A sea of coconut palms that stretches to the hills, a river you jump into from a platform, rock pools that only appear at low tide and an emerald lagoon at the end of a boat ride through the Philippines’ largest mangrove forest. Can you really fit all of Siargao’s big sights into one day, and is a tour better than hiring a scooter? I did the land tour on my first full day on the island, and here’s exactly how it works, what it costs and how to time it.
The Siargao land tour is the island’s classic day out: one long, brilliant loop that strings together its best natural sights, from the Coconut View and Maasin River to Magpupungko’s tidal pools and Sugba Lagoon. It’s the single thing I’d most recommend doing on a first trip to Siargao, and the easiest way to see the island beyond General Luna.
I did a shared land tour from General Luna on my first full day on Siargao, still catching up on sleep after the flights. This guide covers every stop, how the day is timed around the tides, what’s included and what costs extra, who to book with and how to do it yourself by scooter.
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Siargao land tour at a glance
- Stops: Coconut View, Maasin River, lunch, Magpupungko rock pools and Sugba Lagoon, often with Secret Beach.
- How long: a full day, with pick-up from General Luna at about 7.30 to 8am and back by about 4 to 5pm.
- Cost: shared tours about ₱1,900 to ₱2,200 per person with lunch and fees booked locally, or about £25 to £45 online; a van and driver about ₱2,500 to ₱4,000 for the day.
- Fees if you go independently: about ₱50 at Maasin and Magpupungko, and ₱170 per person plus ₱2,150 per boat for Sugba Lagoon.
- Timing: the order of the stops depends on the tide, as Magpupungko is only open around low tide.
- Bring: water shoes, cash, a dry bag and reef-safe sun cream.
What the land tour includes
There’s no single official land tour: every operator runs its own version of the same loop through the centre and north-west of the island, between General Luna, Pilar and Del Carmen. A standard tour includes hotel pick-up in a van, a guide (often doubling as photographer), the entrance fees, the boat to Sugba Lagoon and a set lunch, but budget tours sometimes leave out lunch, the Maasin boat or the Sugba boat, so check exactly what you’re paying for.
The order changes from day to day. Magpupungko’s pools are only accessible for about two hours either side of low tide, so good operators build the day around that window: on some days you’ll do the rock pools first thing, on others last. Mine went Coconut View, Maasin River, lunch, Magpupungko, then Sugba Lagoon.
A separate “north land tour” covers Pacifico, Alegria and the north-east coast instead. It’s a different product, so make sure you’re booking the right one.
The stops
Coconut View
The first stop on my tour was Coconut View, a roadside viewpoint on a hill near Maasin, about 25 to 30 minutes from General Luna, where coconut palms stretch as far as the eye can see in every direction. It’s a quick stop, just five or ten minutes, but it’s really beautiful. It’s free, and it’s best in the soft light early or late in the day.
Just beyond it is Coconut Road, the straight, palm-lined stretch of road you’ll have seen in photos of Siargao.
Maasin River
Maasin River is a green, palm-shaded river near the red Maasin River Bridge, where you can swim, jump in from a platform or hop in from the steps, and rent a boat or kayak to paddle upstream. The famous bent coconut palm and its rope swing, once Siargao’s most photographed spot, fell into the river in 2023, and a jumping platform has replaced it.
Our guide gave us half an hour, so I didn’t have time to kayak, which pretty much everyone recommends. It was boiling hot, though, so I went straight in, and the water was cool and so refreshing. It’s one of the spots on Siargao you really should visit.
- Entrance: about ₱20 to ₱50, including the platform.
- Boats and kayaks: about ₱600 for a boat for up to three, ₱200 to ₱300 for a kayak, ₱250 to ₱350 for a paddleboard and about ₱20 for a simple bamboo kayak.
- Hours: about 7.30am to 6pm. It’s busiest from 9 to 11am, and drones are banned.
Top tip
If you want to paddle up the river, ask your operator for more time at Maasin, or come back on a scooter another day. Half an hour is enough for a swim, but not for a kayak.
Lunch
After a super active morning, lunch is a traditional Filipino meal, usually at a simple eatery in Pilar or near Magpupungko, with rice and dishes such as adobo, grilled fish or vegetables. It’s included on most tours. If it isn’t, expect to pay about ₱80 to ₱150 at a carinderia (a local canteen) or ₱150 to ₱250 at a restaurant. Some tours lay on a boodle fight, a feast spread out on banana leaves.
Magpupungko rock pools
Magpupungko, near the town of Pilar on the east coast, is a series of natural pools in a flat shelf of dark rock, filled with impossibly clear water when the tide goes out. At high tide the rock shelf is submerged and the pools disappear, so you can only swim here for about two hours either side of low tide. It’s one of the things you absolutely shouldn’t miss on the island.
You walk along a small beach and then over the rocks to the pools, and the rocks are slippery: my water shoes were an absolute godsend. There are also cliff jumps of about 3 to 5 metres into pools 3 to 4.5 metres deep. I didn’t jump. I’m a baby when it comes to climbing up rocks, not the jumping in. There are no lifeguards, so only jump where locals and guides show you.
- Entrance: ₱50, plus ₱20 to park.
- Extras: a cottage (a shaded hut) for ₱300 to ₱500, a local guide for ₱100 to ₱150 and a life vest for ₱100.
- No lockers: bring a dry bag and keep your valuables with you.
Sugba Lagoon
The last stop on my tour was Sugba Lagoon, an emerald lagoon ringed by forested limestone cliffs, reached by a 30-minute boat ride from Del Carmen through the Del Carmen mangroves, the largest continuous mangrove forest in the Philippines. It reminded me of the karst scenery around Railay in Thailand, and my first reaction was just: oh wow.
Your tour pays the boat and fees at the Del Carmen tourism centre. At the lagoon there’s a floating platform with a diving board, a designated swimming area, and kayaks and paddleboards for hire. When I visited, a single kayak cost ₱200 for an hour, a double ₱300 and a glass-bottomed kayak ₱500. I rented one, and it immediately started to rain, which happens every time I rent a kayak, but the water was a perfect temperature for swimming.
It was very busy, and the lagoon is a small area, so it would have been even nicer a little quieter. Tour groups arrive in numbers from late morning, so on a land tour you’ll almost always share it.
- Fees: ₱100 entrance, ₱50 environmental fee and ₱20 terminal fee per person, plus ₱2,150 for a boat for up to six.
- Hours: about 7am to 5pm, with a strict three-hour limit at the lagoon.
- Rules: no food, alcohol or single-use plastic (bags are checked at the pier), and reef-safe sun cream only.
- Closed: every year from 10 January to 10 February, and whenever a storm warning is raised.
Secret Beach
Many land tours finish at Secret Beach, also known as Guiwan or Doot Beach, in Malinao on the way back to General Luna. It’s a quiet, calm beach on the edge of a mangrove-fringed lagoon, with great swimming, very still water and kayaks and paddleboards for hire. Entry is free, with ₱20 parking if you come by scooter.
How to book the Siargao land tour
Shared tours
The easiest option is a shared (joiner) tour, booked through your accommodation, an agency in General Luna or directly on WhatsApp. Booking locally is cheaper than booking online.
- Siargao Island Philippines: a DOT-accredited operator running shared land tours for about ₱1,900 per person, including pick-up, guide, the Sugba boat, entrance fees and a set lunch. WhatsApp +63 919 647 6677.
- SiargaoIslandHopping.com: shared tours from about ₱2,100 per person, including the van, boat, food and Secret Beach.
- Online: GetYourGuide and Klook list shared land tours from about £25 to £45 per person. Read the reviews closely, as quality varies and some leave out lunch or the Maasin boat.
Private tours and drivers
A private van with a driver costs about ₱2,500 to ₱4,000 for the day, plus fees, which works out well for a group. GL Island Tours (WhatsApp +63 923 348 8333) runs private land tours priced per person, from about ₱1,900 each for four people, though its standard loop doesn’t include Sugba Lagoon.
Doing it yourself by scooter
You can do the loop independently on a scooter, which costs about ₱350 to ₱450 a day in General Luna (with a deposit and ID). The main roads are paved, with rough patches around Pilar and gravel after rain, and there are no streetlights, so be back before dark. You need a valid licence: riding without one risks a fine of ₱2,500 to ₱3,000. For Sugba Lagoon, register and pay at the Del Carmen tourism centre and share a boat with other independent visitors to cut the cost.
Top tip
Check the tide chart before you book or set off. If low tide falls in the morning, do Magpupungko first; if it’s in the afternoon, do Sugba in the morning before the tour groups arrive, then finish at the rock pools.
When to go
- Season: the driest, calmest months are roughly March to October; December and January are the wettest. Magpupungko can be rough from November to January.
- Day of the week: weekdays are quieter than weekends, when Sugba’s jetty can be three boats deep.
- Sugba’s annual closure: 10 January to 10 February.
What to bring
- Water shoes for Magpupungko’s slippery rocks.
- Cash for fees, kayaks and snacks. There are no ATMs at Magpupungko or the Del Carmen port, and General Luna’s ATMs can run dry at weekends.
- A dry bag for your phone and valuables.
- Reef-safe sun cream, a hat and a refillable bottle, as single-use plastic isn’t allowed at Sugba.
- A towel and a change of clothes for the van.
Recommended tours
- Siargao land tour with lunch and hotel transfers: The best-reviewed shared tour, with Sugba Lagoon, Magpupungko and lunch.
- Siargao land tour with lunch and Sugba Lagoon: The full loop with Maasin River and lunch.
- Siargao land tour with a boodle fight lunch: The loop with a Filipino feast laid out on banana leaves.
Map
Read next
- Sugba Lagoon, Siargao: how to visit, prices and tips
- Sohoton Cove tour from Siargao: the jellyfish lagoon, caves and what to expect
- Siargao travel guide
- 3 days in Siargao
- The perfect 3-week Philippines itinerary
- Philippines packing list
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