Helpful Tips to Travel Siargao on a Budget | Plus Breakdown of OurSiargao Adventure Expenses!

How to Travel Siargao on a Budget


In the North-eastern part of Mindanao in the Philippines, lies an amazing and one-of-a-kind tear-drop shaped island hailed as the "Best Island in Asia" (by an international luxury and travel magazine Conde Nast Travelers or CNT), called Siargao. Siargao is a famous island covered with sky-high palm trees, beautiful white sand, crystal clear water, and is blessed with amazing waves all year round. No wonder why Siargao is currently a hot spot for both foreign and local tourists with its exotic tropical vibes, island life, amazing adventures, and breathtaking views.

You guys know I've been to the amazing Siargao last month. We've enjoyed Siargao for 3 days and it was a blast. I can never forget the view, the amazing beaches, the island life, and the cool waves of Siargao. As you can see from the pictures on my previous blog posts (Day 1 Cloud 9 Surfing, Day 2 Island Tour, Day 3 Island Hopping), the gang and I had the best experience in Siargao. My most favorite part? Surfing!

If you guys are planning to go over Siargao, you'll need to plan ahead of time. If you read my 3-part Siargao travel blog posts, then you'd know that we got short of time and failed to go to some of the beautiful spots of the island. So I suggest, you spend one full week of vacation so you can truly enjoy every bit of Siargao.

And if you are on a tight budget like me, you'll definitely need a helping hand from someone who's been there and have experienced how expensive Siargao can get, like me :)

So if you're planning to visit Siargao, maybe my experience and the tips I'm about to give can help you travel Siargao island on a budget. Find out how you can save money whilst still be able to enjoy all the amazing things Siargao has to offer.


Helpful Tips to Travel Siargao on a Budget


  • Plan & Save
Traveling to Siargao, just like traveling to any place needs a good planning. Especially when you're traveling on a budget, you need to plan ahead of time. Planning was the one thing my friends and I failed to do. Although we've already set the date, our means of transportation, and agreed to save P20 a day until D-day, we failed to plan the itinerary and believe me, we regretted not doing so. We failed to enjoy some amazing spots of Siargao because we didn't know what to do when we arrived. We arrived in Siargao early morning around 8am and we simply fell asleep the moment we stepped foot at our accommodation. I admit, we really needed the rest after long hours of land travel. But, it was a waste of time. We only had 3 days to enjoy the island and we already lost half a day sleeping. It could have been fine if we had more days to stay, but we couldn't stay much longer.


  • Travel with friends

The more the merrier when it comes to traveling! Added to that, traveling with friends means you'll have other people to share your expenses with. As for us, we've saved P20 a day prior to traveling and we saved up to P3000 each which we budgeted and spent on our transportation & fuel, accommodation, and food allowance. So all we had to spend on Siargao were the tour fees, some snacks, and souvenirs for our loved ones.


  • Rent a house
Photo grabbed from AirBnb

Since there were around 11 of us, we decided to rent a house on Airbnb. I can say that we were actually able to save this way because the house has everything we need. From living room with TV, internet, dining area, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms, it's all available. And with having a kitchen, we were able to cook food for ourselves and save money from buying at expensive restaurants in Siargao.

There are also lots of accommodations you can check and book at Booking.com. You use my link (https://www.booking.com/s/27_8/emmere39) and get a 10% refund off of your bill after checkout!

  • Rent a scooter

We rented a private van on our way to Surigao and parked it at the port since it's much expensive to travel the van by sea to Siargao. So when in Siargao, the best way to travel and enjoy the island is by renting a scooter.  There are also vans for rent if you prefer a more comfortable means of transportation. But for us, we wanted to feel the heat of Siargao and be like the locals. So rented three scooters for P350 per day each which is pretty cheap actually.


  • Always cook & bring your own food
If you'll rent a house from Airbnb, cooking your own food and bringing them for your tour is the best way to save money. Food in Siargao can be pretty expensive honestly. So don't forget to prepare your food ahead of time before going out!


  • Don't be shy to haggle
There are several tour guides available in Siargao that can guide and take you to all the beautiful spots on the island and they can be pretty expensive. They know you're there to spend money. So if you're in a budget, let them know and don't hesitate to haggle! Don't be shy! Also, try to weigh your choices. Ask around and choose the cheapest one you can find. After all, they're all gonna take you to the same places! If you are looking for a great guide to take you around Siargao, you can try to contact


Siargao on a Budget | Breakdown of Expenses


*These tips might not be the best options but I can say that it has personally helped me save a ton of money, and I hope it could help you out too*

As I said, we saved up P20 a day for our Siargao escapade. The money we were able to raise was used to pay for our transportation, fuel for the van, and accommodation. So for our initial payment, the money was used for the following expenses:

  • Van from Iligan to Surigao: P2,500 per day x 4 days = 10,000 + 5,000 (fuel) => 15,000/12 persons = P1,250 per head
  • Airbnb: P11,200 (for two nights) = P1,018 per head
  • Food Allowance: P800 each

Here are the fees we paid upon arriving at Surigao and going to Siargao island.
  • Parking Slot + fee for 2 nights: around 1,200/12 = P100 per head
  • Ferry to Siargao (tourist): P180 per head
  • Multicab from Siargao port to Airbnb accommodation: P400/11 persons = P36 per head

TOTAL OF INITIAL EXPENSES: P3,384

Here's a quick rundown of our 3 day Siargao itinerary and the breakdown of our daily expenses.

Day 1: Cloud 9 Surfing



We spent our first day surfing in the famous Cloud 9 of Siargao. Check my full blog post about our day at Cloud 9 here.

  • Scooter: P350
  • Cloud 9: P500 surfing w/ instructor
  • Cloud 9 entrance: P50
  • Dessert at night: P300 (mango float, Oreo mousse cake 150 each)

DAY 1 EXPENSES: P1,200
Day 2: Sugba Lagoon & Tayangban Cave
The second day was spent on an epic land tour in Sugba Lagoon and Tayangban Cave. We were supposed to go check out Magpupungko rock pools before Tayangban Cave but we spent too much time at Sugba Lagoon and failed to catch the low tide for Magpupungko. Better luck next time! :) If you haven't checked out yet, you can go ahead and read my full blog post on our epic Siargao land tour here.


  • Scooter: P350 
  • Tour Fee (Sugba Lagoon, Magpupungko, Tangbayan Cave): P3,000 inclusive of transportation & tour guide / 11 = P272 per head
  • 2 Boats to Sugba Lagoon (6 persons per boat capacity): P1500 per boat x 2 = P3000/11 = P272 per head (roundtrip)
  • Family Kayak Rent (1 hr rent): P500/4pax = P125 per head
  • Entrance to Tayangban Cave: P70 per head
  • Tour guide fee: P200/9 = P22 per head

DAY 2 EXPENSES: P1,111
Day 3: Naked & Daku Island Hopping

Our last day was spent touring the famous islands of Siargao. The tour was inclusive of three islands (Naked, Daku, and Guyam Island) but we were short of time and was only able to go to two of them.

  • Scooter: P350
  • Environmental Fee: P50 per head
  • Boat Rent: P2500/11 = P227 per head
  • Googles Rent: P150
  • Food (2kg grilled pork / without rice since we brought our own): P900+150 (service fee)/11 = P95.50 per head
  • Cottage & Docking Fee at Daku Island: P150+100 = 250/11 => P23 per head

Check out all the deets* of our amazing island hopping on my last Siargao blog post here.
  • Transportation to port: P600 = P55 per head
  • Fast Cat Ferry to Surigao = P300 per head
Day 3 EXPENSES: P1250.50

TOTAL EXPENSES: P6,945.50 + 1,000 (unaccounted expenses like bottled water, snacks, etc) = around P8,000.00
An 8,000 budget for a three days trip to Siargao was all worth it. You can already do lots of things within the P8,000 budget mark. And if you plan your itinerary ahead of time, you'll be able to tour the same places that we went to, plus you'll also get to check out the ones we missed.

I can't say that these tips and expenses are the best and cheapest way to tour Siargao. These tips might not be the best options but I can say that it has personally helped me save money while enjoying Siargao, and I hope it could help you out too.

Let me know what you guys think. If you've been to Siargao and have spent cheaper than I did, leave all the details below! :) I'd love to know and check them out!

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