Guest post by:  Jojo Aquino

Siargao instantly became my favorite solo travel destination. And in a short amount of time, I made plenty of mistakes. Here’s a solo female traveler’s guide to Siargao and 10 mistakes to avoid!

MISTAKE #1: BIKING AT NIGHT WITH NO HEADLIGHT

If you rent a bicycle, double check to make sure it has a headlight or call for habal-habal to bring you home instead. You see, I wasn’t thinking so I decided to ride in the dark. If you watch the video, you can hear me freaking out. Yeah. Don’t be like me.

Leave earlier than you think in case you get lost so that you don’t hold your tour back or get left behind. And if you rented a bike, here’s–

MISTAKE #3: LOOSELY PLACING YOUR BELONGINGS IN YOUR BASKET INSTEAD OF INSIDE YOUR BAG

Because I was in a rush, my iPhone decided to jump out of the basket and onto the road. Now I have more cracks on my phone!

It takes about 3 hours to reach Sohoton Cove and on a boat with a loud engine, you’ll be left with a ringing in your ears especially if you’re sitting right next to it which is –

 

Mistake #4: NOT BRINGING EARBUDS OR EARPLUGS

So to avoid that, bring earbuds or earplugs. Otherwise, bring something to read or bask in the ambiance!

Sohoton Cove was beautiful. It reminded me of Coron and Bohol. It was like a mix of Chocolate Hills and lagoons. Do you see how my purse is wet? My expensive mirrorless camera and iPhone was inside. So –

MISTAKE #5: BRINGING A PURSE INSTEAD OF A WATERPROOF BAG

So bring a waterproof bag. They’re sold everywhere in Siargao.

MISTAKE #6: NEGLECTING TO RINSE YOUR CAMERA GEAR
ANYTIME IT TOUCHES SALT WATER

Salt water is CORROSIVE. So always rinse your gear or anything in general that touches salt water. I was using the GoPro Hero Black 5 by the way. And no, the rice trick did not work. But thank you guys for helping!

In the sanctuary, you can’t swim with the jellyfish or their tentacles will fall off. Plus everyone’s sunblock and mosquito repellant will contaminate the water which will make their tentacles fall off. And you can’t pick them up either or their tentacles will fall off! But what you CAN do is touch them! And it’s wonderfully — eerie. Imagine touching a giant tapioca ball.

DAY 3

 

On this day, I went on the Corregidor Island Hiking Tour. I learned my lesson from yesterday so I gave myself extra time to head to Bravo Resort. So even when I forgot my camera battery and had to rush back to get it I still arrived on time! I even had time to stopped by Bake Siargao, a coffee shop with interior decoration goals. You can go here for a quick bite on your way to anywhere. So on my way to the resort, I came across –

MISTAKE #7: FAILING TO TEST YOUR BIKE BRAKES OR
NOT KNOWING HOW ELSE TO BRAKE

So avoid this making sure to test your brakes or jump out of your bicycle. I almost ran into 2 people so I ended up running into a wall instead. I walked away totally fine. Thank goodness!

So Corregidor island! It was only an hour boat ride away and the hike to the top of the island is scenic. You walk through the town proper, pig pens, and the beach before hiking up. So –

MISTAKE #8: FORGETTING TO BRING FOOTWEAR

I know this is obvious but if you’re used to walking barefoot, you usually forget where you leave your slippers.  Or you know, maybe you crashed into a wall and you were still processing what happened so you forgot to bring your slippers. I don’t know! So I ended up hiking barefoot and for the most part, it was actually doable! I made it through the hot rocks but it started to get unbearable when it got too pokey. But maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’re secretly a masochist. No just kidding. It actually got too much that my tour guide, Symon, lent me his slippers.

After the hike, you’ll arrive back to your hut for a delicious lunch. Then you’ll have a couple hours to swim in the water, play drinking games, and lounge in the sun. And if you don’t want to move too much with your food baby, I suggest sitting at the shore and let the water wash over and move you. It’s really fun! But of course, you get sand EVERYWHERE. It even went inside my bikini top where the pads usually sit lol. At this point, you’ve been under the bright sun for hours which brings me to –

MISTAKE #9: NEGLECTING TO BRING YOUR SUNBLOCK

I didn’t really get sunburnt but some of the ladies did so bring your sunblock and keep applying it.

Next, head over to where the party is! Ask around where the party is every night because it always changes. At that night, it was Viento del Mar. I got to meet a follower and now my friend Jini! And we all drank and danced together!

Next up is Naked Island! It’s completely bare from trees but makes a nice picture if you’re at the tail end #travelfam

DAY 5

 

I left on the morning of Day 5. And I share with you my last and most important mistake to learn from.

 

MISTAKE #10: NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP AND HYDRATION

Can you imagine drinking straight from 11 am to 2 am in 2 days? That’s 30 hours total and I did that under the hot sun. I nearly fainted by the time I arrived in Manila because I was so dehydrated. So SERIOUSLY, always have a water bottle on you and get lots of sleep. LOTS OF IT.

All my tours were booked with My Siargao Guide and I suggest you guys go with them because #1, they’re a really amazing & fun team of people and #2, hello– booze?

And also shout out to Marty and the guys at Fat Lips Surf Shop for teaching me how to ride a scooter, encouraging me but still laughing at me when I attempted to ride it, dropping me off at a bike rental shop instead, and shouting “YEAH JOJO!” everytime I cycled by.  And also for being so helpful when I rented their GoPro because mine broke.

And that wraps up my Guide to Siargao! I hope you were able to learn a thing or 2 from my mistakes. So be smart and stay safe when traveling alone and get out of your comfort zone!

 

Since starting Traveling Petite Girl a year and a half ago, Siargao was the best trip I’ve had and it was the people who made it amazing.  Solo travel doesn’t mean you’re alone the whole time, it means there’s plenty of opportunities to make new friends and Siargao is the perfect place to do that.

You can find Jojo Aquino here:

Blog: http://www.travelingpetitegirl.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelingpetitegirl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelingpetitegirl/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/jojoaquino

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