Out of all the sight in Siquijor, I was probably most excited to go to Salagdoong Beach Resort. Like the usual traveler, I did my research on the places I could go to and upon seeing photos of the place, I really expected to see one of the best beaches in the province tucked away in the town of Maria.
Salagdoong is a Government owned resort and is open to the public. The good thing about it being operated by the local government is how the place is being maintained properly despite the influx of locals and tourists alike. Waters are kept pristine with clear aquamarine color and aside from the beach in Siquijor port, it was officially the first beach of its kind that I’ve seen.
The resort has two beaches separated by one huge rock where cottages have been built for guests to enjoy a wonderful view of both coves while hanging out. Aside from that, slides and ledges were installed for people to use if they wanted to jump off a 20 ft. cliff into the turquoise water below where corals could be seen through the crystal waters.
The resort is popular for day trips and excursions from people who live in nearby islands. Those who wish to stay overnight could check in to Hotel Agripino as it is the most popular one and rate can be found here.
I wanted to explore both beaches but the other one had too many people and I was not in the mood to mingle with the crowd. The three of us settled to stay in an empty cabana by the other beach where the sand is a little more coarse because of the pebbles and seagrass. Gael, once again wandered off somewhere, I guess since she still had to maintain the title of being the Pinay Solo Backpacker. She needed solo moments once in a while so we let her be.
A short footbridge can be found leading to the huge piece of rock that split the beach in two, I climbed my way to see the ledges and check just how high the view is from above.
Several groups of teenagers were already there having an absolute grand time jumping from both ledges or taking the slide into the water. I think the installation of these ledges and slides were very controversial to those who have been here before the development as they said Salagdoong was a lot more beautiful without it. But of course it was. Any natural wonder that gets developed in any way, regardless whether intentions were good or not, gets a little part of their beauty or charm taken away from them. Their ‘natural’ quality diminishes and it’s a sad thing.
On the bright side, things have been more convenient for tourists. And hey, the place still looks really awesome so kudos to those who are maintaining it.
I reached the edge of the cliff and I was so tempted to jump. My usually fearful heart told me to take the leap. The water waiting underneath was just too gorgeous. It was inviting me, calling my name. I saw photos of my friends doing the same feat and it made me a little jealous. I really wanted to jump.
But I didn’t. My hear of heights did not tamper with my head but my concern for the depth of what’s waiting below kept me from actually jumping. I don’t know how to swim. Swiftly, I went back down to the beach an decided to take a dip and swim to the spot where one would land after jumping off the ledge to check just how deep the area was. I was barely halfway to my destination but the water was already past my head. I went back a little disappointed. At that one moment, I was over my fear of heights but my fear of drowning took over. Just great.
We couldn’t stay long. After the disappointment, I just decided to go back to the cottage and take a nap. At one point I felt something crawling on my arm and saw a tiny white transluscent spider making its way around my arms. I thought it was cute so I took a video of it for a whole minute as it kept crawling on my skin. Afterwards, I softly flicked it away y finger and it subtly went down to the sand via its web. When I showed the video to Dylan that night, he said that it was the same type of spider that bit one of his neighbors a long time ago. The said neighbor died because of the bite.
That was… close, I guess.
It’s funny how one fear could prevent me from having a once in a lifetime experience while my ignorance almost potentially put me in danger. I may have missed out on the jump, but I’ll make sure to learn how to swim so that when I come back, I can conquer that 20 ft cliff jump.
30 REPLIES
Which is why we should learn how to swim as soon as possible para matalon yang lecheng mga bato.
Syaks, inuna mo pa talaga ang pag cam whore sa spider kesa sa sarili mong buhay!
Tara swimming lessons tayo Will!
Or manuod na lang tayo ng instructional videos sa YouTube.
that awesomely blue water + cliff = must go there! <3
Tara next year! :D
Pwede ka naman tumalon with a life vest Robbie para hindi ka malunod. Takot ka lang eh. Lol. Just kidding. hehehe
FYI: they have life vests, complete snorkeling gears, and kayak equipment for rent.
We even got to explore an island near the resort when we did kayaking. This was two weeks after your visit. :D
Hindi kaya pwedeng tumalon with a life vest! Masasakal lang ako pagkatalon dahil lulubog ako at lulutang yung vest. Hahaha.
Nako nang-iinggit. Wahahaha. Pagbalik namin ng Siquijor i Wrangler Tour mo din kami haaaaa! =))
ang ganda tlga jan!!! sana makapunta din aq jan. kahit aq gs2 q tumalon jan sa sobrang ganda ng water. kasu pareho tau nde rin aq marunong lumangoy. Buti pa ung marrunong lumangoy nakakainggit sila lagi!!!
That’s why we need to learn how to swim so we won’t miss on cheap thrills like this one. =)
Malalim ba talaga?
Ang ganda ng tubig.
Malalim na malalim!
Mga 20 inches. Hahaha.
ang GANDA! shet! ang linaw ng tubig.. ang layo nga lang ng Siquijor
Napamura talaga? Hahaha. But aren’t beautiful places like this always worth the long trip? =)
next time, tumalon ka na! hehe.
I don’t know how many times akong tumalon dito.
I saw a photo of an expat who jumped here before, wala pang ledge na nakalagay nun.
Iaalay ko sayo ang pagtalon ko. Hahahaha.
anyone can tell how to get there from dgte? plan to be there nxt month. thnks…
There are ferry boats from Dumaguete that go there everyday. =)
oohh, scary. kelangan ng life insurance bago tumalon. hehe
im scared too, kaya most of the time techniq yung talon agad. pag tumagal mas nakakatakot kasi. ^_^
Onga… prolonging the agony ako madalas eh. Hahaha.
Ako rin hindi ako tumalon. Naisip ko nalang, ayoko Lord! Marami pa akong pangarap sa buhay! Haha. But next time… Flyza Minelli na talaga ako!
Wahahaha! We all need to take that leap of faith and experience the thrill at one point in our lives. Char. Hahaha.
Astig talaga.. :) ung nka tayo ka robx then nka peace sign.
this is very informative post Robbie and i took notes.i will follow your suggested Itinerary. Very helpful in my last minute planning.i am leaving for the airport in 30 mins.but still haven’t done packing coz still researching on itin and accommodations. your posts helped me big time!
*insert song here* Pure Shores
mas masarap talaga pag marunong lumangoy ;(
i can feel you…
–napadaan here ^.^
True! Hahaha. :(
- sabay sad face?!?! lol
hi, kumusta yung beach? hindi ba masakit sa paa or maraming corals or sea urchins? where’s the best beach for swimming sa siquijor?
The beach is okay. Merong corals pero hindi naman masakit sa talampakan. =) I think decent naman ang Salagdoong for swimming and snorkeling, but I heard there are still better beaches there. =)
Hi Robbie..
Thanks for this, will definitely use this as reference when we get there this March! :)
Jumping off the cliff seems fun!
Can you please give the details on how to get there from Manila and the time it will take every step. Thank you,
From Manila, you can take a plane to Dumaguete or Cebu. There you can ride a ferry going to the island of Siquijor. You can check out my detailed itinerary here: http://thetravellingdork.com/siquijor-do-it-yourself-itinerary-travel-guide/