Siquijor Island Day Trip from Dumaguete — Waterfalls, Beaches & Heritage

Siquijor has a reputation that precedes it — "the island of witches," Filipinos say, a place of mystical healers, mananabal traditional medicine men, and an atmosphere distinctly different from anywhere else in the Visayas. Whether you believe in magic or not, there's no denying that Siquijor is stunningly beautiful, relatively unspoiled, and packed with attractions that don't fit the conventional Philippine island template.

The fast ferry from Dumaguete reaches Siquijor town in 45 minutes, and your guide is waiting on the pier with a tricycle or minivan to start a circuit of the island's highlights. Cambugahay Falls is first: a series of blue-green swimming holes fed by freshwater springs, where tarzan ropes swing out over the pools and the water is warm enough to stay in for hours. The colonial heritage stops follow — Lazi Convent (1857) and its adjacent church are among the oldest and most beautiful Spanish colonial buildings in the Philippines, and the town square around them is frozen in an earlier century.

The massive, centuries-old balete tree in Santa Maria is worth the brief stop: its aerial roots form a curtain around a shallow pool where tiny fish nibble your feet in a natural spa experience. The afternoon moves to San Juan's beach for swimming in the turquoise shallows, then a snorkeling session at the Paliton marine sanctuary before the return ferry to Dumaguete. Book via Klook for an all-inclusive package including ferry tickets and guide.