Inside
To slow right down on an island you can circle in a day and still not want to leave.
Add Siquijor to my journeyFor generations, Filipinos have spoken about Siquijor in a lowered voice. It's the island of mananambal, the traditional folk healers who work with herbs, oils and prayer, and of stories about love potions and spells. The reputation kept tourism away for a long time, which is partly why the island still feels so unhurried.
What you find is gentle: a 70-odd-kilometre ring road through villages and forest, waterfalls the colour of mouthwash, Spanish-era churches, white-sand coves and a west-facing coast made for sunsets. Rent a scooter or hire a driver, loop the island in a day, and spend the rest of your time doing very little.
Siquijor sits in the sweet spot between easy and undiscovered. It's well connected to Dumaguete and Bohol, it has enough good places to stay, and the roads are quiet enough to explore by scooter. Yet it still feels like a rural island where the main event is the evening light.
It's also small. You can see everything in a day, which leaves the rest of your stay for swimming, reading and long dinners.
Most places to stay are along the west and southwest coasts, where the sunsets are.
The island loop is the classic day. Start early, go anticlockwise or clockwise, and stop wherever you like.
Siquijor's beaches are small and peaceful rather than spectacular. The west coast is best for swimming and sunsets.
Siquijor's mananambal (folk healers) still practise across the island, mostly for local people. Some will see visitors for a traditional treatment such as bolo-bolo, which uses a glass of water and a bamboo straw. Approach it with respect and curiosity rather than as a show.
Every Holy Week, healers gather in the hills to prepare potions of herbs, roots and oils, a ritual that has drawn more interest from visitors in recent years. If you're there at that time, ask us how to go respectfully.
Siquijor's reefs are healthy and rarely busy, with walls, macro life and the occasional turtle close to shore. San Juan has several dive centres. Apo Island, one of the country's best-known marine sanctuaries, is reachable by boat from the island or from Dumaguete.
Insider notes
16 days · Essential / Boutique / Premium
Manila • Dumaguete • Siquijor • Bohol • Siargao
Fewer stops, longer stays. Siquijor's waterfalls and healers, Bohol's countryside, then four unhurried days in Siargao. For people who would rather know one place well than see six.
From €2,400per person ·
View journey →12 days · Essential / Boutique
Cebu • Moalboal • Siquijor • Bohol
Three islands for a sensible price: Moalboal's turtles and sardines, Siquijor's waterfalls and Bohol's hills. Simple, well-chosen hotels and transfers by road and sea.
From €1,300per person ·
View journey →Use this journey as inspiration. Change the islands, hotels, pace, activities or number of nights.
Add Siquijor to my journeyFly to Dumaguete, then take a fast craft of around 1–1.5 hours. Ferries also run from Bohol and Cebu.
Yes. Its reputation for witchcraft is folklore; the island is peaceful and welcoming.
Two nights is enough to see the island; three or four lets you actually relax.
If you're confident, yes. Roads are quiet. Otherwise a driver with a tricycle or van is easy to arrange.
Inside
A relaxed university town on Negros with a seafront promenade, very good diving at Apo Island and Dauin, and ferries to Siquijor.
Inside
The Chocolate Hills, tiny tarsiers, a slow green river and the beaches of Panglao, all within an easy two hours of each other.
Inside
A big island of sugar country, heritage towns and grilled chicken in the north, and quiet beaches, marine reserves and Dumaguete's easy pace in the south.
Tell us when you're coming. We'll help design the rest.