Exploring Siquijor Island by Motorcycle
Siquijor is one of my favourite islands in the Philippines. Obviously, its natural beauty charmed me. So when my friend asked me that we go to Siquijor instead when we flew to Dumaguete, I didn’t think twice. Even though I just went there barely two months ago, going back to Siquijor is always a pleasure to me. I told my friend that I could tour her around but in one condition; we have to explore the island by motorcycle.
In my previous visits, I went around by tricycle. It is the most convenient mode to tour around the island. But since I was feeling a little adventurous and I wanted my third visit to be different, I would like to get around on motorcycle. I had to encourage my friend. She was feeling hesitant at first but I was still able to convince her in the end.
How to go to Siquijor from Dumaguete?
The easiest way to go to Siquijor is by riding a ferry from Dumaguete. There are also ferries from Cebu, Tagbilaran and Dapitan but I haven’t able to experience those routes yet. Earliest ferry departing from Dumaguete Pier is at 5:45 AM. We didn’t plan to stay overnight in the island so we took the first schedule and took the 4:00 PM ferry back to Dumaguete.
Here are the other schedules of boats and ferries between Dumaguete and Siquijor that I was able to note. Please be advised that this might change though without prior notice.
Dumaguete to Siquijor
- Aleson Shipping Lines
Schedule: 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 3:30 PM and 6:00 PM
Fare: Php 100 for Economy; Php 120 for Air-conditioned - Montenegro:
Schedule: 7:00 AM, 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM
Fare: Php 130 - Oceanjet:
Schedule: 12:50 PM
Fare: Php 210 for Tourist Class or Open-Air; Php 360 for Business Class - GL Express 2:
Schedule: 4:50 PM
Fare: Php 170
Siquijor to Dumaguete
- Aleson Shipping Lines:
Schedule: 6:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM and 6:00 PM
Fare: Php 100 for Economy; Php 120 for Air-conditioned - Montenegro:
Schedule: 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 4:30 PM
Fare: Php 130 - Oceanjet:
Schedule: 1:50 PM
Fare: Php 210 for Tourist Class or Open-Air; Php 360 for Business Class - GL Express 2:
Schedule: 1:00 PM
Fare: Php 170
Renting a Motorcycle
We arrived in the island around 7:00 AM. We rented a motorcycle from Kuya Dennis, who was our tricycle driver and guide before. The rent for whole day is Php 350 exclusive of gas. Gas was around Php 150 to Php 300. But still depends on how far we will be driving the motorcycle.
It has been a long time already since the last time I used a motorcycle. Gladly, I can still remember how to drive one. The last time is when I was in Pai. But trust me, if you know how to bike, then this will come easy for you.
Tourist Spots to See Along the Road
We only had a day. It could be a great experience if we go around the entire island but it might take us longer. Our time wouldn’t be enough to do it so I told my friend that I would just bring her to some of the most popular spots.
We started our motorcycle tour by visiting the Siquijor Triangular landmark and the one with the “I Love Siquijor” marking. These are just located nearby the pier and along the highway so reaching them was easy. After which, we stopped by in an eatery along the road to eat breakfast. We didn’t able to take our breakfast from our hotel in Dumaguete since we left at dawn.
It was around 10:00 AM when we resumed our tour. We travelled the road again with our motorcycle and reached these places: Old Enchanted Balete Tree, Lazi Convent and Lazi Church.
It was my first time though to get inside the Lazi Convent. The convent is a spacious two-storey building, where the first level is made of square-cut coral stone masonry while the second level is made of wood. It is the largest and oldest convent in Asia. Inside is a museum that showcase old religious artefacts and antiques. Unfortunately though, the museum was closed that time.
Cliff Diving at Salagdoong Beach
It was nearing noontime when we arrived in Salagdoong Beach. This might sound cliché but this is a must visit in the island. Salagdoong Beach is one of the popular beaches. It is also one of my favourites, simply because it looks gorgeous. I love its irresistible water that is changing from blue to turquoise.
It also has cliff diving spots, which is also one of the reasons why my friend was excited to be here. She wanted to try cliff diving. Although I tried this adventure already before, standing by the cliff dive platforms still gave me the chills. It took a little longer for us to finally jump off the cliff because we still gathered some courage to do it. Clearly, I was able to enjoy it. I did it more than enough that I already got exhausted in the end. But honestly, I was just frustrated to have a perfect shot of my cliff jumping and floating.
We spent almost three hours in Salagdoong Beach that we already forgot taking our lunch. I hope my friend was able to enjoy the beach. Although she got bruises on her legs after trying cliff jumping, I’m sure she was happy about the adventure.
A Different Paliton Beach
We skipped visiting some tourist spots after Salagdoong Beach since we were only left with few hours. It was around 2:00 PM and we intended to catch the 4:00 PM ferry back to Dumaguete. So we speeded straight to Paliton Beach. This is also one of my favourite beaches in the island. I find this destination natural beautiful and serene. It isn’t crowded much of the time. The sand is white and the water is clear. It is a nice beach to take a dip.
However, there was an event when we visited the place. The 16th Philippine Hobie Challenge was happening. An open beach volley tournament was taking place when we arrived late afternoon. There were also some food stalls. Since we hadn’t had our lunch yet, we just grab some snacks in the area and left afterwards. I got little disappointed when we left because I wasn’t able to show to my friend how really nice Paliton Beach was.
Touring Siquijor is always a great experience for me. I was happy that I was able to get around by motorcycle this time, which is one of the things I would like to experience since then. Though we only visited a few, it was an adventure that made this getaway a memorable and exciting for my friend and I.
Kuya Dennis
Siquijor Island Tricycle Driver / Motorcycle Rental Owner
Phone: (63) 936 110-7863
