti ug sibug-sibugi :D

DAY 2 - Sunday

G) 6:00 AM (morning)
- The ladies woke up early to watch the sunrise. It was so wonderful!
- Walked and pictorials by the lowtide beach. Everything was perfect and fantastic!

I heart you!

H) 8:00 AM (morning)
- Breakfast, yehey! It's not obvious that we were hungry, lol. (Php 100.00 - 135. 00 per person)
- Lots of story telling with my squad.
- Tour and fun around the beach.
- Had our lunch. (Php 100.00 - 135. 00 per person)

I) 12:00 Noon
- Time to leave.
- Room checkout.
- Left the resort and went straight to Siquijor port.
- Bought ticket for Dumaguete trip. Since the boat would left at 1:30 PM, we still had time to enjoy and relax the cheap but beautiful beach resort nearby. (Php 15.00 entrance fee per person)
- Played voleyball.
- Fantastic and epic pictorials combined.

J) 1:30 PM (afternoon)
- Goodbye Siquijor. Thank you for letting us experience the beautiful you. Though we only stayed for a very short time, we enjoyed so much and it's definitely worth it!

K) 3:30 PM (afternoon) onwards
- Arrived at Dumaguete port.
- Relaxed and bought pasalubong at Sans Rival
- Travelled back to Sibulan port, then Liloan port, then back to Cebu City. (Php 200.00 per person)

Places we visited and activities we did in Dumaguete

1. Toured at Siliman University.
2. Tried the famous fried and fresh fruit ice cream at Panda Fresh Fruit Ice Cream store. (Php 65.00 100. 00 per person)
3. Relaxed in one of the cafeterias present in the place and played cards. Some of my friends recharged their phone and camera batteries (because pictures yes!). We had our lunch as well.(Php 65.00 - 100. 00 per person)

Magical and beautiful attractions we visited in Siquijor

1. Capilay's Spring Park 
A natural, spring-fed swimming pool situated at the heart of the town plaza where people converge leisurely for a swim in the cool waters or simply sit under the shade of the trees.

2. Enchanted Century Balete Tree and Fish Spa
Because of its eerie outline created by hundred of roots and vines hanging down, this century old tree was believed to be enchanted. This enchanting tree was not only a site to behold but also provides water to its residents. The fish spa in the balete tree was also a must-try as the fishes nibble the dead skin and cleanse the visitor's feet. I realized my feet was not that delicious because there were no fishes, even a single one, that ate its dead skin, lol!

3. San Isidro Labrador Church
This is one of the most outstanding churches in the Philippines. This was constructed by the Spaniards in 1884, using indigenous coral stones and local hardwood. The church has preserved its original wooden flooring.

4. San Isidro Labrador Convent
This was reputed to be the biggest among the oldest convents in the Philippines. It is believed to have been the vacation house for the Diocese's priests during the time of Spaniards.

5. Cambugahay Falls 
You may choose either a river or a forest trek to get to the waterfalls. We chose the latter. I loved diving here. Plus, the cold water was so relaxing! I wouldn't want to leave.

Hail the queen! Bwahahaha!

6. Salagdoong Beach 
The water in this beach was literally crystal clear! Fine white sand covered the shoreline, too. There was also a little cliff that you can jump into the ocean.  It was terrifying and fantastic! I could die out of happiness if I jumped. Unfortunately, I was tired diving at Cambugahay falls and I ran out of energy so I was not able to jump here. I just took pictures, sat in the seashore while enjoying this beautiful beach. We took lots of pictures too.

7. Man-made forest

The trees were not that good in this picture because the focus was on our very funny faces. :D

8. Kagusuan Beach 
Noted for its picturesque seascape and rock formation, it was situated below a cliff and accessible by a concrete staircase. We were not able to swam here because it was nighttime already when we arrived here.

9. Centennial House 
This is a century old house made of bamboo, nipa and molave hardwood.

Photo from Google.

10. St. Francis of Assisi Church 
Made up of stone and cruciform.

11. Pasalubong Center 
Variety of souvenirs ranges from hats, keychains, fashion jewelries, t-shirts to semi-possesed dolls and different kind of potions, including love potion. I don't know if this is working though.

How much was our budget per person for this trip?

A total of around Php 2,300 per person for the overall expenses including transportation, foods, resort accommodation and lifeguard/driver money tip.

Tips

1. Wear light clothes. Sleeveless tank paired with shorts are preferable especially during summer :D
2. Put on thick sunblock. You don't want to burn your burnt skin, do you? :D :P
3. Bring cash during your tour. There's little amount of entrance fees in some of the tourist spots. There's also cheap but nice souvenirs you will surely want to buy . You may also donate any amount you want.
4. Bring foods/snacks during the tour.
5. The locals especially the tour guides are very friendly. So, you got to be friendly, too. Plus, they are willing to take countless of pictures of you and your squad - may it be dramatic, jumpshots or videos. Just approach in a polite way. :)

Brief History

Located in the Central Visayas region, Siquijor is the third smallest province in the Philippines and a small midway between Visayas and Mindanao islands. Legend tells of a "King Kihod" as the source of the island's name. Old residents also called the island "Katugasan" from the Molave ("tugas") trees that cover the hill.
During Spanish expedition, Siquijor was known as Isla de Fuego  or the "Island of Fire" because it was literally lit by fireflies at night swarming the branches of its molave trees.
Since the olden times, people believe the island to be mysterious because of the presence of folk healers and their practices of spiritualism and up to these days people still come to witness the preparation of the brews and really try the medicinal powers of herbs, from health problems to the potions for love and favor.
Above all, it's the local's welcoming smile and warmth that make every visitor's stay delightful and unforgettable.

Facts

1. Siquijor island is mostly made up of limestone rock material and fringed by mangroves, white sandy beaches and coral reefs.
2. Majority speaks the native dialect which is Cebuano. Tagalog and English are widely spoken and understood.
3. In most parts of the province, it is dry from January to May and wet for the rest of the year. The southern part is dry from November to April and wet for the rest of the year.
4. The most common means of transportation are jeepneys and tricycles. Tricycles are available for hire to desired destinations, while jeepneys travel on franchised routes between municipalities.