Surigao Bucas Grande Islands + Siargao: The Plan, The Budget and Itinerary

I heard about this place in Surigao where you can touch the jellyfish, and they won’t sting! I heard this from a fellow traveller in UBBE Palaui way back in 2010. The place was not that popular yet. Summer 2012, pictures of these jellyfish in Sohoton Natural Park plagued my Facebook timeline. Flashback moment: Oh, I’ve heard about this! 

In July 2012, I chanced upon Airphil’s Php 188 seat sale and booked an RT flight from Manila to Surigao. The base fare was Php 376.000 but adding all the add-ons, the total fare amounted to Php 1,334. Ganun na talaga ang "seatsale" ngayon.

I excitedly started researching about my itinerary and projected costs. Ooops, it seems that the costs are quite pricey for a solo traveller. For one, I will have to rent the entire boat myself (gulp!).

So I shared the details of my trip to my travel buddies in my GenSan-Saranggani trip. Abangers mode ng seat sale. By November 2012, they were able to book their own flights. Yay! There was a total of 6 pax for this trip. So... getting a package was an option.

The table below reflects the estimated costs if we do it DIY all the way. I got the group costs from various blogs and forums over the internet. I can't vouch for the accuracy. 

PARTICULARS	NOTES	GROUP COST	COST/PAX
Sohoton boat rental		3,500.00	583.33
Boat docking fee	Php 100 per boat	100.00	16.67
One-time entrance fee for all attractions			25.00
Life vest rental			30.00
Pumpboat rental and boatman's fee for Sohoton Cove	Good for 3 pax	500.00	166.67
Tour Guide Fee	2 guides per boat - P 330 per boat	660.00	110.00
Snorkel Gear			100.00
Sohoton National Park	Includes various entrance fees, environmental fees, and boat transfers		635.00
Lunch	Lunch during tour is usually "paluto"		300.00
TOTAL of DIY Option			1,966.67

I researched tour operators for Bucas Grande Islands and it seems that Sir Ed of Island Vacations is quite popular. I texted him inquiring about the package tours and he referred me to Sir Tata Bulabog. 

He offered us a package costing Php 2,600 for the 6 of us. This includes an additional night of accommodation in Cinnamon Island and food (quite plenty). AND. The convenience of not having to pay for every step of the way. Sold! We got a the tour package! 

Cinnamon Island

The table below reflects our itinerary and the actual costs incurred during the trip. This includes airfare and excludes pasalubong purchases.

TIME	PARTICULARS	NOTES	ACTUAL COST (PHP)
	Airfare via 2P		1,334.00
DAY 1	Depart Manila/ Surigao
	Breakfast at McDo	MRT Taft	134.00
	Jeep to NAIA 3		8.00
	NAIA 3 Terminal Fee		200.00
11:00	Depart Manila
12:30	Arrive Surigao	Travel buddies
12:40	Arrive Surigao	Me
	Wait for others
14:00	Airport to city proper
	Trike to Mall		20.00
	Lunch in Jollibee Surigao		99.00
	Van to Hayanggabon Port	“chance opportunity”	120.00
	Pay the package		2,600.00
DAY 2	Bucas Grande Island Tour
4:30	Wake-up call
	Sohoton Cove
	Tiktikan Lake
	Crystal Cave
	Magkuku-ob Cave
	Tiktikan Lake	One paddle boat per person
	Jellyfish Sanctuary
	Hagukan Cave	Half-submerged cave
	Hidden Island Resort
	Lunch
	Club Tara Resort
	Overnight in Islander Vacation in Socorro	Early travel to Siargao the next day	250.00
	Tip		100.00
	Ensaymada		5.00
	Dinner in Socorro		50.00
DAY 3	Socorro to Siargao
4:30am	Wake up Call
	Pandesal		4.00
	Port Fee		3.00
	Brunch		260.00
5 - 8am	Sea travel to Siargao Island	May fluctuate depending on the date	200.00
	Habal habal to General Luna (Roundtrip)	per person	40.00
	Island Hopping (Guyam, Dako, Naked)	Php 1,5000 boat	250.00
	Guyam Island entrance fee		10.00
	Resort Room	Quad sharing room	250.00
	Junk Food		50.00
	Dinner		260.00
	Water		40.00
DAY 4	Depart Surigao/Arrive Manila
3:30am	Early		70.00
	Tip to trike driver		30.00
	Ferry from Siargao to Surigao		173.00
	Terminal fee		10.00
	Multicab	2 rides	20.00
	McDo Lunch		159.00
12:50	Depart Surigao	Batch 1
13:00	Depart Surigao	Me
14:40	Arrive Manila
	TOTAL		6,749.00

Notes:

The Siargao-Surigao boat schedules vary. This depends on the functioning boat during the trip. There was only one boat departing for Surigao during our departure date, so we have to wake up really early to secure a seat in the boat.

Break your bills. It would be really helpful if you have Php 20’s, 50’s and 100’s instead of having all Php 1,000 bills.

If you decide to stay in Cinammon Cotttages, note that there’s no electricity. Bring your own powerbank.

Contact Details:

Tata Bulabog - Tour Operator - 09399043585

Point 303 Siargao - 09198268837

Lito Trike Driver Siargao – 09168665890. He may ask you to call him to confirm you schedule. Kasi daw, baka “pinagtitripan” lang sya ng mga kasama nya.

Rodel Siargao Habal Habal - 09094235305

Ben Siargao Boatman - 09215114499