Siquijor beach – Tita S Travels

SERENE AND SPONTANEOUS SALAGDOONG BEACH (Siquijor, Philippines)

Published on April 2, 2019July 19, 2022 by titastravels1711 Comments

Salagdoong Beach is a public beach located in the town of Maria, on the southeastern side of the island province¹ of Siquijor², in the Central Visayas³ Region (Region VII)⁴ of the Philippines, known for cliff diving and swimming. I was told that the beach is part of a government-owned resort and managed by the Provincial Tourism Office.

It is easy to reach this destination because there is a sign along the main road that will lead you to it. It is best, and more practical, to avail of an island tour and negotiate the places you want to visit, like this beach. You also get to see a manmade molave⁵ forest before you reach this beach.

This beach was my group’s last stop during our one-day Siquijor Coastal Tour (post to follow). We rented an air-conditioned van owned by Yane’s Adventures Van Services⁶ after we arrived at the port of Siquijor. We were lucky to have a very cheerful and accommodating driver, Jimmy Bueno.

And now, for my personal experience in Salagdoong Beach:

Entrance of Salagdoong Beach from access road

The entrance fee is PHP25 per person (inclusive of a PHP10 environmental fee and PHP5 Red Cross fee) and the parking fee is PHP25.

Our driver, Jimmy, parked the van in a designated area near the individually-roofed tables lining the edge of the paved area by the easement leading to the beach below.

The well-maintained beach offers fine white sand shores and clear blue waters.

You can see several large inflated plastic objects, which, I guess, could be rented and enjoyed by you and your group.

I was also told that the resort offers rooms and cottages with complete amenities to interested guests.

If you walk onwards from the parking area, following the cemented border to the left, you will immediately see a blue painted slide at the far left, but during our visit (March 2019), it was under renovation and cannot be used.

You can head up the cemented steps near the slide till you reach a gazebo-like structure.

The cliff-diving area is to the far left. You will see two diving boards at different heights, with the left one placed several feet lower than the right one, more than 65 meters in height.

If you are brave enough, you dive and have your picture and video taken by your companion. As for me, I am not that brave, so I just took a picture of the white sand beach from that elevation.

I was also told that there was a tourist who got a minor scratch at the lower cliff-diving area. He hit the rocks at the bottom because his jump was not far enough. So, if you, or one of your companions, decide to cliff-dive, ask if it is high tide, and be sure to jump as far as possible from the board since the water directly below is not that deep. Perhaps, start with the left board, and for more excitement, try the right board too!

For smokers, the rear part of the gazebo is the smoking area.

As you get down from the gazebo, you will see a restaurant-dining area, at about your 11 o’clock position. It was very hot afternoon, and I found my way to the restaurant, went over their menu, and decided to order shakes, a couple of clubhouse sandwiches, and popsicles for the young and young-at-hearts.

The service was slow because of the large volume of tourists, but the helpful and hospitable staff more than compensated for the delay. I was allowed to bring the orders to our shaded table overlooking the secluded beach. The fresh breeze was so nice to enjoy with our light snack. I saw to it that I returned the china and silverware we used.

A secluded, partially-shaded beach beckons near the cliff area. This is where local and foreign tourists sit on the sand to sunbathe, or wade in the shallow, clear waters.

By the way, always secure your belongings by assigning a companion to watch over them while the rest of the group swim, sunbathe, snorkel, or cliff dive. A tourist lost her belongings during our visit.

We only stayed about an hour on this beach. We had to proceed back to the pier for our trip back to Dumaguete⁷ through Oceanjet⁸.

This is not a sponsored post. We paid for our Siquijor Coastal Tour and all comments are based on my personal experience in this province¹.

Did you find this post informative? I would like to hear from you re your visit to this beautiful beach. Simply scroll and click “Leave a comment”.

See other interesting places through other posts in this category and other categories of SCapades, Pinoy Delights, and Smart Travelers – Foreign Travelers Ask, Now You Know, and Say, Say, Say. Happy reading, and I hope that you will appreciate what I shared and some of the featured destinations will be part of your future travel plans!

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The following terms are defined for interested readers, especially non-Filipinos, those with “Senior-Moments”, and those too busy or lazy to Google such terms:

¹A province is the primary administrative and political division in the Philippines. It is the second-level administrative sub-division of a region⁹. There are 81 provinces (called “lalawigan”) in the Philippines. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and by an elected governor. In the Philippines, a province is divided into cities¹⁰ and municipalities¹¹ (or towns), which in turn, are divided into barangays¹², formerly called barrios. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Provinces of the Philippines.”¹³See a related post: Foreign Seniors Ask: WHAT ARE PROVINCES IN THE PHILIPPINES?

²Siquijor is an island province¹ of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas³ Region (Region VII)⁴. Its capital is the municipality¹¹ which is also called Siquijor. This coralline island is predominantly hilly, and in many places the hills reach the sea, producing steep cliffs. Geographically, Cebu is to the north, Negros to the west, Bohol to the northeast, and to the south, across the Bohol Sea, is Mindanao. It has a long-time reputation as a place of magic, sorcery, and mystical traditions. It is also well known for its festivals that focus on healing rituals.The information was obtained from the Wikipedia page “Siquijor”.¹⁴

³Visayas is one of the 3 major geographical divisions of the Philippines. It covers 3 administrative regions⁹: Central Visayas⁴, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas. It consists of 6 major islands (Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Negros, Panay and Samar), mostly surrounded by the Visayan Sea, and is composed of 16 provinces¹, according to Wikipedia page “Visayas”.¹⁵Visayas is located at the middle part of the country; the 2 other geographical divisions of the Philippines are Luzon (in the northern part) and Mindanao (in the southern part).

⁴Central Visayas (Region VII) of the Philippines is a Philippine region⁹ located in the island group of Visayas³, with Cebu City as its regional center. It has 7 local government units¹⁶ (LGUs): Bohol, Cebu, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor². The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Regions of the Philippines.”¹⁷

⁵Molave is a large Philippine timber tree (Vitex parviflora), known for its dense, durable, yellow wood. It was once used extensively in furniture, boats, etc. as a valuable construction material, but due to habitat loss and overharvesting, it is now classified as endangered by the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Vitex parviflora.”¹⁸

⁶Yane’s Adventures Van Services information – Address: Pangi, Siquijor, Siquijor; Contact numbers: 09052133123, 09069732330 and 09183124461, look for Jade Jumawan Pestillos, and request for our very accommodating and cheerful driver, Jimmy Bueno.

⁷Dumaguete is the capital city¹⁰ and main port of Negros Oriental, a province¹ in Central Visayas (Region VII)⁴, of the Philippines. This laid-back university town is called the “City of Gentle People”. It has a charming sea-front boulevard, the most popular destination in the Philippines for retiring abroad, and among the top 10 tourist destinations in the country. The information was obtained from the Wikivoyage page “Dumaguete”.¹⁹

⁸Ocean Jet is the term for the high-speed water craft, owned and operated by Ocean Fast Ferries, Inc., a wholly owned Filipino corporation, offering ferry services to 10 destinations in the Philippines – Bacolod (Negros Occidental), Camotes Island and Cebu City (Cebu), Dumaguete⁷ (Negros Oriental), Iloilo City (Iloilo), Ormoc (Leyte), Larena (Siquijor²) and Tagbilaran (Bohol), Batangas City (Batangas), and another in Calapan (Oriental Mindoro), with a fleet of 17 vessels. It was founded in 1995, then called Socor Shipping Lines (till 2001), with headquarters in Cebu City. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Ocean Fast Ferries.”²⁰ Visit its website: www.oceanjet.net/

⁹A region is the first-order administrative division in the Philippines. There are 17 regions in the Philippines, based on geographical, cultural and ethnological characteristics. It is further subdivided in provinces¹, composed of cities and municipalities¹¹ (or towns), which in turn, are divided into barangays¹². The regions were initially identified in 1972, through Presidential Decree No. 1 of President Ferdinand Marcos. Since then, other regions have been created and some provinces have been “transferred” to another region. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Regions of the Philippines.”¹⁷See a related post: Foreign Seniors Ask: WHAT ARE THE REGIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES?

¹⁰A city is the local government unit¹⁶ in the Philippines headed by a mayor elected by popular vote. A vice-mayor serves as the presiding officer of the city’s legislative body – the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council). The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines.”²¹See a related post: Foreign Seniors Ask: HOW MANY CITIES ARE THERE IN THE PHILIPPINES?

¹¹A municipality is a small, single urban administrative division, or local government unit (LGU)¹⁶, in the Philippines which has corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by law. It is a unit under a province¹, subdivided into barangays¹², and is called town, or bayan. In the Philippines, a municipality is headed by a mayor, a vice mayor and members of the Sangguniang Bayan (legislative branch). It can enact local policies and laws, enforce them, and govern its jurisdictions. It can enter into contracts and other transactions through its elected and appointed officials, and can tax as well. It enforces all local and national laws. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Municipalities of the Philippines.”²²

¹²A barangay in the Philippines is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines, headed by a barangay captain, aided by a Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council). It is the native Filipino term for a district or village. It was formerly called a barrio. In a metropolitan area, a barangay is an inner city neighborhood, a suburb, or a suburban neighborhood. The word barangay originated from the term “balangay”, a kind of boat used by a group of Austronesian people who migrated to the Philippines.A number of barangays grouped together is called a district. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Barangay.”²³

¹³“Provinces of the Philippines,” accessed July 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_the_Philippines

¹⁴“Siquijor,”accessed October 16, 2018, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siquijor

¹⁵“Visayas,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visayas

¹⁶A local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines is divided into 3 levels: provinces¹ and independent cities²⁴; component cities²⁵ and municipalities¹¹; and, barangays¹², according to Wikipedia page “Local government in the Philippines”.²⁶

¹⁷“Regions of the Philippines,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_the_Philippines

¹⁸“Vitex parviflora,” accessed March 8, 2019,https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Vitex_parviflora

¹⁹“Dumaguete,” accessed March 8, 2019,https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Dumaguete

²⁰“Ocean Fast Ferries,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Fast-Ferries

²¹“Cities of the Philippines,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_the_Philippines

²²“Municipalities of the Philippines,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalities_of_the_Philippines

²³“Barangay,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barangay

²⁴An independent city is a type of city¹⁰ in the Philippines which is administratively and legally not subject to a province¹so it does not share its tax revenues with any province. The national government and its agencies serve such a city through sub-offices of the region⁹ it belongs to. It is subdivided into 2: highly urbanized city²⁷or independent component city²⁸. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”²¹

²⁵A component city is a type of city¹⁰ in the Philippines which does not meet the requirements of a highly urbanized city²⁷. It is under the jurisdiction of a province¹. If such a city is located along the boundaries of 2 or more provinces, it shall be considered part of the province of which it used to be a municipality¹¹. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”²¹

²⁶“Local government in the Philippines,” accessed July 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines

²⁷A highly urbanized city (HUC) is a type of city¹⁰ in the Philippines with a minimum population of 200,000 as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and with the latest annual income of at least 50 million pesos, according to Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”.²¹ There are currently 33 such cities in the Philippines (see link – I will place a link here).

²⁸An independent component city (ICC) is a type of city¹⁰ in the Philippines which is autonomous from the province¹ in which it is geographically located and has a charter that explicitly prohibits its residents to vote for provincial officials (unless allowed to do so). It does not meet the requirements of a highly urbanized city²⁷. There are 5 such cities in the country: Cotabato, Dagupan, Naga, Ormoc, and Santiago. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”²¹

PALITON BEACH: THE LITTLE BORACAY OF SIQUIJOR

Published on March 29, 2019July 19, 2022 by titastravels1711 Comments

Paliton Beach is a small beach in the island province¹ of Siquijor², in the Central Visayas³ Region (Region VII)⁴ of the Philippines.

Checawey, 18 February 2012, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paliton_Beach,_Siquijor,_Philippines.JPG

It is located on the northeastern part of the municipality⁵ of San Juan, on the western part of Siquijor².

Here is my experience in Paliton Beach:

We rented an air-conditioned van owned by Yane’s Adventures Van Services⁶ after we arrived at the port of Siquijor. We were lucky to have a very friendly, cheerful and accommodating driver, Jimmy Bueno.

This beach was my group’s first major stop during our one-day Siquijor Coastal Tour, right after the “I love Siquijor” sign where we just had a couple of pictures taken.

Perhaps, you can schedule this beach as your last stop for the spectacular sunset. However, this beach was part of our morning schedule in our day trip, so we could not do so. Maybe, the next time we visit Siquijor and stay overnight, we will schedule this place in time for sunset.

From the main highway, our van entered a narrow unpaved, cleared pathway and Jimmy still drove for a little over a kilometer before we reached this beach. There is no entrance fee but the parking fee is PHP10; swimming is free in this beach.

Jimmy, our driver, parked the van under a coconut tree for shade. There were several small stalls nearby selling refreshments and snack items. It was still early in the morning so we did not buy anything from these stalls. I must say that the area near the beach is not developed nor organized.

The easement was lined with coconut trees. The narrow beach has sand that is white and powdery so this place is called “The Little Boracay⁷ of Siquijor”. It also has clear and calm blue waters. The scenery was very peaceful that March 2019 morning, perhaps because there were very few tourists when we were there.

We decided not to swim this early in the morning and will just do so after lunch in the last two stops.

People sunbathe, swim and snorkel in this beach but I was told that the best time would be at high tide and during summer months. It gets crowded with locals during sunsets and weekends.

A marine sanctuary is somewhere near and there is a charge to swim or snorkel there. I was told it had a coral garden and small fish,and covers more than 6 hectares.

We just looked around and took pictures. We did not swim here and only briefly stayed on this beach, mostly admiring its fine white sand and coconut tree-lined shore and clear water.

We did not get to explore this destination since we only set a day tour of the whole island-province of Siquijor.

I was attracted to a particular coconut tree that was leaning very low towards the water. I was told that you can take a picture on this tree and just give a donation, but no one from my group wanted to do so.

We noticed that there were a couple of bancas² docked on the shore.

We contented ourselves taking pictures and videos of this “Little Boracay³ of Siquijor” because of its fine, white sand and calm blue waters.

We only stayed about 15 minutes on this beach. We had to proceed to the other sites to see more of this island province¹.

We paid for our Siquijor Coastal Tour and all comments are based on my personal experience in this province¹.

Did you find this post informative? I would like to hear from you re your visit to this beautiful beach. Simply scroll and click “Leave a comment”.

Remember to share this post with your friends, follow me by clicking on the bottom right corner of your device, and do not forget to like this post. Thank you.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The following terms are defined for interested readers, especially non-Filipinos, those with “Senior-Moments”, and those too busy or lazy to Google such terms:

¹A province is the primary administrative and political division in the Philippines. It is the second-level administrative sub-division of a region⁸. There are 81 provinces (called “lalawigan”) in the Philippines. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and by an elected governor. In the Philippines, a province is divided into cities⁹ and municipalities⁵ (or towns), which in turn, are divided into barangays¹⁰, formerly called barrios. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Provinces of the Philippines.”¹¹See a related post: Foreign Seniors Ask: WHAT ARE PROVINCES IN THE PHILIPPINES?

²Siquijor is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas³ Region (Region VII)⁴. Its capital is the municipality⁵ which is also called Siquijor. This coralline island is predominantly hilly, and in many places the hills reach the sea, producing steep cliffs. Geographically, Cebu is to the north, Negros to the west, Bohol to the northeast, and to the south, across the Bohol Sea, is Mindanao. It has a long-time reputation as a place of magic, sorcery, and mystical traditions. It is also well known for its festivals that focus on healing rituals. The information was obtained from the Wikipedia page “Siquijor”.¹²

³Visayas is one of the 3 major geographical divisions of the Philippines. It covers 3 administrative regions⁸: Central Visayas⁴, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas. It consists of 6 major islands (Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Negros, Panay and Samar), mostly surrounded by the Visayan Sea, and is composed of 16 provinces¹, according to Wikipedia page “Visayas”.¹³Visayas is located at the middle part of the country; the 2 other geographical divisions of the Philippines are Luzon (in the northern part) and Mindanao (in the southern part).

⁴Central Visayas (Region VII) of the Philippines is a Philippine region⁸ located in the island group of Visayas³, with Cebu City as its regional center. It has 7 local government units¹⁴ (LGUs): Bohol, Cebu, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor². The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Regions of the Philippines.”¹⁵

⁵A municipality is a small, single urban administrative division, or local government unit (LGU)¹⁴, in the Philippines which has corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by law. It is a unit under a province¹, subdivided into barangays¹⁰, and is called town, or bayan. In the Philippines, a municipality is headed by a mayor, a vice-mayor and members of the Sangguniang Bayan (legislative branch). It can enact local policies and laws, enforce them, and govern its jurisdictions. It can enter into contracts and other transactions through its elected and appointed officials, and can tax as well. It enforces all local and national laws. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Municipalities of the Philippines.”¹⁶

⁷Boracay is a small island at the northwestern tip of Panay Island, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is administered by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and the provincial government of Aklan. It is known the world over for its fine white sand beaches, and was repeatedly chosen and awarded as one of the top destinations in the world for relaxation. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Boracay.”¹⁷

⁸A region is the first-order administrative division in the Philippines. There are 17 regions in the Philippines, based on geographical, cultural and ethnological characteristics. It is further subdivided in provinces¹, composed of cities and municipalities⁵ (or towns), which in turn, are divided into barangays¹⁰. The regions were initially identified in 1972, through Presidential Decree No. 1 of President Ferdinand Marcos. Since then, other regions have been created and some provinces have been “transferred” to another region. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Regions of the Philippines.”¹⁵ Foreign Seniors Ask: WHAT ARE THE REGIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES?

⁹A city is the local government unit¹⁴ in the Philippines headed by a mayor elected by popular vote. A vice-mayor serves as the presiding officer of the city’s legislative body – the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council). The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines.”¹⁸ Foreign Seniors Ask: HOW MANY CITIES ARE THERE IN THE PHILIPPINES?

¹⁰A barangay in the Philippines is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines, headed by a barangay captain, aided by a Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council). It is the native Filipino term for a district or village. It was formerly called a barrio. In a metropolitan area, a barangay is an inner city neighborhood, a suburb, or a suburban neighborhood. The word barangay originated from the term “balangay”, a kind of boat used by a group of Austronesian people who migrated to the Philippines. A number of barangays grouped together is called a district. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Barangay.”¹⁹

¹¹“Provinces of the Philippines,” accessed July 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_the_Philippines

¹²“Siquijor,”accessed October 16, 2018, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siquijor

¹³“Visayas,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visayas

¹⁴A local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines is divided into 3 levels: provinces¹ and independent cities²⁰; component cities²¹ and municipalities⁵; and, barangays¹⁰, according to Wikipedia page “Local government in the Philippines”.²²

¹⁵“Regions of the Philippines,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_the_Philippines

¹⁶“Municipalities of the Philippines,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalities_of_the_Philippines

¹⁷“Boracay,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boracay

¹⁸“Cities of the Philippines,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_the_Philippines

¹⁹“Barangay,” accessed January 29, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barangay

²⁰An independent city is a type of city⁹ in the Philippines which is administratively and legally not subject to a province¹so it does not share its tax revenues with any province. The national government and its agencies serve such a city through sub-offices of the region⁸ it belongs to. It is subdivided into 2: highly urbanized city²³ or independent component city²⁴. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”¹⁸

²¹A component city is a type of city⁹ in the Philippines which does not meet the requirements of a highly urbanized city²³. It is under the jurisdiction of a province¹. If such a city is located along the boundaries of 2 or more provinces, it shall be considered part of the province of which it used to be a municipality⁵. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”¹⁸

²²“Local government in the Philippines,” accessed July 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines

²³A highly urbanized city (HUC) is a type of city⁹ in the Philippines with a minimum population of 200,000 as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and with the latest annual income of at least 50 million pesos, according to Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”.¹⁸ There are currently 33 such cities in the Philippines (see link – Foreign Seniors Ask: HOW MANY CITIES ARE THERE IN THE PHILIPPINES?).

²⁴An independent component city (ICC) is a type of city⁹ in the Philippines which is autonomous from the province¹ in which it is geographically located and has a charter that explicitly prohibits its residents to vote for provincial officials (unless allowed to do so). It does not meet the requirements of a highly urbanized city²³. There are 5 such cities in the country: Cotabato, Dagupan, Naga, Ormoc, and Santiago. The information was obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines”¹⁸