The tiny island of Siquijor is one of the many islands in the Visaya Region, easily accessible from Cebu, Bohol or Dumaguete. Its small size doesn’t project on the large number of attractions waiting for you there. There are plenty of hidden beaches, the most beautiful sets of waterfalls, and also healers and witches as the local folks believe.
Another great benefit of Siquijor’s small size is that you can easily explore the island without spending long hours of traveling. You can circle the whole island in only a few hours. Therefore the tours we offer below are packed with a relatively high number of activities in each. Also, because of it, some of our clients prefer to rent a motorbike and follow our tour itineraries in a “do it yourself” fashion instead.
We think that the tours we offer in Siquijor are perfect for families, even with young children. Some of the tours start later and can be flexible with time, and also don’t include a lot of “dead” travel time. Also, there is no demand for excessive physical effort or fitness. For these reasons we highly recommend our family clients to visit Siquijor.
Siquijor offers a lot of activities within the island itself. One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Philippines, Cambugahay Falls makes an amazing few hours stop. Mt. Bandilaan (632m) is the tallest mountain on the island and offers great views from the lookout point on its peak, after an easy hike. There are many small beaches, perfect for a swim and sunbathing, including two cliff jumps of 7 and 11 meters. If you want to experience some of the local “mysticism”, visiting a bolo-bolo healer, a term for a local witch doctor/shaman that has healing powers and more, is an interesting cultural experience.
Siquijor doesn’t have any island hopping tours, so leave these for other destinations in the Philippines. We do offer one trip outside of Siquijor, and that is a day trip to Apo Island. This tour isn’t always available, so it’s best to coordinate it as early as possible. We offer it only to clients who purchase a full package from us, that include all accommodation, transportation and tours.
This tour is one of the two whole day trips we offer in Siquijor Island. It takes you into the island itself, and leaves Siquijor’s beaches out. As it’s a whole day trip, from 9:30am to 4:00pm, we’ll be able to cover all of the best spots of the island. We find this tour the best for you if you’re planning to take only one tour in Siquijor because you lack the time, or want to explore Paliton and Salagdong Beaches on your own, on another day.
We’ll take you to see the Old Enchanted Balete tree, a local ficus that is believed to be 400 years old, and is said to be inhabited by spirits. From there we’ll visit the biggest convent in Asia, St. Isidore Church and Convent in Lazi, before we’ll arrive in the famous Cambugahay Waterfalls where we’ll have lunch and swim. Cambugahay waterfalls are among the most beautiful in the Philippines. We’ll then visit Cantabon Cave, full of stalagmites and stalactites and even an underwater stream, upon returning to your hotel.
An optional stop which we think is highly worthwhile is to a Bolo-bolo Healer, also called locally as herbolario. If the local shaman will be available, and you will want to make the stop (which costs an additional “talent fee”, you’ll undertake a purifying ceremony that supposedly cures you from ailment, jinxes and the evil eye. We will also visit minor spots as listed in the short schedule below:
| Siquijor Island Tour Itinerary | |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | Pickup from hotel, Balete Tree and St. Isidore Church and Convent |
| 11:30 | Cambugahay Waterfalls, coastal view in Enrique Villanuave, Shell Museum, Cantabon Cave, and a bolo-bolo healer. |
| 15:30 | St. Francis of Assisi Church and Bell Tower (1783) - oldest church in Siquijor. |
| 16:00 | Drop off in the hotel. |
Inclusions: Best available transportation, driver/guide, entrances and fees. Exclusions: Tip
Price: from 60 USD per person. (must be 8 persons to book this price - for more info kindly send us a message)
This is the second whole day tour we offer in Siquijor, and as you could see, it overlaps in some parts with the Siquijor Island Tour. Therefore it will be redundant to combine these two tours, and it’s better to choose one of the whole day tours, with another short tour below instead. The Siquijor Coastal Tour with another short trip to Cantabon Cave will grant you the ultimate Siquijor experience.
The tour starts the same as the tour above, with visits to the Enchanted Balete Tree and St. Isidore Conven, and then a trip to Cambugahay Waterfalls. After Cambugahay we will visit the Traditional Healer if wanted and available, and then we will visit Salagdong Beach, where you could experience the 7 and 11 meters tall cliff jumps, and swim around in this popular beach. Then just before coming back to your hotel, St. Francis of Assisi Church, similarly to the tour above.
| Siquijor Coastal Tour Itinerary | |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | Pickup from hotel, Balete Tree and St. Isidore Church and Convent |
| 11:30 | Cambugahay Waterfalls, coastal view in Enrique Villanuave, Shell Museum, a bolo-bolo healer (optional), Salagdong Beach. |
| 15:30 | St. Francis of Assisi Church and Bell Tower (1783) - oldest church in Siquijor. |
| 16:00 | Drop off in the hotel. |
Inclusions: Best available transportation, driver/guide, entrances and fees. Exclusions: Lunch, Tip
Price: from 25 USD per person. (must be 8 persons to book this price - for more info kindly send us a message)
This trip is more suitable for people on a short vacation who don’t have much time. Or if you just want to visit Cambugahay Falls without anything else, this is also a great tour for you. As the name of the tour implies, this tour is shorter and starts at 1:30pm, when we’ll pick you up from your hotel, and take you to the Old Enchanted Balete Tree and St. Isidore Church and convent. Then we’ll go to Cambugahay Waterfalls until 4:30pm, when we’ll start to head back to your hotel.
It is possible to leave for this tour earlier, and spend more time in the waterfalls for an additional 10 USD per hour. Please let us know in advance that this is your intent, so we could make sure that you’ll get the most out of this short trip. The time frame of this tour is already the shortest we recommend in order to enjoy Cambugahay Falls, and shortening it isn’t an option.
| Cambugahay Waterfalls Short Trip Itinerary: | |
|---|---|
| 13:30 | Pickup from hotel, Balete Tree and St. Isidore Church and Convent |
| 15:15 | Cambugahay Waterfalls |
| 16:30 | Leaving Cambugahay Falls. |
| 17:00 | Drop off in the hotel. |
Inclusions: Best available transportation, driver/guide, entrances and fees. Exclusions: Lunch, Tip
Price: from 15 USD per person. (must be 8 persons to book this price - for more info kindly send us a message)
This is another short trip we offer in Siquijor, and is perfect in combination with the Siquijor Coastal Tour. Combining these two will cover all the best spots in Siquijor, and will take only one and a half days, leaving you enough time to relax and enjoy your resort. We’ll start at 1:00pm from your hotel, and go directly to Cantabon Cave, where we’ll explore its huge chamber and witness its wonderful stalactite and stalagmite formations and the underground water stream.
Be sure to bring proper shoes or hiking sandals, as well as a swimsuit. After we finish the caving activity, we’ll go to Mt. Bandilaan Peak (a short hike is included), enjoy nature and get a great view of Siquijor Island.
| Cantabon Cave and Mt. Bandilaan Trip Itinerary: | |
|---|---|
| 13:00 | Pickup from hotel, Balete Tree and St. Isidore Church and Convent |
| 13:30 | Cantabon Cave activity |
| 15:30 | Mt. Bandilaan Park |
| 17:00 | Drop off in the hotel. |
Inclusions: Best available transportation, driver/guide, entrances and fees. Exclusions: Lunch, Tip
Price: from 15 USD per person. (must be 8 persons to book this price - for more info kindly send us a message)
We think that you should spend about three nights in Siquijor, and take one of our longer tours (either the island or coastal tour). After you decide which longer tour you prefer, you can add a short tour to Cantabon Cave or to one of the many beaches Siquijor has to offer. In our opinion, the Coastal tour combined with the short Cantabon Cave tour is the best combination, but we are aware that you might have different preferences, and therefore offer a wider range of tours you can choose from.
Even though it might seem complicated, Siquijor is a small island, and covering all attractions should be rather easy, even if you have only 2 nights on the island. Feel free to consult with us if you want us to arrange your Siquijor Tour Package by inquiring. Siquijor Island is usually best combined with nearby islands such as Cebu or Bohol, but it can be a part of any vacation to the Philippines.
You could read our guide for planning your vacation in the Philippines, or inquire immediately and let us build a custom itinerary just for you.