Interesting Places to Visit in Siquijor Part 8

It's More Fun in the Philippines, No.1 for Fun!

Planning a trip? Those who love to travel know the essence of all travel is about you and your enjoyment. Travelers know that the destination is a major part of planning a trip, experiencing and delving deeper into unfamiliar places, people and culture are paramount.

Expand your horizons and set your sight to the Philippines, an off the beaten path travel site! An undiscovered paradise made of thousands of islands and white sand beaches all around! A tiny dot in the map of the world, and yet a haven for travelers, backpackers, retirees and even passersby.

It offers awesome tourist attractions, magnificent beaches, hot spring resorts, colorful festivals, hundreds of scenic spots and world-class hotels and facilities. Not to mention the tropical climate, the affordable prices as well as the friendly and hospitable, English-speaking people! You will be glad you came, and we’re sure, you WILL come back for more FUN in the Philippines!

INTERESTING PLACES IN SIQUIJOR

We traveled to the Philippines with one dream – finding the perfect beach. Palm-fringed, white sand, pristine turquoise sea. You know, the works. The Philippines were on our radar for ages, after several of our friends visited and posted pictures of stunning beaches, world class dive sites and multicolored sunsets, we simply couldn’t wait.

The day after we finally hopped on the ferry and made the journey to Siquijor. As soon as we set foot on the island we were like ‘that’s it’. This is the kind of place we were looking for. There was a cute pebble beach right next to the ferry landing, with a few houses along the shore, and hills covered in forest. If this is just the harbor, we thought, the rest of the island must be seriously stunning.

Siquijor is famous around the Philippines for being the home of spirits, mysteries and sorcerers practicing voodoo and dark arts. The island was named ‘Isla del Fuego’ (the island of fire) by the Spanish, and Siquijor retains the nickname to this day. The name was related to the eerie glow surrounding the island when the conquistadores arrived, which were in fact in swarms of fireflies blinking in the twilight.

When we got to Coral Cay, the resort where we would be staying, the ‘that’s it’ feeling got even stronger. We were staying in a bungalow barely 20 meters from the beach – which seemed to have been taken straight from my dreams. White, soft sand. Azure wavelets lapping at the shore. Palms bowing at the sea. Hammocks strung between one tree and another. Bangka, traditional Filipino boats, moored in the shallows.

When sunset came, the sky turned multicolored – and every day, the show was different. One day the sky was bright and warm, the same color of a juicy orange. Another day it was blue-purple, streaked with highlighter-pink clouds. One day it was overcast, and the colors were muted – but as the sun approached the horizon it seemed to rip through the clouds, illuminating the shore with beams of light.

Yet, Siquijor will always be a special place, because it was the first time we found the Philippines we were looking for. Over the rest of our month in the country we would fall in love again and again, but Siquijor will always be our first love. Read More: http://www.thecrowdedplanet.com/siquijor-tourist-spots/

Tubod Marine Sanctuary

Photo from: https://www.bluehorizons.travel/activity_lists/tubod-marine-sanctuary/

Tubod Marine Sanctuary one of the best dive sites in Siquijor and a good place to spot mating mandarin fishes at dusk.

Situated on the southwestern side of the island, this 7.5 hectare protected area was originally declared in 1989 through Municipal Ordinance 07-1989. A series of amendments in the ordinance and changes in the management body re-established it as a protected area in 2003 through Municipal Ordinance 15-2003. This fringing reef is characterized by a long stretch of white sand, a large algal and sea-grass bed in the flat reef and followed by a slope dominated by branching growth forms of live hard corals. This MPA is also houses the Coco Grove resort and Sea Explorers dive shop. Read More: https://greedypeg.org/siquijor/Tubod-Marine-Sanctuary.html

Tulapos Marine Sanctuary

Photo from: http://www.beautyofcebu.com/2013/03/tulapos-marine-sanctuary-siquijor.html

My friend and I had rented snorkeling equipment in our hotel and talked to the owner, who recommended Tulapos Marine Sanctuary for seeing sharks (black tip sharks) and barracudas when snorkeling – so we took our first stop on our scooter tour on the coastal main road here.

From the road, there is only a sign in one direction, so keep an eye out if your finding it yourself. The beach is not very big, but big enough for staying some time and my friend and i haf it all to our selves apart from a handling of locals. There is a fee of 25P Per person for snorkling, and a guide can be hired for 150P.

Our original plan was to just snorkel on our own, but we ended up hiring a guide to find sharks and barracudas easier which turned out to be a good decision. The locals know the animals in the sea and are way more faster in spotting things. I don’t think I would have seen sharks without them. So snorkeling here, my friend and I saw two-three black tip sharks, a sea turtle an lots of barracudas in 10 m deep water. We also saw giant clams.

I would definitely recommend a visit here if you are in to snorkling – and you will have it all to yourselves. Read More: https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Attraction_Review-g664445-d1575673-Reviews-Tulapos_Marine_Sanctuary-Siquijor_Island_Visayas.html