Photo: AGUSTIN MENDEZ, Tubod Founding Hero · CC BY-SA 4.0
A labyrinth of jungle-clad limestone domes, hidden lagoons and sea caves on Bucas Grande Island, entered by small boat through a tunnel that only opens at lower tides. Day trips weave between glowing caverns like Hagukan and Magkukuob (with its cliff-jump exit), and in season you can swim among thousands of harmless stingless jellyfish in a landlocked lagoon. It's the most otherworldly day trip you can make from Siargao.
A tiny teardrop islet crowned with a mop of coconut palms, floating just off General Luna — the desert-island cliché made real. You can stroll its entire circumference in a few minutes, snorkel the surrounding coral, or claim a patch of sand with a coconut in hand. It's the usual final, sunset-ish stop of the tri-island tour.
A turquoise lagoon ringed by jungle-covered limestone hills, reached by a gorgeous 30–45 minute bangka ride through the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the Philippines. A two-storey pavilion floats in the middle with a jumping platform, kayaks and paddleboards for hire. The water shifts between blue and green depending on the light and is calm enough for even hesitant swimmers.
Natural infinity pools carved into a reef shelf in Pilar, revealed only when the tide drains away to leave glassy, jade-green basins deep enough for cliff jumps. A giant balancing boulder (the 'pungko') looms over the flats, and the surrounding beach is a beauty in its own right. At high tide the whole thing disappears under the Pacific.
A bare crescent of white sand rising out of turquoise water — no trees, no huts, nothing but sandbar and sea, which is exactly the point. It's the classic first stop on General Luna's tri-island hopping run, ideal for a swim and wide-open photos with 360-degree ocean views. The sandbar shrinks and shifts with the tide.