An expat's first Siargao trip

If you moved to the Philippines for work and your weekends still look like your home country, Siargao is a good change. It is a direct flight from Manila or Cebu, and life is slower as soon as you land.

People on the island travel by motorbike, plan their days around the surf, and go to bed early. The famous places are worth the visit: the Cloud 9 boardwalk at sunset, the Sugba lagoon's green water, the sandbar islands you reach by banca (a small wooden outrigger boat).

Going with a mixed group of expats and locals changes the trip. You get the places, and you also get the context: why the food is the way it is, what the town was like before tourism grew, and which carinderia (small local eatery) is worth the wait.