I wanted to take my husband somewhere for his birthday, but it could only be over the weekend because we have patients at our clinic — my husband is a chiropractor, and we run our chiropractic clinic in Cebu. We’ve lived in Cebu for four years and have explored most of the major sights—usually with short road trips on weekends—so I thought, why not Siargao? We’ve never been, and we actually booked accommodation there back in 2020. Maybe six years later we could finally use it. Do you think it’s possible? Haha
Booking the flights from CEBU to SIARGAO
I was surprised when I booked the tickets to Siargao. It was in January when I booked, and the Philippine Airlines (PAL) tickets cost us ₱7,900 for two people round-trip — no add‑ons. In my mind, it would cost more. For the return trip, I added a seat for ₱800 for the two of us, but apparently the third row didn’t have windows on the 3D seat… so do not book that, LOL
Siargao flights are usually either very early (around 6:00 a.m.) or very late at night (AT LEAST what I have checked when I booked our flights), so I picked the early morning. The flight from Cebu to Siargao via PAL was even early to board — we were supposed to board at 5:55 a.m., and by 5:45 a.m. we were already boarding. The departure was on time, but our return was delayed by about 40 minutes. It was a rainy day, so maybe that affected other flights…
Cebu Mactan Airport
The night before our flight, I tried checking in through the Philippine Airlines website but had trouble; the PAL app didn’t load for me. After several attempts, I was finally able to check in online. For a 3‑day, 2‑night trip to Siargao, I didn’t check luggage. ALTHOUGH, for me, the convenience of checking in is great — no need to downsize toiletries or leave perfumes behind (and not very mindful of the articles of clothing I’d bring), but I guess this time is one of those mindful travels I embraced minimalism and poured some of my skincare (and liquid necessities) into small bottles I had at home…
A big plus of not checking luggage is that you can arrive at the airport later. Boarding was at 5:55 a.m., and we arrived at the airport at 5:30 a.m., went straight through security, then to the gate. Domestic departures in Cebu are still fast, especially when you’re already checked in — the QR scanning of boarding passes is super useful.
I booked a Grab for around 5:00 a.m., got in the car at 5:11 a.m., and arrived at Mactan Airport at 5:34 a.m. Early flights are a perk if you live near Cebu Business Park; traffic is light, and Grab drivers are always cautious when driving…
I love airports — my husband doesn’t share the same enthusiasm, except for major international hubs like Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, or some European airports… For me, any airport is exciting: it means an adventure waiting, a family member to meet, or the gateway home. Whatever the reason, I always love being at the airport… I upped my airport OOTD these days… haha I wanna share some with you…
Onboard the Philippine Airlines turboprop aircraft
The plane to Del Carmen is a small turboprop (De Havilland Canada Dash 8‑400), the type PAL uses for inter‑island domestic routes like Coron and Boracay. I used to be obsessed with airplanes when my son was younger because he loved them and collected models, but now he prefers cycling…
The small plane was comfortable, though it felt cramped because many passengers were tall foreign tourists. There was no in‑flight magazine — which made me wonder why. My husband thinks Siargao flights are expensive because there aren’t many travelers; I thought it was because most passengers are tourists who can afford higher fares. I even have a conspiracy theory I might post on Reddit…
There were fares around ₱14,000 one‑way from Manila to Siargao, or conservatively about ₱8,000 one‑way. Based on what I read and heard, my husband may be correct: the relatively low number of people taking the flights (and fewer seats) drives up prices. Turbo‑prop routes in the Philippines tend to be more expensive than major routes for that reason. Last year, the planes were not very full, according to the news…
The social‑media spike and government response
Roughly mid–2025 into late‑2025, the issue blew up on social media — first around July 2025 — with coverage noting sharply higher Manila–Siargao fares and reduced competition. Posts showing roundtrip fares as high as about ₱30,000 circulated and prompted government attention and reported fare caps in late January 2026. Based on my research, airlines cited lower passenger numbers and limited seats as the cause of the high fares. The national government held budget hearings and followed up with talks with airlines.
PAL agreed to lower the fare cap from ₱17,000 to ₱11,000, and from the end of 2025 into early 2026 the number of tourists began to increase, especially with carriers like Sunlight Air and Cebu Pacific (Cebgo) adding options. Early‑2026 follow‑ups and government pressure led airlines to add capacity and run promos, which lowered many Manila–Siargao fares compared with the late‑2025 spike. Thanks to this, we got our tickets at a nice cost…
Philippine Airlines’ 85th anniversary promo?
This March 15 is Philippine Airlines’ 85th anniversary. I spoke to Ms. Yani, PAL Visayas head of sales, and she said that on March 15 at the International Travel Festival in Cebu City at the Waterfront, we can expect “never before seen” deals — 85 is the number. I joked, could it be 85% off flights? We’ll wait and see in a few days…
Arriving at Sayak Airport
Sayak Airport is in Del Carmen, one of Siargao’s municipalities. Siargao is not under any city — it’s part of the province of Surigao del Norte and is divided into municipalities:
- Dapa (major port and airport hub)
- General Luna (tourist center, home of the Cloud 9 surf break)
- Del Carmen
- Burgos
- San Isidro
- Pilar (where Magpupungko Rock Pools are and also the Maasin River)
General Luna is the most popular municipality because of Cloud 9.
Sayak Airport (IAO, in Del Carmen) is about 30–35 km from General Luna by road, and travel time is roughly 40–60 minutes by car or van depending on traffic and road conditions. Taxi/van transfers and motorbike rentals are common.
We arrived at Sayak at 7:15 a.m. The arrival area felt FORGETTABLE — we stepped off the plane into a small arrival room, and after a few minutes we were outside. I didn’t notice where to get baggage, but there must be a place. There was a lot of construction, so perhaps they are expanding the airport to lower costs and accommodate more passengers in the long term.
At the gate, we had to pay ₱20 per person to get out. I’m not sure if this is a local tourist fee or a small terminal/maintenance charge, but maybe it helps maintain the airport.
Transfer to Lamari (our accommodation)
I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO SAY ABOUT LAMARI, our accommodation, but let me just start with the fact that it had confirmed a shared van for us at ₱300 per person to General Luna. We waited for our driver — the vans were already lined up and drivers had signs with names. If you’re in a hurry, you can take any van offering the same service, just remember that shared vans are usually ₱300 per passenger to your hotel in General Luna. We waited about 40 minutes for other passengers, but it was fine. There is no Grab service on this island…
The drive to General Luna was interesting — no traffic. It reminded me of Camiguin but on a larger scale. Roads vary between wide and narrow; the island has many mountains and forests. I wondered if there are waterfalls near General Luna. There are a lot of coconut trees along the way…
Arriving at Lamari
We arrived at Lamari at 8:43 p.m. We had breakfast (Php350-700 for breakfast meals and Php120 for coffee) and waited for our motorcycle rental. I found a girl on Facebook who rented a Yamaha Fazzio for ₱450 per day, plus ₱50 for both helmets and ₱50 for scooter delivery. Her fb name is Llego A. Erika (+63 910 167 0356)… if you cannot find her, there are many rental pages you can check just make sure they are legit and settle payment once you meet them in person…
At 10:00 a.m., Ms. Hazel (lamari front desk) told us we could check in early because the previous guests left early — instead of 2:00 p.m., we were able to check in early. Sweet. After eating, we went to the room, changed, prepared what we needed, and started Day 1 of our Siargao trip.
Parting Words
This trip felt like a long‑awaited use of a reservation made years ago. Despite the small plane and higher fares on inter‑island routes, government action and increased capacity in early 2026 made travel to Siargao more affordable. If you’re planning a quick weekend trip from Cebu, aim for early flights, travel light, and consider shared vans and local scooter rentals to make the most of a short stay.
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