The town of Lilo-an, Southern Leyte is a quiet small town locked in tall and steep mountain ranges. In fact, its mountains are the highest in all of Leyte. On the other side of this town are clear and blue waters with rich marine life. It shares the same seas as Surigao. In fact, Lilo-an port caters trips to Surigao City, making it the Visayas’ gateway to Mindanao.
The roads going to Lilo-an are lined with greens
It was a our anniversary week, my birthday and a Holy week when we went to the famed island of Camiguin. Despite the fact that tourists would flock the island due to the long vacation, we managed to get through buying tickets and waiting long lines to tick this island off our bucket list.
White Island, Camiguin
Apart from the tunneling waves of Siargao are islets that boasts of sugary white sand. Of equal popularity to locals are the three islands off the shores of General Luna namely; Naked Island, Daku Island and Guyam Island. You can arrange island hopping tours through you resort (pretty sure they offer) or if you want a cheaper bargain, you can go to the Boulevard in General Luna (near the market) and look for a boat for hire. Their rates range from 1,200- 1500 depending on how many you are. We got ours for 1,200.
NAKED ISLAND
Situated farthest among the three from General Luna, Naked Island is actually a 200 meter sand bar- no trees nor any life form just pure white sand.
If you are a fan of having a tan, you’d definitely love it here. The sun was literally above us when we were there. The scorching heat of the sun gave us sunburns the day after. haha
And there are no naked people here. hehe
DAKU ISLAND
A perfect place for beach bumming is the Daku Island. “Daku” is a local term which means big. Of the three, this is the biggest and inhabited by a hundred plus locals. Beach front cottages are available for day and overnight use. The place is ideal for family picnics and group outings.
We spent most of our time dawdling in its long strip of powdery white sand and crystal clear water.
We stayed too long that the boat man already persuaded that we leave since it was getting dark and we still have one island to go.hehe
GUYAM ISLAND
The nearest of them all. Guyam island is of the same size as Naked Island only that it has small coconut trees scattered throughout the little island. The island is considered private hence a 10php/person entrance fee is collected.
The island is so near the shore that I guess a good swimmer can reach it by swimming alone.
The island is great for pictorials and it has a good view of the sunset.
Contrary to my previous belief, Siargao’s water is not entirely made of gigantic waves. There are placid areas too making it possible for island hopping adventure and beach bumming. Hence, don’t limit yourself on your adventure to just surfing and treading the waves in Siargao. Explore what this little piece of paradise has to offer!
We went to Dakak with a different level of excitement. It was one of the places I didn’t expect to reach when I was still a child. For me, it was an unapproachable chalet high in the mountains that only the filthy rich can afford. Thanks to internet research, we found out that for 500 php, Dakak offers Day Tour with a free dining at their Italian restaurant.
Dapitan has been one of the places my seemingly wandering mind has always been curious about. Being the place where the country’s national hero has been exiled before he was put to firing squad, Dapitan has been famous in Philippine history books. Movies depicting the life of our national hero has been made on set this third class city. Aside from being a shrine city, Dapitan boasts of Dakak, a stunning piece of paradise along a kilometer- long white sand beach.
doreen the explorer 